Barleywine - English
9% ABV
Our English barley wine base before we barrel age it for Monsters in the Closet

Invisible Monsters

Med Bag of Chips

Ham, cheddar cheese, fresh tomatoes, and arugula.

Ham and Cheese Sandwich

Sliced turkey, lettuce, tomato, and mustard in a whole wheat wrap.

Fit Turkey Wrap

Barleywine - English - Santa Fe, NM - 11.5% ABV - 55.0 IBU Body Isn't Life is an English barleywine, that was designed and brewed in collaboration with our good friends at Pipeworks Brewing Company.

Heat 4.5 gallons of brewing water to ~165°F (74°C). Dough in crushed malts and flaked oats to reach a mash temperature of 154°F (68°C). Stir thoroughly to avoid dough balls. Hold mash at 154°F for 60 minutes. Perform gentle stir/scratch at 30 minutes to ensure conversion.

Heat and Mash

Raise mash temperature to 168°F (76°C) by adding 1.0 gallon of 180°F (82°C) water or direct heat. Hold 10 minutes to stop enzymatic activity and improve wort flow.

Mash Out

Sparge with ~3.5 gallons of water at 170°F (77°C) collecting enough pre-boil wort to finish with 6.5-7.0 gallons in the kettle (account for boil-off). Aim for ~7.5-8.0 gallons if you plan a vigorous 90-minute boil to end at ~5.5 gallons post-boil.

Sparge

Bring collected wort to a vigorous boil. Begin timing when wort reaches a full rolling boil.

Bring to a Boil

At 90 minutes remaining (start of boil), add 1.5 oz Target (bittering hop). Begin a 90-minute boil to concentrate wort and develop barleywine character. Barleywines benefit from a long, hot boil to darken and caramelize the wort.

Bittering Addition

At 30 minutes remaining, add 2 oz East Kent Goldings and 1 oz Fuggles (or split as 1 oz/0.5 oz earlier if preferred). Also add Irish moss or Whirlfloc at 15 minutes before the end of the boil (follow product instructions). Add yeast nutrient with 10 minutes left.

Mid-Boil Hop

With 5 minutes remaining, add 1 oz East Kent Goldings for finishing aroma.

Late Aroma Addition

Add 1 cup dark Belgian candi syrup with 10 minutes remaining to dissolve cleanly into the hot wort and increase body and dark fruit notes.

Add Dark Candi Syrup

At the end of the 90-minute boil, turn off heat and prepare to chill. Expect a pre-chill original gravity (OG) target around 1.095–1.110 for an English barleywine aimed at ~11.5% ABV. Adjust volume or late sugar additions if OG is off.

End of Boil

Cool wort quickly to ~68°F (20°C) using an immersion or plate chiller. If oxygen ingress is a concern, sanitize and cap hoses and use closed transfer where possible. Aim to pitch at 65–68°F for English ale yeast.

Chill Wort

Transfer chilled wort into a sanitized fermenter. Aerate vigorously (pure oxygen for 30–60 seconds or shake/cool-splash aeration for several minutes). Rehydrate and pitch 2 packs of high-quality English ale yeast (or a properly sized starter) to ensure healthy fermentation. Add yeast nutrient at pitching if not added during the boil.

Aerate and Pitch

Ferment at 66–68°F (19–20°C) for 10–14 days or until vigorous fermentation subsides and gravity begins to drop. Because of high gravity, expect a slower start—be patient. If fermentation is sluggish after 48–72 hours, gently raise temperature to 70°F (21°C) or gently swirl the fermenter to rouse yeast.

Primary Fermentation

After primary activity slows and gravity is stable for 3 consecutive days (typically 10–21 days), rack to a secondary carboy for extended conditioning. Mature at 60–65°F (15–18°C) for 4–12 weeks to allow ester development and smoothing of harsh alcohol notes. Longer conditioning (3–6 months) will yield a more integrated barleywine.

Secondary Conditioning

If bottling, sanitize bottles and priming equipment. For bottle conditioning, dissolve 3 oz (by weight) corn sugar in 8 oz boiling water, cool and add to priming bucket then gently rack beer onto priming solution; bottle immediately. For 5.5 gallons target final volume, 3 oz yields moderate carbonation (English barleywine traditionally low). If kegging, force-carbonate gently to 0.8–1.5 volumes CO2. Optionally add 0.5 tsp crushed Campden tablet per 5 gallons to stabilize before bottling if desired.

Stabilize and Bottle/Keg

Age bottles at cellar temperature (55–65°F / 13–18°C) for at least 2–3 months before sampling. Optimal character often emerges after 6–12 months—store upright for first month to mature yeast sediment, then store on side in dark cellar. Monitor carbonation and flavor development periodically.

Bottle Conditioning and Aging

Serve in small tulip or snifter glasses at 55–60°F (13–15°C). Expect dark fruit, caramel, toffee, and a warming alcohol presence at ~11.5% ABV; pair with strong cheeses, roasted meats, or dark chocolate desserts.

Serving

Sanitize all fermentation and packaging equipment with a no-rinse sanitizer according to product instructions before use. Maintain sanitation throughout transfers and bottling to prevent contamination.

Maris Otter pale malt (crushed)

Flaked oats

Caramel/Crystal 60L

Victory malt

Dark Munich malt

Liquid Belgian candi syrup (dark)

Corn sugar (dextrose) for bottling/priming (optional)

East Kent Goldings (pellets)

Fuggles (whole or pellets)

Target (pellets) or English bittering hop

East Kent Goldings (finishing/aroma)

English ale yeast (high-attenuation, liquid or 2 packs) - e.g., Wyeast 1968 or White Labs WLP002

Yeast nutrient

Irish moss or Whirlfloc tablet (for clarity, optional)

Water (brewing strike + sparge + top-up)

Campden tablet (optional, for stabilization)

Sanitizer (no-rinse)

Body Isn't Life

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Make Body Isn't Life Recipe in just 12h . Barleywine - English - Santa Fe, NM - 11.5% ABV - 55.0 IBU Body Isn't Life is an English barleywine, that was designed and brewed in collaboration with our good friends at Pipeworks Brewing Company.

Body Isn't Life Recipe

Descriptors

Tasting Notes

Food Pairings

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