Holy Daze Barley Wine

A few months ago I said I’d blog on my version of Right Brain Brewery’s “The Exception,” a combination of pale malt, wheat malt, smoked malt, maple syrup, and honey. 

My version is probably around 10–12% ABV (“The Exception” is around 14+%) and is drinkable after a few months (before that the flavors are too harsh, and it tastes mostly of alcohol). Now on it’s fifth month, it’s extremely good and definitely the best beer I’ve ever brewed.

It’s also quite food friendly. I had it a few days ago with a chicken, bacon, avocado and balsamic marmalade sandwich based on a recipe from Tom Colicchio’s ‘wichcraft (the recipe is excerpted on amazon.com):

The sweetness and smoke went well with the bacon and marmalade. 

The recipe below adds grains of paradise to Right Brain’s stated ingredients, but these probably add a very minor flavor note considering how much other stuff is in this.

Holy Daze Barley Wine (after Right Brain Brewery’s “The Exception”)

6 lbs extra light dried malt extract
3.3 lbs wheat malt extract
1 lb smoked malt, cracked (I used Breiss, from Rozi’s in Lakewood)
1 lb honey
1 lb grade B maple syrup
1 lb corn sugar, plus ½ cup for bottling
5 grains of paradise (optional)

Boiling hops: 1 3/4 oz. Chinook + 1 oz. Liberty (26 HBU)
Finishing hops: 1 oz. Liberty + ¼ oz. Chinook

Boil 1 gallon of water with smoked malt, then strain out malt.

Add all remaining ingredients except for finishing hops and grains of paradise and bring to the boil in a very large pot (ideally 3–4 gallon size). Watch carefully to prevent boiling over.

After 25 minutes at a low boil, add grains of paradise. After another 20 minutes, add finishing hops, then boil for 2–5 more minutes (depending on how out front you want the finishing hops to be—shorter boiling equals greater prominence). Sparge into your fermenter to make five gallons. Ferment until bubbling stops (or it only bubbles once every 20–30 seconds), then add ½ cup corn sugar and bottle.

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I’d recommend using a plastic fermenter or 6+ gallon glass carboy for this. I used a five gallon glass carboy, and, because of the intensity of the high gravity fermentation, I lost about a gallon to the blow off hose.

Also, the instructions above aren’t really detailed enough if you haven’t brewed before, especially in terms of equipment and sanitation. I’d recommend picking up Chalie Papazian’s The Joy of Homebrewing for more on this.

I named this months ago, before the brewmaster (John Niedermaier) at Right Brain coined their Christmas Ale “Holly Daze.” He and I must think alike, which might mean he’s thinking of getting some of his beers in bottles and making them available in Ohio? (So I don’t have to homebrew just to get beer as good as Right Brain’s).