Dark Honey Cream Ale recipe

This will be my first time using Honey Malt in a brew. If you've used it, chime in as to what % you used (of the grist), how it came out, and what you would have done differently (if anything)...

Name: Fiery Irish Honey Ale
Type: All Grain
Style: Speciality Irish Red Ale
Batch Size: 5 gallons
Boil Time: 60 minutes
Projected Efficiency: 78%

Ingredients:
10.0 pounds Pale Malt, Maris Otter (3.0 SRM).... 86.96%
1.0 pound Honey Malt (25 SRM)...................... 8.70%
0.5 pound British Crystal Malt II (65 SRM)......... 4.35%
0.5 ounce Target Hops (10.50% AA) 60 minute boil... 16.7 IBU
0.5 ounce Fuggles Hops (4.00% AA) 10 minute boil... 2.3 IBU
1 Whirlfloc tablet

Yeast: Wyeast #1728 Scottish Ale (harvested dose) with starter

Estimated OG: 1.068
Estimated FG: 1.019
Estimated Color: 10.6
Bitterness: 19 IBU
Estimated ABV: 6.39%

Mash: Single Infusion, Medium Body, No Mash Out
Mash with 20.5 quarts of water at 160-161F for 90 minutes (mash temp of 151-153F)
Sparge Water: 2 gallons at 168F

Ferment (in primary): 2-4 weeks at ~65F.
Carbonate to 2.6 CO2 volumes

I know that the OG and SRM is outside of the range. Cream Ale is the closest I could match to my target/desired target for this brew. More of a Medium Hybrid brew instead of a Light Hybrid category (if such a thing existed)... I was tempted to put actual honey into the recipe, but I'm holding myself back. I want to see what the Honey Malt will do in a brew. I have read that you shouldn't use more than 10% of the grain bill as Honey Malt, so I'm keeping it under that ceiling. I do hope that the malt flavors will blend well, along with the hops I selected...

I'm also thinking of running some more hot water (165-168F) through the grist after sparging, and collecting it. I'm thinking of reserving that to carbonate with (most likely going to reduce it some, to make it more potent)...

Also thinking about using Belgian style bottles (with corks of course) for this brew... Combined with some Grolsch style bottles...

Yeast starter is going like a champ... Brew day is this Sunday, so getting pretty damned close...

I am still interested in opinions on this one... Not so much about it being to 'style' since I think it falls outside of most styles. Unless there's one that matches it, that I haven't thought of. I'm more interested in how people think it will come out.

I do have some additional British Crystal Malt on hand (45L, 65L, 85L and 120L) so I could mix that up a bit. I also have more of the Honey Malt on hand (ordered 5 pounds total)... For hops, I also have some Northdown and EKG on hand.

I do want honey flavors to come through on this one, hence the use of Honey Malt. Not sure if the BCMII will help, or hurt, the flavors... Removing it from the recipe would be easy... Maybe replace it with BCMI ("A good general-purpose crystal malt. Will impart a moderate amber color and caramel flavor to your beer")...

Brewed this one yesterday (Sunday 2/13/11) with a few modifications...

Type: All Grain
Style: 9E Strong Scotch Ale/23A Specialty Beer (not sure if it's true enough to 9E or not)
Batch Size: 5.25 gallons

Ingredients:
10# Pale Malt, Maris Otter (3.0 SRM)
1# Honey Malt (25.0 SRM)
.5# British Crystal Malt I (45.0 SRM)
.5# British Crystal Malt II (65.0 SRM)
.25# British Dark Crystal Malt II (120.0 SRM)
24gm Target Hops (10.50% AA) 60 minute boil
16gm Fuggles hops (4.00% AA( 20 minute boil
0.5 tsp Wyeast nutrient, 5 minute boil
1 Whirlfloc tablet, 15 minute boil
Wyeast #1728 Scottish Ale yeast, harvested and rinsed (starter made on Thursday evening).

