I haven’t brewed many English-style beers during my homebrewing career, mostly because I’m more fond of the flavor profile of new world hops (e.g. Amarillo, Cascade, Citra, Simcoe, etc.) and I like my beers hoppy rather than malty. I do however occasionally enjoy English-style beers (e.g. Fuller’s ESB), so I don’t have anything against them. A friend just flew over from Barcelona, and next week I will be arranging a brewday and beer tasting for him. We decided on brewing a slightly stronger ale, i.e. one that survives several months of aging, since I’m not sure when he will visit next time. I became interested in Firestone Walker’s Double DBA, so we decided on trying to brew something inspired by it. The beer will have a hefty OG (1.100+), moderate bitterness (around 40 IBU), Goldings hops, will be fermented with WLP002, and bulk-aged on oak cubes (most likely bourbon-soaked). I hope WLP002 won’t leave the beer cloyingly sweet, so will mash at 63C (145F) for most of the mash. The recipe will be the following:
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