Honey addition to Northern Brewer's Mild Ale Kit?

Okay, I ordered a Mild Ale kit from Northern Brewer. (http://tinyurl.com/ycj2sp9) Being the type of guy I am, I wanted to up the OG a bit so that I get a more "robust" %ABV. (I mean, besides taste, ABV is important, right?

So, I thought, "Why not add 1 lb. of honey to the wort 15 min. from the end of the boil?" As I've researched this, I've found that if I just boil the pasteurized honey in the last 15 minutes, I'll probably lose most of the flavor subtleties that honey can add to a brew. I've also found that I should probably only add about 3/4 lb. to the brew after I've pasteurized it at 176°F for 2 1/2 hours, then added pasteurized water to it in order to bring the SG of the honey down to the same SG as the wort. Then, when the brew is fermenting at high krauesen, add the honey. *UGH... a LOT more work than I really want to go to*

My question is this: In your experience as a home brewer, how much of the flavor of the honey is lost if I just add it to the end of the boil? Secondly, should I add maybe .25 oz. of kent goldings to help balance? (I'm also considering adding about .25 or maybe .5 oz. of chocolate malt to the grain steep.)

Anyway, thoughts and suggestions are very welcome on this one. I'm planning on doing this brew in a month (October 20th or so).

Thanks!

WollenBrew said:

Okay, I ordered a Mild Ale kit from Northern Brewer. (http://tinyurl.com/ycj2sp9) Being the type of guy I am, I wanted to up the OG a bit so that I get a more "robust" %ABV. (I mean, besides taste, ABV is important, right?

Click to expand...

Why buy a Mild if that isn't what you want in the end?

Mostly because I wanted a good beer to experiment with (i.e. not too expensive and a good basic ale).

I understand completely. . . . Because he can!! Its the great thing about brewing your own beer, you can do it anyway you want..

But I will say from my experience (read not that much) one pound of honey in a small brew like that is really going to upset the flavor balance. You need to try and balance out the added honey with a hop addition. Don't ask me what kind or how much.

End the end you will get a stronger beer for sure. Whether you like the taste will be up to you.