OG: 1.072
FG:
Estimated color: 14.2
Bitterness: 31.1 IBU

Mashed at 152-154F for 90 minutes with 20 quarts water. Final temp at mash-out, 150F.
Sparged at 168F for 30 minutes with 2-1/4 gallons.
With the lower mash temps, I hope to have this one ferment to a FG under 1.020.

Total amount into carboy: 5.25 gallons...

Aerated the wort once in the carboy with the same home-made aerator that I used for my mead batches. Aerated for about 2-3 minutes.
Pitched yeast into carboy, then attached blow-off tube/assembly. This was around 7:30-8pm last night.

As of this morning, around 8am, fermentation is in full swing.

Thermometer strip on the side of the carboy reads 66/68F... I've moved it to a slightly cooler spot, trying to get the temperature in the lower 60's... Since it's going to be cool tonight, and the next few days/evenings, I hope to get it to ferment cooler (no fermentation chamber yet)...

Hit 82% efficiency on this batch. So my range is 78-82% right now. At least with grain bills that are in the 10-13 pound range.

Would like to hear how this one turns out for you. I have a honey pale ale in a secondary and plan on kegging it this weekend. Also my first batch with honey malt, can't wait to try it.

What's your recipe??

Since the yeast, and such, for my recipe really didn't fit the cream ale style, I had to reclassify what mine is going after... It is fermenting nicely right now. Slow, steady gurgles through the blow-off tube. No rocking of the carboy, so I'm pretty confident it will come out well, without needing time to age. Since it's in my 'moderate' gravity range (probably what most would call a 'big beer'), I figure it will be on the yeast for 3-4 weeks. Might go longer, all depends on how it tastes at three weeks, and at four.

It's going to be interesting, for me, to see how much of the honey malt comes through on mine. I am brewing a honey cream ale on 2/26 (10 gallon batch with a brew-bud) that's 20 pounds 2 Row (UK) and 2 pounds of Honey Malt. No other grains in the brew... We'll be using EKG and Fuggles hops, keeping the IBU low (just under 18 IBU)...

I'm thinking that a Braggot with honey malt will be called for soon...

Golddiggie said:

Brewed this one yesterday (Sunday 2/13/11) with a few modifications...

Type: All Grain
Style: 9E Strong Scotch Ale/23A Specialty Beer (not sure if it's true enough to 9E or not)
Batch Size: 5.25 gallons

Ingredients:
10# Pale Malt, Maris Otter (3.0 SRM)
1# Honey Malt (25.0 SRM)
.5# British Crystal Malt I (45.0 SRM)
.5# British Crystal Malt II (65.0 SRM)
.25# British Dark Crystal Malt II (120.0 SRM)
24gm Target Hops (10.50% AA) 60 minute boil
16gm Fuggles hops (4.00% AA( 20 minute boil
0.5 tsp Wyeast nutrient, 5 minute boil
1 Whirlfloc tablet, 15 minute boil
Wyeast #1728 Scottish Ale yeast, harvested and rinsed (starter made on Thursday evening).

OG: 1.072
FG:
Estimated color: 14.2
Bitterness: 31.1 IBU

Mashed at 152-154F for 90 minutes with 20 quarts water. Final temp at mash-out, 150F.
Sparged at 168F for 30 minutes with 2-1/4 gallons.
With the lower mash temps, I hope to have this one ferment to a FG under 1.020.

Total amount into carboy: 5.25 gallons...

Aerated the wort once in the carboy with the same home-made aerator that I used for my mead batches. Aerated for about 2-3 minutes.
Pitched yeast into carboy, then attached blow-off tube/assembly. This was around 7:30-8pm last night.

As of this morning, around 8am, fermentation is in full swing.

Thermometer strip on the side of the carboy reads 66/68F... I've moved it to a slightly cooler spot, trying to get the temperature in the lower 60's... Since it's going to be cool tonight, and the next few days/evenings, I hope to get it to ferment cooler (no fermentation chamber yet)...

Hit 82% efficiency on this batch. So my range is 78-82% right now. At least with grain bills that are in the 10-13 pound range.

Click to expand...

This sounds great, let us know how it turned out