Editing Barley wine (section)

==Characteristics==
Barley wine typically reaches an [[ethanol|alcohol]] strength of 6 to 12% by volume and is brewed from [[Gravity (beer)|specific gravities]] as high as 1.120; equal to 320g/L of sugars. Use of the word "wine" is due to its alcoholic strength similar to a [[wine]], but since it is made from [[grain]] rather than [[fruit]], it is a [[beer]]. Breweries in the United States typically release it once a year during the autumn or winter.<ref name=":0" /> 

The two primary styles of barley wine are the American, which tends to be hoppier and more bitter, with colours ranging from amber to light brown<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wyeastlab.com/hb_styledetails.cfm?ID=192 |title=Yeast Style Guide: American Barleywine |publisher=Wyeast Laboratories |access-date=2012-08-31 |archive-date=2012-08-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120825173411/http://www.wyeastlab.com/hb_styledetails.cfm?ID=192 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and the English style, which tends to be less bitter and may have little hop flavour, with more variety in colour ranging from red-gold to opaque black.<ref>{{cite web  |url=http://www.wyeastlab.com/hb_styledetails.cfm?ID=191  |title=Yeast Style Guide: English Barleywine  |publisher=Wyeast Laboratories  |access-date=2012-08-31  |archive-date=2012-07-19  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120719133515/http://www.wyeastlab.com/hb_styledetails.cfm?ID=191  |url-status=dead  }}</ref><ref name="brewers">{{cite web |title=Brewers Association Beer Style Guidelines |url=https://www.brewersassociation.org/edu/brewers-association-beer-style-guidelines/ |website=Brewers Association |access-date=17 May 2021}}</ref> Until the introduction of an amber-coloured barley wine under the name Gold Label by the Sheffield brewery Tennant's in 1951<ref>Cornell, Martyn. ''Amber Gold & Black'', 2010, p168</ref> (later brewed by [[Whitbread]]), British barley wines were always dark in colour.{{Cn|date=June 2021}}

Beer writer [[Michael Jackson (writer)|Michael Jackson]] referred to a barley wine by [[Smithwick's]] thus: "This is very distinctive, with an earthy hoppiness, a wineyness, lots of fruit and toffee flavours." He also noted that its original gravity is 1.062.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.beerhunter.com/documents/19133-000028.html |title=Brewery with its own abbey - it must be Ireland |date=February 1, 1993 |work=What's Brewing |first=Michael |last=Jackson}}</ref>

Martyn Cornell was quoted as saying, "no historically meaningful difference exists between barley wines and [[old ale]]s". He later clarified, "I don’t believe there is actually any such meaningful style as 'barley wine'".<ref>{{cite web |last=Cornell |first=Martyn |url=http://zythophile.wordpress.com/2010/09/14/so-what-is-the-difference-between-barley-wine-and-old-ale/ |title=So what IS the difference between barley wine and old ale? |work=Zythophile (blog) |date=September 24, 2010}}</ref>

Barley wines, such as [[Thomas Hardy's Ale]], are sometimes labelled with a production date, as they are intended to be aged, sometimes extensively.<ref name=Imbibe>{{cite news|last=Tepedelen|first=Adem|title=A Winter's Ale|url=http://imbibemagazine.com/Barleywines|access-date=25 October 2013|newspaper=Imbibe|date=Nov–Dec 2009}}</ref>