Wanking Fresh Deathbrew

Classification: barleywine, all-grain

Source: Richard Ransom AKA: FATHER BARLEYWINE (rransom@bchm1.aclcb.purdue.edu), Issue #732, 9/26/91

Oh yes, the gravity on my last Deathbrew was about 1.063, which I consider on the light side. Very nice red color.

Ingredients: (for 10 gallons)

20 pounds, 2-row brewer's malt, crushed
4 pounds, 80 L. crystal malt, crushed
5 ounces, Fuggles Leaf hops
2 ounces, Hallertauer leaf hops
Yeast

Procedure:

Add crushed malt to 5 gallons water at 135 degrees, stir, add a bit of near boiling water to get about 120 - 125 degree protein rest. After thirty minutes of stir-well-every-10-minutes (by the way, I use a pair of 40 quart cooler chests for mashing) add boiling water gradually (usually takes 2 gallons) to raise temperature to 155 degrees. Do this in stages...add a quart or two, stir well, stick in your thermometer, give it 5, read, add, repeat. It takes a while to equilibrate temperatures in the porridge, and you can easily bring your mash to 170 degrees (a no no) if you add too fast. Let this sit with periodic stirring for a few hours until converted. Sparge with 11 gallons of water. Collect up all that good stuff (I sparge off between 11 and 13 gallons depending on how long I want to drink while boiling) and boil roil troil and trouble. About 30 minutes before you finally tire of boiling, add 5 ozs. Fuggles leaf hops. Rejoice in the aroma! Turn off the boil. Caper briefly. Add 2 oz. Hallertauer leaf hops. Cover. Cool. Pour into fermenting vessel, pitch yeast (the cake(s) from your last brew, recently stripped of their beery covering. Or be conventional, and use Whitbread Ale from the packet).

Ed. Note: Father Barleywine's original posting is extremely detailed. We edited it down for this compilation, but you should take a look in the archives at the original if you have the time. It is time well spent.

Specifics:

O.G.: 1.063