Summer Barleywine

Summer Barleywine
(5 gallons)
6/17/2007

9 lbs Munton's light dry malt extract
1 lb aromatic malt

1 oz Cluster (60 min)
1/2 oz Fuggles (15 min)
1/2 oz Fuggles (5 min)

60 min boil

yeast:
Wyeast London Ale

1.062 OG on 6/17

1/2 lb farm honey (warmed and slightly diluted) added to fermenter on 6/19
another 1/2 lb honey added to fermenter on 6/20
1.25 lbs (approximately) puréed fresh apricots added to fermenter on 6/21
500 ml white wine concentrate added to fermenter on 6/22

This recipe was designed by MAF after we tried a great Summer Barleywine at the Cambridge Brewing Company, which involved an apricot purée. It was the highlight of the CBC's 18th birthday celebration. The head brewer sent us some tips for brewing our own version.

Following the suggestions of the CBC brewmaster, I added half of the honey after the fermentation had picked up, and the next morning the fermentation was, if anything, even more vigorous: I've never seen such activity through the airlock!

After the apricot purée was added, the activity tapered off quite quickly, though it then picked up again to a reasonable degree once the wine concentrate (which tasted like a grapey honey, though it was less viscous than honey) was added.

Update November 2013: Although there was a lot of sediment in this beer, caused by the apricot puree, this beer continues to age very well, with the fruit characteristics really coming out. The first glass is always excellent, since there's very little sediment, with tiny carbonation bubbles, and there's a very nice balance between the "kick" of the higher alcohol content and the complexities of the various fruit flavours.