Barley Wine

barley wine.

    1. Historically, the name given by ancient Egyptians and Greeks to "wine made from barley," which is translated in modern English texts as barley wine. 2. In England, the name given to any top-fermented beer of unusually high, winelike, alcohol content prepared from worts of 1.065-1.120 original gravity yielding as much as 12 percent alcohol by volume. Barley wines are usually copper colored or dark brown, strongly flavored, fruity, bittersweet, and sometimes fermented with wine or champagne yeast. Because of their unusual strength they have little head retention and require long aging periods ranging from six months to many years. They are often brewed for special events. Russian stout, although slightly less alcoholic (10.5 percent alcohol by volume), is often classed as a barley wine, yet there are those who consider it a style unto itself. Also spelled: barleywine. See also: Russian stout.