Why is the barleywine style so under utilized by the new crop of British brewers?

Stone are notoriously secretive about the recipe for Arrogant Bastard, aren't they? Tell us how it is.

Yeah I did just look it up to check it's what dad meant (he said he was trying to replicate "that one that said 'you're not worthy' on it") and it says "hop: classified" on the Stone website. He said it's going to be very bitter but I don't think he'll be using any US hops, probably just some hop oil instead.

Yeah, I thought as much (about the classified hop bill). At least anything remotely close to it should be delicious.

Good news for you anyway. I suggest you get him back for drinking your beers by guzzling the lot before he gets a look-in.....

Yes! It's the reason I won't be able to know what (un aged) arrogant bastard tastes like but he does!

I think they are too scared, the bar has been set very high by Gold Label.


Anyway, Barley Wine is not even a style...
http://zythophile.wordpress.com/201...e-difference-between-barley-wine-and-old-ale/

You are exactly doing what I said-placing your own opinions as facts.Words like "crappy" and "watery" aren't really helpful.Bear in mind that beer is a drink which became universal because it was a safe alternative to water!
I used to slag off beers like Budweiser until an older and wiser friend gently suggested I had no right to criticise the tastes of other people who actually enjoy drinking it.I'm sure that neither of us would touch it even if it were the only beer available but that's simply our personal preference.
I'm going to fall into the same trap myself if I'm not careful. My comments were about what most BAs would regard as "good beer" ie eliminating pale fizzy so-called lagers from the reckoning. These are just the same in a supermarket as in a pub but a fraction of the price so why pay more for the same? Those people who take an interest in what they are drinking go mainly for cask beer.In any case, the bottled version, though cheaper,isn't nearly as good and it's worth paying the premium.So beer sales have fallen but cask sales haven't.Some beer sales loss can be attributed to the increase in wine consumption.Pub beer sales haven't fallen because of the "crappy" cask ales but because lager drinkers are drinking at home.
I was a home brewer for 30 years and reckoned (by others, self praise is no praise) to be pretty good at it.I'm told I'm a very good cook and have a degree in Chemistry and love beer enough to dedicate my skills to getting it right.But I don't kid myself that the results were better than I could buy. As for brewers using crappy materials, my homebrewing ingredients came from local micros.What was it? Maris Otter from Fawcett's or Simpson's.Look at the Homebrewing section and see how these are sought out by US homebrewers as giving vastly superior results than domestic US malts. Hops from Charles Farah.All the best stuff which exists on the planet.
As for so-called "innovation" , British brewers in the past were massively innovative and there's no reason why the current generation can't be equally so if the need arises.Practically all the "new" styles can be found in old records and if we did it once we can do it again.
Regarding brewing a barley wine, the brewers I discussed this are already brewing to capacity , they have to find somewhere to store the stuff and as it would take a long time to reach maturity there would be cash flow implications.
And please accept that although you don't want 4% bitters there are plenty of others who simply don't want super strong beers. I've yet to find a beer much over 10% ABV that I enjoyed. I've been as far as 23% and that was brewed near here many years ago before these things were fashionable.

Make scoop not stoop.

You have to give Tesco it's dues though. Mine at least. Nigerian Guinness, the full ranges of Rhymney and Great Orme (not tried yet but love their logo lol):

as well as a few from Fullers, Brains Craft, Tomos Watkin, and the usuals (Youngs etc)

Nothing you'd particularly seek out but a decent enough fall back (and cheap at 3 for £5)

Yeah, I'm probably being a bit overly critical here. My local Tesco always has SN Torpedo, BD Alice Porter, Weihenstephaner Hefe, Duvel & others on the go & seems to be head and shoulders above the rest. In my experience Scottish Asdas, Morrrisons and even now Sainbos are all pretty brutal beerwise. At least they have been for the last few years. Wish Safeway was still around.

Beers i enjoy from my supermarkets are usually stuff like, Chimay blue, leffe brune, Fullers ESB, Fullers Golden pride, Fullers 1845 and most of the other Fullers drinks, Very Special India Pale Ale (greene king), Guinness Nigerian export, Brewdogs Hardcore IPA, Abbot Reserve, Brakspear Triple, Old Tom, and prob about half a dozen others....but most stuff i find a bit gimmicky..the labels may sound funny and interesting but very often the beer is not...i don't know maybe i just prefer the stronger bodied and fuller tasting beers.....Anyway am going to see what i can learn from you guys....am sure my experience in the world of beer is very limited....cheers!

which area are you in because availability is pretty much down to locality
here at the back end of Manchester your list is pretty much the best that the supermarkets can offer
(though through the big shops I have only managed to locate a Chimay Blue, so we all haven't tried something) but I bet someone could point you in the right direction to get other styles and smaller brewers

Like I always say the most important thing is you enjoy the beer.

I always thought Morrisons was good for locals? I went in one once in Somerset, tons of breweries I didn't recognise! Maybe it's up to the local buyers/managers though.

Having finished the Vintage Bateman's the first barley wine pretty much since Brendan Dobbins left Manchester
I can see why it isn't doing the rounds with the New kids

it is a real swill the half pint glass and sip style which requires a relaxed amble by foot journey home
that doesn't happen that often these days.

