OLD BATTLE AXE BARLEY WINE

Our barley wine is brewed to be a rich, strong and well balanced beer. Some tricks of how to achieve this were learned during a visit to Eldridge Pope Brewery in Dorchester, England, brewers of Thomas Hardy's. The body of this beer is the product of a volume of malted 2-row barley which is sufficient to brew over three times the volume of a standard gravity beer. No colored or flavored malt is added. The color and flavor is the result of a two hour boil, which caramelizes the sugars. The heavy bitterness balances rich malt tones, but does not over power them, which is a common mistake in barley wines. The flavors bloom during a one month warm conditioning. This allows volatile flavors to release and allow the yeast to re-absorb any off flavors which still exist. The high level of alcohol, 10.5% by weight taxes the yeast, yet when treated well, the yeast will perform. The beer is then aged a further two weeks at low temperatures and prepared for serving. The carbonation level is low, in the English tradition, to bring the flavors alive.

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