Barrel Breed: Barley Wine 2019

It’s well known that after winning the trophy for Champion Beer at the 2015 AIBAs with our first ever Barrel Breed Barley Wine, we then lost the recipe. After many attempts to recreate that champion batch, resulting in some fine brews along the way, we finally had success in 2018 and won a shiny Gold AIBA medal for our efforts. Having done that, the smart move would be to rest on our laurels and stick to that recipe, but that would be too easy…

For the 2019 batch we decided to swap out the Tennessee Whisky barrels for Rye Whisky barrels, blending the barrel aged brew with a second batch that had been held in stainless steel tanks. This Barley wine was brewed with New Zealand malt and Australian hops to produce a strong wort of 24 plato, which was then fermented over the course of two weeks before cellaring. The resulting beer is a luxurious blend of spicy rye whisky aromas, full vanillin mouth feel and a smooth finish.

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NOTES

Appearance

Dark chestnut with ruby highlights.

Aroma

Toffee and caramelised sugar with spicy rye aromatics.

Flavour

Full mouthfeel with a sweet forward palate and vanillins and whisky notes from barrel ageing. A dry finish with some lingering warmth.

Other Ingredients

Rye whisky barrels.