What to do with an ice tea jug full of honey?

**BrewSpook** · 07-20-2010, 10:09 PM

A recent trip to the in-laws scored me a 1 gallon sun-tea glass jug filled with honey from their hives. I haven't weighed it, but FIL says a gallon of honey should be about 12lbs.

Several things crossed my mind such as mead, but i would rather not tie up my carboys for an extended period.

If anyone out there has some really good recipes with honey in them I would love to get some ideas. I have to have this thing empty so I can return it by Thanksgiving.

**PintOfBitter** · 07-20-2010, 10:45 PM

definitely mead. do some research and brew it right, then let it age in bottles instead of a 'tertiary' carboy. you won't lose a carboy for all that long. Jamil did a recording with Ken Schramm (sp?) on mead that is good listening.

rockfish42 · 07-20-2010, 11:28 PM

I wouldn't age a mead out in bottles, you'll have a ton of sediment if you don't let it drop clear in the carboy. Maybe do up a barleywine strength braggot for Christmas? How many pounds of honey are we talking here?

**BrewSpook** · 07-21-2010, 12:17 AM

I edited the post, realized I never finished the sentence where I talked about weight. I haven't weighed it yet, but it should be about 12lbs.

I was thinking maybe several different batches of something with honey in it as opposed to a primarily honey beverage.

**JLem** · 07-21-2010, 01:10 AM

While it sounds like you're trying to avoid a mead, just thought I'd point out that August 7th is National Mead Day

**LexusChris** · 07-21-2010, 08:21 AM

Well, unless you brew large batches, or very frequently, a mead or braggot is really the way to get through 12# of honey in a few months. (I only use 1# per 5-gal in my beers, when called for a hint of honey)

If time in the fermenter is your main concern, you could brew a short mead. Or perhaps try a cyser or pyment?

I like the braggot idea. 6# of honey after flameout in a 5-gal batch of beer will get your there. You have enough for 2 batches then... Maybe one braggot on an English ale recipe, and one on a dark roasty holiday special.. with spices!

The wiki article on mead has many varieties of mead, metheglin & melomels for inspiration...
--LexusChris

Freezeblade · 07-22-2010, 04:02 PM

mead.

10 characters.

mkory · 07-22-2010, 04:12 PM

Midas Touch!

**BrewSpook** · 07-22-2010, 05:25 PM

I'm thinking maybe 6 gallons of a short mead (dry and sparkling for New Years - cherries or something added) and the rest for 2 or 3 batches of beer. Maybe a honey brown, a honey kolsch, and something else.

Anyone have some really good beer recipes with 1-3#s of honey in them?

rockfish42 · 07-27-2010, 12:00 AM

I like to do old ales with honey replacing the corn sugar. Something like this maybe.

9.5 lbs. English Maris Otter
0.5 lbs. UK Dark Crystal
0.25 lbs. UK Medium Crystal
0.25 lbs. Pale Chocolate Malt or some normal chocolate malt in a smaller addition for color
1 lbs. 2.4 oz Honey added in the last 10 minutes so as to avoid loss of aroma
2 oz. East Kent Goldings (60 min)
1 oz. East Kent Goldings (20 min)
1 oz. Styrian Goldings (0 min)

WPL 002 or Wyeast 1968

Should be ~ 1.064 but I don't have my copy of brewsmith handy.

If I remember right Radical Brewing has a bunch of honey added recipes.