I can’t seem to find it any more. I have one at home that I won’t get to until probably next year. Also wondering if anyone here has brewed it before.
I currently have the NB barley wine w/Neo Britannia yeast in the fermenter.
I dont know if they stopped selling it in kit form, but you can always buy the ingredients a la carte.
http://www.northernbrewer.com/documenta ... bottom.pdf[quote=“gregscsu”]I dont know if they stopped selling it in kit form, but you can always buy the ingredients a la carte.
http://www.northernbrewer.com/documenta ... bottom.pdf[/quote]Sure. It’s not like anything about it was exclusive or anything.
Still curious if anyone has tried it. I hope to brew one more strong beer this winter after I get Nubmber 8 and the barley wine finished.
I made it about three years ago. I tasted one after 6 months and I wasn’t impressed. Tasted another after a year, and it still wasn’t that great. So I just forgot about them in the cellar. I just cracked one open this past weekend, and it’s amazing. I’m so glad that I have four dozen bottles left.
Three years? It’s a good thing I’m patient. I’ll be making this one sometime after the first frost.
How is the hop balance? Was thinking about throwing in some home grown cascades for the heck of it.
Bumping. Might make next weekend. At low 60’s fermentation temp, think 2 packs of US05 would be beneficial?
Finally brewed it. OG of 1.11. Added 1 pack of US05, will add a 2nd in week or two. Trying to avoid an explosion and/or losing any beer.
SY2,
That is an impressive OG! I brewed the standard NB barley wine last November and added 1lb of corn surgar and wound up with an OG of 1.090. I’m going to leave it in secondary for 6 months and bottle it May 15th. I’m really looking forward to this beer!
I have never added a second packet of yeast after the beer is in primary. Does this work well for you with the bigger beers? When I did the Barley Wine I pitched it onto the yeast cake of US 05 from the Sierra Madre Pale Ale that I brewed for that purpose.
I also brewed the NB Barley wine, but didn’t add anything. I think I got an OG of 1.09 or so. It started turning really good at about the 8 month mark. Now that it’s getting warmer outside, I’ll leave it alone another 8 months and see how it improves.
I have only done a 2nd addition once and it’s still in secondary for another month, so I can’t say how well it works yet. I can tell ya that my airlock didn’t explode and I didn’t lose a single drop of beer. :cheers: I’ve known guys who use starters or 2 packets who have lost beer due to aggressive fermentation.
I’m thinking I’ll add that 2nd pack tonight or so since it has been about a week and a half.
Bottled it about 2 weeks ago with final ABV of about 11%. I’ll probably wait a good year or two before sampling. I also made a RIS and wee heavy. My storage shelves are basically full of really strong beers that will need to age for years.
I have some storage space. I can help you! Really! 
I have the capacity for 18 cases. I seem to get good results with heavy beers, especially when I’m patient enough to age them. I have a 1.5 year ~9% ABV barley wine, an old ale that’s about 2, as well as newly bottled RIS, Lord Fatbottom, wee heavy, and a Christmas tripel. The next couple of winters are going to be tasty! :cheers:
Finally took a taste because I had company and curiosity, especially after drinking a few beers. The alcohol is very hot. It’s also very hoppy. Has a double+ IPA vibe at the moment. It may have additional bitterness since I threw in some of my homegrown cascades. I’ll give it another 6 months or so before trying another.
Tried my 2nd bottle last week when I had some friends over. They thought it was good. I thought it was still very harsh. I’ll probably give it another year before trying more. The next 6 month mark will be during the summer. Not a summer beer.
Got bored and tried a 3rd bottle. Still very harsh. Got a really nice buzz. Will be patient and probably won’t touch any until next winter.
Your patience will probably be well rewarded. My experience with my first ‘big’ beer a few decades ago taught me that age is definitely your friend when it comes to beers like this.
If you handled your sanitation duties correctly, once the beer had properly aged I will pretty much guarantee that you’ll wish you made more of it, or made another batch or three much sooner.
[quote=“The Professor”]
Your patience will probably be well rewarded. My experience with my first ‘big’ beer a few decades ago taught me that age is definitely your friend when it comes to beers like this.
If you handled your sanitation duties correctly, once the beer had properly aged I will pretty much guarantee that you’ll wish you made more of it, or made another batch or three much sooner.[/quote]
Understood. I drank about 1/2 of a barley wine batch before it blossomed. I’m thinking this guy might need 2-3 years to mellow out.
I’m planning on brewing a barley wine this year and next year, both to sit for a really long time. :cheers:
