Turbulence American Barleywine Recipe

Barleywines aren’t your typical house beers but you’ve likely seen them on every tap list. These malty monsters often feature caramel bready notes with some fruitiness and a hefty abv. You’ll find Barleywines in both American and English varieties. English Barleywines feature heavier fruitiness, stone fruit, toffee, and earthy notes. An American Barleywine features caramel, raisin, and a pronounced hoppy punch.
Turbulence is my take on an American Barleywine. Based on Sierra Nevada’s Bigfoot, Turbulence packs a hoppy mix of Cascade and Centennial with plenty of malt complexity to balance things out. Turbinado sugar adds molasses and brown sugar notes to the mix. Drink it fresh or enjoy it like a fine wine as Turbulence becomes better over time.
Tasting Notes:
The liquid is red-hued brown with a fingertip of cream-colored foam. The aroma is sweet caramel resin with mild citrus. Taste is sweet caramel with raisin, resin, and citrus. This one starts hoppy and finishes super smooth. These are tasting notes from a year old bottle when I personally think a barleywine hits its sweet spot.
Turbulence American Barleywine Recipe
- Batch Size: 5.5 Gallons
- BH Efficiency: 72%
- SG: 1.098 Actual: 1.095
- FG: 1.024 Actual: 1.022
- Calculated ABV: 9.69%
- IBU’S: 70
- Color: 16.3 SRM
Ingredients
Fermentables
- 12.6 Pounds Canada Malting 2 Row
- 3.4 Pounds Muntons Marris Otter
- 1 Pound Muntons 60L Crystal
- 1 Pound Patagonia 90L Caramel Malt
- 1 Pound Briess Carapils
- 1 Pound Turbinado Sugar
Hops
- 3 oz Centennial 8.9%
- 3 oz Cascade 6.3%
Yeast
- 2 Packs Wyeast 1056 American Ale (or make a starter with one pack)
Miscellaneous
- 2 Teaspoons Yeast Nutrient
- .5 Tablet Whirlfloc (optional)
Instructions
Mash
- 90 Minutes
Boil
- 120 Minutes
Hop Schedule
- 1 oz Centennial at 120 Minutes
- 1 oz Cascade at 60 Minutes
- .5 oz Cascade at 45 Minutes
- .5 oz Centennial at 30 Minutes
- .5 oz Cascade at 15 Minutes
- .5 oz Centennial at 15 Minutes
- 1 oz Cascade Dry Hop 5 Days From Finished Fermentation
Fermentation
- 25 Days in Primary
Carbonation
- 2.3 Volumes CO2
Feeling like something less hoppy or with a lower abv? Then check out my other beer and cider recipes if you’re not quite ready for a Barleywine.