Barley wine or
Barleywine is a
style of strong
ale originating in
England in the nineteenth century (derived from the March or October beers of the 18th century) but now brewed worldwide. The first beer to be marketed as Barley Wine was
Bass No. 1 Ale, around 1900. The term "barley wine" had been used before in other contexts,
[1] for example in translations of
Xenophon's
Anabasis (although it may have referred to regular grape
wine with cooked
barley in it).
[2]A barley wine typically reaches an alcohol strength of 8 to 12% by volume and is brewed from specific gravities as high as 1.120. It is called a barley wine because it can be as strong as wine; but since it is made from grain rather than fruit, it is in fact a beer. In the United States, barley wines are required for this reason to be called "barley wine-style ales." Though this could be taken by some to imply that they are not truly barley wines, in fact it only means that they, like all barley wines, are not truly wines.
Its natural sweetness is usually balanced with a degree of hoppy bitterness, though traditional English barley wines often have far less bitterness than their American counterparts.
This beer is meant for slow sipping and savouring of its fruity, high-alcohol and well-aged character. It is brewed often to celebrate events and the high levels of both hops and alcohol allow some barley wines to be aged for years, much like wines.
