Barley Wine – strong top fermentation beer of exceptionally malty nature. Strong beer with high extract. The bridge between the world of beer, wine and bourbon. Barley Wine is one of the strongest beer styles known for rich aromas of caramel, sponge cake and honey malts. The world of the American liquors is represented by whisky and wine double aged in Porto and Bourbon barrels. The ageing process in barrels accounts for enhancing the beer aromas with vanilla, coconut, and dark red wine tones. The flavours of oak wood, porto and whisky make it one of the most refined and multilayered beers.

WRCLW Barley Wine Porto and Bourbon Double B.A. 2017 The bridge established between beer, wine and bourbon. Barley Wine is one of the strongest beer styles known for rich aromas of caramel, sponge cake and honey malts. The world of the American liquors is represented by whisky and wine double aged in Porto and Bourbon barrels. The ageing process in barrels accounts for enhancing the beer aromas with vanilla, coconut, and dark red wine tones. The flavours of oak wood, porto and whisky make it one of the most refined and multilayered beers.

Barley Wine: another strong beer style in our offer (after WRCLW Rye RIS). We have taken this top fermentation beer of exceptional malty character a step further by adding cane molasses. It is the beer style with the highest extract we have brewed so far: intense and drinkable. It is our beer that has aged in Jamaican rum barrels carefully selected by Rum Love Festival. The rum goes perfectly well with the beer profile. The beer is going to crown the first rum festival in Poland to take place in Wrocław between 24 and 25 June.

Style

The Barley Wine style has its origins in England where the first commercial beer of this style was brewed in the second half of the 19 th century. Some argue that the beginnings of this style date back as far as barley wines produced in Ancient Greece. Today, as for its high contents of alcohol (over 10%), the beer is comparable to wine. The most characteristic feature of this style is its aroma: rich, malty, bringing to mind molasses, toasted bread, honey, almonds, toffee and dry, red fruit. The sweetness and high alcohol contents bring associations with drinking amaretto or wine. Since alcohol carries aromas, it is worth noticing the so-called retronasal profile while drinking the beer. Ageing in Bourbon and Porto barrels refines the beer and enhances it with the aromas of liquors and barrels.

Malts/extract:

High extract is a key feature of this beer style. As the name suggests, we have used barley malts only including abundant amounts of caramel malts that produce toffee, roasted caramel and molasses tones. As time goes by, the beer flavour keeps developing becoming more refined trough oxidization process. As a result, it brings to mind the porto wine.

Hops:

In spite of is sweetness, we have used a lot of low-bitter hops in order to preserve the beer’s malty profile. We have used British hops produced in Slovenia. They are a perfect match due to their earthy and tobacco tone.

Ageing in Porto and Bourbon barrels:

The process of ageing beer in barrels is an incredible experience. First, during beer oxidization process, flavour and aroma balance, Porto, sherry and dried fruit flavours (prunes, raisins, cherries) come to light. Alcohol tones slightly fade away while wood releases:

• tannins – defined as the wood flavour that introduces specific astringency to balance beer
  sweetness..
• Caramels and so called Maillard reaction compounds that are released during barrel smoking
  process (they are accountable for the unique colour of Bourbon)
• Lignins finally transform into vanilins and gives the beer its characteristic vanilla flavours;
  American oak produces a group of phenols which account for spicy aromas: cloves,
  cinnamon, coconut and smoky tones.

Finally, as the beer matures in the barrel, which is not a tight container, water evaporates more quickly than other ingredients. This effect is known as the “angel’s share.”

Barrel-aged beers absorb the qualities of the alcohol previously stored in the barrels. Tawny Porto accounts for the beer’s slight acidity, deep aroma of red fruit: blackberries, cherries and raspberries, as well as spices such as cinnamon and cloves. Bourbon barrels produce intense vanilla aromas enriched with coconut and spice overtones.

Taking everything into consideration, the complexities and multiple layers of this beer style can be savoured in various temperatures. We recommend serving it in a slightly lower temperature of about 10°C and warming it up in your palms up to about 18°C.

• Style: English Barley Wine Double Barrel Aged
• Parameters
  • Extract: 24,7%
  • Alcohol: 9,0% obj.
  • IBU: 50
• Ingredients:
  • malts: barley malts: Pilsner, Munich, caramel 110-130 EBC, caramel 300 EBC
  • Hops:
    • Bitter: Columbus (US)
    • Aromatic: Styrian Goldings (SL)
  • Yeast: Danstar Notthingham
  • Extra ingredients:  leżakowanie w dębowych beczkach po Bourbonie i Porto
• Look: dark amber
• Aromas: wood (oak), vanilla, rum, coco nut, raisins, molasses, caramelized sugar, caramel, almonds (amaretto), toasted bread, fresh tropical fruit, dry dates and apples, porto and Madeira wines
• Mouthfeel:
  • sweet
  • molasses, dry fruit, wood
  • Bourbon aftertaste with distinct Porto acidity; finish with refined oak wood
• Serving temperature: 14-16⁰C
• Glass: Sniffter, Sensoric
• Foodpairing:-
  • Dishes: Honey-Teryaki glazed seasonal beef steaks
  • Cheeses: Blue Stilton with walnuts
  • Desserts: walnut cheesecake coated with blackberries and dulce de lece