I was under that impression too until Morrison's started opening shops up here. The choice from Morrisons in Scotland is woeful.

quote="EmperorBevis, post: 857732, member: 621888"]which area are you in because availability is pretty much down to locality
[/quote]

Am in the central Cheshire area.....I would love to see more unusual beers on general sale in the UK...but i guess that isnt going to happen anytime soon...

I have resorted to homebrewing to try to satisfy my taste for the unusual...am just about to brew another imperial American style IPA...Just got my malts and hops...am using cascade and citra hops thsi time...
(last time i used Amarillo, Citra and Simcoe)...loads of them!...I dry hopped the hell out of my last brew...it was boiled for 2hrs with 4 separate hop additions...then i left the wort to cool on the hops before adding it to my fermentation keg for fermentation...i dry hopped it after a week using citra hops before it was fully fermented..then again twice after it had finished and was clearing....

It was just over 9% Abv.....it was bottled conditioned for 3mths before it was just about ready for drinking...it really needed more time to mature but i got impatient with 60 bottles of beer in my cupboards!..but it was still amazing and far better than i expected..it certainly smelt and tasted very similar to Brewdogs Hardcore IPA, though not identical...maybe even better if am honest...i was surprised how easy it was to brew beers that tasted as good as their commercially available counterparts..and am no expert!...

I have also brewed an Imperial style stout...i used some treacle in that brew and some oak chippings during the fermentation stage and later after it had fermented..for about a week , i think the Abv was around 11%..it was an amazing beer..though i used too much treacle....next time i want use the treacle..just the bourbon oak chippings.

Am even thinking of adding some honey to my latest IPA just to see how it affects the taste, though am not sure...i like to experiment and try different things...without going too mad...


One reason i like trying different commercial beers is it gives me inspiration and ideas and see just how good beers are, the different styles are amazing though i seem more interested in higher Abv and fuller bodied beers if am honest.....i have never tried a real imperial stout other than the Guinness version, so i would love to get my hands on a few commercially available imperial stouts.....

I would love to try some of the world famous beers like 'Pliney the elder' or maybe a nice 'Trappistes Rochefort 10'....but where do i find them over here?..am fed up drinking most of the beers at asda or tesco.....so where can i purchase unusual beers in the uk?..most sites seem quite limited in what they sell...how do you guys go about sampling so many beers?..cheers

Am in the central Cheshire area.....I would love to see more unusual beers on general sale in the UK...but i guess that isnt going to happen anytime soon...

I have resorted to homebrewing to try to satisfy my taste for the unusual...am just about to brew another imperial American style IPA...Just got my malts and hops...am using cascade and citra hops thsi time...
(last time i used Amarillo, Citra and Simcoe)...loads of them!...I dry hopped the hell out of my last brew...it was boiled for 2hrs with 4 separate hop additions...then i left the wort to cool on the hops before adding it to my fermentation keg for fermentation...i dry hopped it after a week using citra hops before it was fully fermented..then again twice after it had finished and was clearing....

It was just over 9% Abv.....it was bottled conditioned for 3mths before it was just about ready for drinking...it really needed more time to mature but i got impatient with 60 bottles of beer in my cupboards!..but it was still amazing and far better than i expected..it certainly smelt and tasted very similar to Brewdogs Hardcore IPA, though not identical...maybe even better if am honest...i was surprised how easy it was to brew beers that tasted as good as their commercially available counterparts..and am no expert!...

I have also brewed an Imperial style stout...i used some treacle in that brew and some oak chippings during the fermentation stage and later after it had fermented..for about a week , i think the Abv was around 11%..it was an amazing beer..though i used too much treacle....next time i want use the treacle..just the bourbon oak chippings.

Am even thinking of adding some honey to my latest IPA just to see how it affects the taste, though am not sure...i like to experiment and try different things...without going too mad...


One reason i like trying different commercial beers is it gives me inspiration and ideas and see just how good beers are, the different styles are amazing though i seem more interested in higher Abv and fuller bodied beers if am honest.....i have never tried a real imperial stout other than the Guinness version, so i would love to get my hands on a few commercially available imperial stouts.....

I would love to try some of the world famous beers like 'Pliney the elder' or maybe a nice 'Trappistes Rochefort 10'....but where do i find them over here?..am fed up drinking most of the beers at asda or tesco.....so where can i purchase unusual beers in the uk?..most sites seem quite limited in what they sell...how do you guys go about sampling so many beers?..cheers[/quote]
I have trouble tracking down somme of the U.S. brews
Pliny, Zombie Dust, Founder's, Commercial Suicide and Jester King Rock Range
Strangely B&M's offers some unusual choices of Oakham and Nethergate
Checking all the supermarkets also there are slight differences in the stock held by
Morrisons, Tesco, Sainsbury's and Asda
a trip to Waitrose is a good idea
and I am myself trying internet shopping from BoE so hoping to try Bourbon County

Good luck with the Homebrew never could master that

Oh dear the reply thingy seems to have gone for a Burton.