No Grapes Were Harmed in Making this Barleywine!

What is the oldest beer style in the world? That’s going to be a tough one to nail down, but one thing is certain, barley wine, in one form or another, deserves to be in the conversation. It’s a spirit that has woven its way through centuries of brewing.

A Brief Barleywine History

The roots of barleywine run deep into the history of fermented beverages. The first known mention of barley wine was by Greek historian Xenophon, who wrote of experiencing it in Ancient Armenia in 5th Century BC.

Our modern lineage of barleywine, however, is rooted more directly in the old ales and strong ales of Britain’s 15th century to now. This is largely why many modern examples of barleywine include the word old in the name.

Old ales, strong Ales, and the like were beers brewed at such a high alcohol content, usually 8 to 12 percent ABV, that they were often referred to as barley wines. But the name itself wasn’t commercially applied to beer until Bass & Co. branded its No. 1 Burton Ale (a British strong ale) as a barley wine in 1903. The first brewing of the style in the United States wasn’t until Anchor Brewing launched Old Foghorn in 1976.

SIDE NOTE: Anchor Brewing’s beer was the impetus for the change from barley wine to barleywine. The company ran the two words together to direct the attention of regulators away from the word “wine,” so that the beer didn’t get confused with fermented grape juice.

Now It’s a Parti!

Whether they were classified as old ales, strong ales, or barley wines, these beers often take so much malt to create that, after mashing, there were a lot of fermentables left in the mash tun. This gave way to parti-gyle brewing, which is using the second or even third runnings of a mash to then make weaker beers for quicker drinking.

Because they are so high in ABV and so complex, barley wines and other strong ales are usually aged for many months, if not years, before they are ready to drink. This made using the second runnings for a lighter, quicker fermenting beer a no-brainer for brewers.

What is a Barleywine?

Barleywine is a beer style that has largely flown under the radar of craft beer connoisseurs. Most assuredly not unheard of, barleywine’s intensive brewing and aging process don’t exactly play into the modern day ethos of give me what I want and give it to me now.

The English style is described by the BJCP Style Guidelines as: A strong and richly malty ale with a pleasant fruity or hoppy depth. A wintertime sipper with a full, chewy body and warming alcohol.

Similar to the English style barleywine, BJCP Style Guidelines defines the American version as: A very strong, malty, hoppy, bitter American ale with a rich palate, full mouthfeel, and warming aftertaste, suitable for contemplative sipping.

And generally ranging from 8 to 12 percent ABV, it’s easy to see why these beers are referred to as barley wines and not simply strong ales.

There are now several craft examples of barleywine. Sierra Nevada’s “Bigfoot” is one of the most widely distributed barleywines. Other examples include the likes of AleSmith’s “Old Numbskull,” Creature Comfort’s “The Tree That Owns Itself,” and Great Divide’s “Barrel Aged Old Ruffian,” amongst others.