Barley Wine: History, Brewing Techniques, Recipes

One thing to keep in mind when ordering this book, it is not geared toward the homebrewer that is just starting out. Most of the recipes are for full mash brewing which someday soon I hope to be doing but for now the lack of extract recipes in the book make this an educational, more than a practical read for me. Otherwise it is well written and gave me great insight into a beer style i really enjoy.

This book is one of the gems of the classic beer style series. Here, the topic is barleywine ... a style that frequently gives both professional and amateur homebrewers fits. The author give good information on various brewing techniques that can help people to master this style - split lautering (for making both barley wine and mild ale from the same mash), wort concentratration/caramelization by long boils, using multiple yeast strains (a base strain for flavor, and other strains for higher attenuation/flocculation), etc. This book is a must read for any amateur homebrewer who wants to attempt this style with improved chances of success and satisfaction. p.s. One of my own personal specialities, back when I was still homebrewing regularly, was making clones of Anchor "Old Foghorn". The trick to duplicating that beer (aside from hop & yeast selection) is a touch of maple sugar. That tip is courtesy of yours truly, not Fal Allen.

What a well written book. Very well researched too. They even included my local award winning favorite beer, Commonwealth Special Old Ale. Highly recommend this book to fellow beer geeks.

I found Fal and Dick's book to be one of the most useful of the Classic Beer Style series. It had the right balance of technical and historical information. I found the discussion of fermentation of BW to be helpful addressing the longer duration and the issues concerning attenuation of such a high gravity beer.

The quality of the most recent addition to the Classic Beer Style series should not be a surprise. Allen and Cantwell discuss the history of Barley Wine, from Bass No. 1, to the modern brews of the American Micros. Barley Wine discusses the unique problems, and solutions, in brewing high gravity beers, and includes 11 (mostly) all grain recipes. The approach is thorough, but practical, and does not dwell on scientific technical minutiae. Also included is a section with details of the ingredients and brewing processes used in 20 commercially produced Barley Wines. This book will allow you to approach your next batch of Barley Wine with confidence.