Adding honey to Irish Red Ale

I am almost ready to brew my first batch and I've chosen the Irish Red Ale kit from Midwest Supplies. I have a quick question about adding honey to the wort. Am I correct that I would add about 1.5lbs or so while it is cooling after the boil but before I place the wort into the fermenter with the cold water? I've been drinking some Killians and I think a honey flavor would really set it off. Also, what would adding honey do to the alcohol content? A friend of mine has several beehives so obtaining some real honey shouldn't be an issue.

Thanks for any help!

I did an Irish Red all grain and added 1 lb of honey at flame out. Worked out well. Honey will increase your gravity and the potential alcohol in the beer.

I did the Irish red Ale with 3 lb of organic raw honey in secondary fermentation. I also added oranges in primary fermentation.
The results were amazing. Smooth and rich beer that was complemented by all who had tried it.

Keep in mind that honey doesn't actually give the brew much of a honey flavor. It almost completely ferments away.

So far I have had two beers with honey (as far as I’m aware). I brewed a wheat beer with honey and I have had hopslam from bell’s. Personally I do think it adds a bit of flavor but it isn’t “honey” like you’d expect. I’m honestly not a fan so far.

BlueHouseBrewhaus said:

Keep in mind that honey doesn't actually give the brew much of a honey flavor. It almost completely ferments away.

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This!

If you keg, you could always add the honey in the keg along with some potassium sorbate and a campden tablet. This will deactivate the yeast and keep them from fermenting it out and allow you to keep the honey flavor. I've done this with maple syrup and it works pretty well.

If you bottle, you could use honey as your priming sugar. Dose each bottle with honey at time of bottling and let it carbonate that way.

As others have said, it'll ferment away and leave almost nothing as far as flavor. I like Hopslam from Bell's but can honestly say that I can never taste any sort of honey in it.

Use some honeymalt. Or brumalt.

bigmac58 said:

I am almost ready to brew my first batch and I've chosen the Irish Red Ale kit from Midwest Supplies. I have a quick question about adding honey to the wort.

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Since this is your first batch, just brew it as it comes. Don't make changes until you understand the process and what to expect. Adding honey may give you great beer but it may not and you won't know whether it was the honey you added or if you made a mistake in the process. Brew right to the instructions until you are certain you understand what you are doing, then start experimenting.