Blueberry Barley Wine

I intended this beer to age until around Thanksgiving/Christmas 2003 (about six months). Six months is just about right, although it is very good at four months. I'm changing this recipe to reflect the 5 gallon batch I want to make next time around.

Brewer:	Alex Baillieul		Email:	baillieul@cox.net
Beer:	Blueberry Barley Wine		Style:	Barley Wine
Type:	All grain		Size:	5 gallons
Color:	45 HCU (~20 SRM)		Bitterness:	75 IBU
OG:	1.114		FG:	1.026
Alcohol:	11.4% v/v (9.0% w/w)
Water:	Charcol Filtered
Grain:	1 lb. Dextrine malt (Cara-Pils) 12 lb. British pale .25 lb. British chocolate 1 lb. American crystal 60L
Mash:	70% efficiency
	Mash in at 167°. Mash for 90 min (temp can range between 150°F-155°F). Sparge with 170°F water to collect 6 gallons.
Boil:	60 minutes	SG 1.095	6 gallons
	3 lb. Honey 2 lb. Light malt extract
	Add honey and irish moss 15 minutes from end of boil.
Hops:	2 oz. Centennial (9% AA, 60 min.) 1 oz. Perle (7% AA, 45 min.) 1 oz. Perle (7% AA, 30 min.) 1 oz. Cascade (aroma)
Yeast:	White Labs WLP028 Edinburgh Ale Yeast (1 quart starter).
Log:	Steep 1.5 lbs of blueberries in Bacardi 151, vodka, etc.. for 1 hour, and then add into primary fermenter. For the secondary fermenter, boil 1.5 lbs of blueberries with a little sugar. This will bring out some juice and biterness. Ferment at ale temperatures. May add champagne or other high gravity yeast if fermentation stops too soon. At bottling, add 1/2 tsp clove, 1 tsp nutmeg and 2 tsp cinnamon to the beer (you can really smell it). This beer turned out a deep purple/red color (not at all like the color swatch shown).
Carbonation:	Carbonate with .75 cups corn sugar
Tasting:	Pretty rough after one month. However, as it went along, it just kept getting better. By November, 2003, this stuff is amazing.

Recipe posted 04/11/04.