Help with Old Ale/ Barley Wine

[WiseEyes]

I brewed an old ale / barley wine on 10-29-10. It started at 1.12 and finished at 1.014,(14%ish) I put it in a secondary after 5 weeks of fermentation and there it has sat with oak cubes ever since in the fruit cellar at ambient 61 degrees. This was a total experiment and to be honest one that I sort of forgot about for the last several months. Luckily, the airlock still had water in it when I rediscovered it yesterday. I tasted a sample and to my suprise it was not bad, the strong flavors have really calmed down to give it a nice old ale tase, however at 1.014 it doesn't have the body that i would have liked.

My question is what can/ should I do with this. Can I add some yeast and bottle as usual or would it be better to keg force carb then bottle? Also how long will this stuff keep at cellar temeratures.

 

[hercher]

My question is what can/ should I do with this.

Drink it!

Can I add some yeast and bottle as usual or would it be better to keg force carb then bottle?

You've got pretty high alcohol, and after a year and a half, I doubt you have much viable yeast left in there. You would want to use an alcohol tolerant yeast, perhaps the same that you fermented with, but I suspect it wouldn't carbonate a lot, naturally. If you like your old ales/barley wines relatively still, that's fine.

I would keg and force carbonate because I like a little more carbonation. This is, of course, a matter of personal taste. Also, you wouldn't have to wait so long.

Also how long will this stuff keep at cellar temeratures.

If properly sealed, it should last as long as any bottle of wine, with such high alcohol.

 

[Lennie]

You might consider brewing a beer with a lot of body, and blending with the old ale before bottling. I'd also force carb, it'll be difficult to bottle condition a beer at 14% ABV.

 

[WiseEyes]

I like the Idea of brewing Like a gallon of a really High body beer and adding it and force carbing and bottle. I am sure that I have lost a half gallon or so of beer over the 18 + months to evaporation and the oak chips

 

[Beernip]

You can add ~4-6 oz of maltodextrin at bottling time. This will add some body and mouthfeel without adding fermentable sugars. I've used it at kegging time on beers that I've thought lacked body and it worked out great.

 

[Calder]

I currently drinking a 13% Barley wine. 1.108 down to 1.010. Bottled October 2011, tastes great.

My immediate reaction is don't add anything to it and bottle as is. The carbonation will add some more depth to it. However, when I brewed mine I used a number of complex grains that have left a 'sweetish' flavor although it finished dry. I used Aromatic, Biscuit, Crystal, Special B, Melanoiden, and some rolled oats ....... a malt soup.

If it tastes good, I'd suggest adding some wine yeast to the bottling bucket, and leaving the bottles for another 6 months to quietly carb.

 

[WiseEyes]

Thanks, Calder that sounds like what I am going to do, I am thinking champagne or bomber bottles