On Sunday we will be attempting to brew this monster of a beer. We are looking to make a really full-bodied, malty, hoppy and bitter Barleywine, that hopefully will be perfect for aging a couple of years. We are aiming for an OG of 1.109, which will result in an ABV of 11-12% if the yeast manages to take it down to 1.020-1.030. We are looking for some resiny hop tones to go with the maltiness, and chose the hop varieties based on that. For the yeast, we chose White Labs WLP007 Dry English, since it produces a really nice flavor profile, flocculates well and should tolerate up to 12% ABV. I prepared a 3 liter starter earlier this week, as we will need lots of yeast for this monster. After fermentation we will age it in a keg together with some oak cubes. When it is finally time to bottle the beer, we will still add in some dry hops to give it a dose of hop aroma (which will most likely have been lost from the 6+ months in the keg). Hopefully everything goes smooth on the brewday.
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