Building Big Barrel-Aged Barleywines with New Image

In this 66-minute course, Capps focuses on New Image’s approach to barrel-aged barleywines, from intentions and ingredients and on through brewing, fermentation, aging, and blending, all while harnessing the key components of oxidation, wood, and time. Along the way, he covers: 

• choosing your approach and selecting malts with intention
• aiming for different starting gravities to produce different blending components
• using Noble and aged hops for stability and preservation
• selecting yeast for attenuation and healthy fermentation
• using a brewhouse built for high gravities and high boil-off rates
• using the boil to concentrate the wort for higher starting gravities
• aiming for high attenuation despite high gravities
• using nutrients and oxygen to give the fermentation a strong start
• cool-conditioning and clarifying barleywine before barrel aging
• degassing before aging, and treating oxidation as a key component
• experimenting with Madeira-inspired macro-oxidation
• understanding the flavors in the wood
• planning for time as a component, depending on the barrel
• using wood finishing to freshen up an aged barleywine
• tasting and blending components to assemble great barleywines

And more.