Beer styles: Barley Wine

I would like to talk about one of my favorites: the English Barley Wine. My taste is more of powerful and strong flavors, which does not mean that I do not like softer styles. I think there are enough moments at day to fit different beers. In the case of the strongest and most powerful, I usually look for a quiet time, at the end of the day, for example, to be able to enjoy them and savor them without haste, or accompanying the dessert in a special meal, or even taking it as a dessert itself.

Ideal for these moments are the Barley Wine. These are English ale beers, with a lot of body and character, powerful in graduation, and can easily reach up to 14% alcohol. Traditionally, this beer was destined for very special occasions, given its laborious manufacturing process, and they were (and are) ideal for the winter. Cooking a good recipe of this style involves the use of a very high percentage of base malt, to give it that characteristic maltiness, and the cooking usually lasts twice as long, to give rise to the caramelization of the malts and the consequent contribution of color and sweetness. As for the bitterness, to counteract the sweetness provided by the caramelization of the malts, it is usually above 50 IBU's. These beers are ideal for long aging, since with the passage of time they will gain in nuances and flavor. The ideal serving temperature is approximately 15 degrees. If we serve it excessively cold, we can see how it varies with the passage of time and the increase in temperature.

As not everyone has barrels at home for aging, one of the tricks used by homebrewers to make up for the lack of this element is the use in fermentation of oak chips that have previously been immersed in some type of liquor during a time. With this, it is possible to provide that typical personal characteristic of Barley Wine. We could define this style as the cognac of beers, and therefore, a good choice to serve it and drink it calmly is a good balloon glass.