Muntons Barley Wine

Not Happy! by HonestJohn @ 07, May 2007
It's not that Munton's don't know how to produce good beer kits. They do. Which means there is no excuse for this. Tastes for all the world like Toohey's Old mixed with Coke - which is not what an English Old Ale/Barley Wine is supposed to taste like. If they were an Australian company I'd have them for false advertising. Barley Wine indeed. Buy a generic "Old" kit, halve the amount of water, and get the same result. Rip off!!

not quite there by the professor @ 17, Jul 2006
A Barley Wine is a very high gravity English Ale (therefore higher in alcoholthan regular ales, hence barley "wine"). Commercial examples have a rich, warming effect, this is a beer to be sipped by a winter fire, rather than gulped down. Followed instructions to the letter. Result after 6-12 months = more like a brown ale than a barley wine. I thi8nk this is a difficult style to replicate with malt extract and kit dried yeast. If doing again I would try some added grains, some dextrose for the alcoholic warmth not, and some Fuggles hops for finishing, as well as a suitable liquid yeast. Might try it again sometime. Not a bad kit, just a difficult style to replicate.

Too easy by Packrat - Email Reviewer @ 06, Feb 2005
One of my first attempts to brew. Used kit with 1k of castor sugar. Father-in-law has brewed it for 50+ years, adamit about using regular sugar. Finished off at 1000 within two weeks & bottled. Pack states 18-20c, but bubbled along happily at 22-24c. Very good head, rich flavor, will improve with age. Noticable difference with priming, did some with drops & some with sugar. Drops = smoothier, sugar = crisper. Well worth the effort either way. Rich flavor, also additional recipe variations.