Oaked English Barleywine Tasting

Yesterday, in celebration of surviving the Massachusetts bar exam, I opened a bottle of Oaked English Barleywine that I brewed in early November 2011 and bulk aged for a few months on medium-toast oak cubes. The recipe is from Brewing Classic Styles.

I still intend to age this until around Thanksgiving at which point it will go well with the cold weather and heavy food. Perhaps I will let a six-pack age for a few years. However, this beer has not been stored properly, as it was aged in a basement around 65F-70F and taken on a 650 mile drive in the back of a U-Haul in late May. Apparently the best way to store beer is at a constant temperature of 40F or so. Oxidation may also be an issue. In theory, however, bottle-conditioned beers like this one are protected somewhat from the aging by the biological activity of the yeast.

A drink for sitting by the fireplace.

Oaked English Barleywine
11# English 2-Row Pale
0# 8oz Crystal 40L
0# 8oz Crystal 120L
Magnum bittering hops, Kent Goldings flavor and aroma.

Expected IBU: 66

3 gallon batch.

British Ale - WLP005 - Ferment at 68F.

Brewed 11/11/2011

Actual OG / FG: 1.092 / 1.022
About 9.8% ABV.

Ferment 4 weeks, transfer to secondary with .75 boiled oak cubes. Store 3-4 months.

Bottle with 1.75oz sugar and rehydrated Nottingham yeast.

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Take these notes with a grain of salt. I already had drank a few beers before this one and now I'm recalling what it tasted like last night.

Appearance: Slight brownish head that quickly dissipates but leaves some bubbles clinging to the side of the glass. Ruddy, brown color. Really hazy despite that this bottle was in the fridge for two weeks before pouring. Not sure if it is chill haze, yeast disturbed from the bottom of the bottle, or tannins from the Oak. The mud-like color is not appealing and I wish the head were a better.

Aroma: Complex. Sweet malt, dried fruit and moderate oakiness. Slight earthy hop aroma. Pretty nice.

Taste: Again complex. Sweet malty taste balanced by oaky tannins and dark fruit like raisins or plums. A little bit of hot alcohol particularly in the aftertaste. Hop bitterness is in there somewhere.

Mouthfeel: Sweet and a little bit heavy but not as syrupy as port wine. Low to moderate carbonation.

Overall: A complex, alcoholic beer with strong flavors of malt, dried fruit and oak. A sipping beer best suited for the cold winter months and paired with heavy food or as a desert beer.
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So I think this one will be pretty good as long as the sub-optimal storage conditions and potential for oxidation do not destroy the beer. I will write another post in November when this beer is about a year old.