Honey and Hops

**Grinder12000** · 09-17-2009, 12:51 PM

Are there any rules/suggestions/Comments on the use of Honey in a Pale ale and what kind of hops would be useful.

Any hops that should NOT be used??

**Brooklyn-Brewtality** · 09-17-2009, 01:06 PM

the majority of honey will just ferment out. in my experience, all but the most flavor intense honeys impart no flavor at all to finished product post fermentation in a beer. so, it should have no impact on your hop selection.

if you want honey flavor, you can add some Honey Malt to your recipe.

**david_42** · 09-17-2009, 02:01 PM

All a few pounds of honey will do is dry the beer out. Unless you plan on making a braggot, you won't notice the honey.

So, hop as you would normally.

**Grinder12000** · 09-17-2009, 02:27 PM

This ties into another thread where I'm trying to use up some spare hops and 5.5lb of LME. Figured I'd add some honey for sugar. Staying away from ANY grain - the pipeline is running strong and I want to fit in a quickie between REAL ales and use up some aging hops.

Any other ideas without using grain?

5.5lb Pale LME and the following hops are available in the bin of spare hops! Any unique combinations you can think of?

Amarillo 8.6%
Cascade (2oz - oops) 7.5%
Columbus 12.2%
Crystal 3.5%
Glacier (1.5oz) 5.2%
Horizon 11.6%
Northern Brewer 8.3%
Mt. Hood 5.2%
Perle 8.1%
Riwaka 5.8%

flyangler18 · 09-17-2009, 02:33 PM

Quote:

Staying away from ANY grain - the pipeline is running strong and I want to fit in a quickie between REAL ales and use up some aging hops.

What does not using steeping grains (not base malts that require a mash) have anything to do with the turnaround time for any given beer?

**Yooper** · 09-17-2009, 02:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flyangler18

What does not using steeping grains (not base malts that require a mash) have anything to do with the turnaround time for any given beer?

Yeah, that's what I was wondering. In fact, honey takes longer than any grain. Honey is the item that can't be rushed. It ferments out fully, but sometimes it takes a while.

I'd probably add steeping grains (like honey malt for honey flavor) and ditch the honey if I wanted a quickie.

Anway, hop with whatever hops will give you the "style" you want to make. For an APA, bitter with columbus and then use amarillo or cascade (or both!) for flavor and aroma. For a California Common style, use the NB hops. For a German slant, use the Mt. Hood or Perle for bittering and maybe the crystal for flavor/aroma.

**Brooklyn-Brewtality** · 09-17-2009, 02:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by YooperBrew

Yeah, that's what I was wondering. In fact, honey takes longer than any grain. Honey is the item that can't be rushed. It ferments out fully, but sometimes it takes a while.

I'd probably add steeping grains (like honey malt for honey flavor) and ditch the honey if I wanted a quickie.

Not just in terms of ferment time, but all the extra alcohol in the beer will take more time to mellow out a bit.

**Homercidal** · 09-17-2009, 03:01 PM

Bells Hopslam is supposed to use honey. I'd be willing to try it, but be aware that honey can take a bit of time to ferment completely. Might be risky if you are bottling and in a hurry. Also it takes quite a bit to add flavor.

**Grinder12000** · 09-17-2009, 04:03 PM

I was talking about the actual brewing process. No steeping/mashing and so forth.

I'm looking for something I can brew in an hour and a half basically (maybe 2 hours) that makes a simple yet drinkable beer.

5.5lb of Pale LME get's me to 1.048, are there any other sugars instead of Honey that would give a simple brew a boost in flavor???

I've going to use the Amarillo and Riwaka and maybe Pearl for bittering (unless there are other suggestions - I'm bored of Cascade)

flyangler18 · 09-17-2009, 04:07 PM

All you need to extract flavor and color from malts that need not be mashed is approximately 20 minutes at 155°; hardly a massive time-suck.