Adding honey to secondary

[PetitChouffe]

I brewed a big, hoppy, red ale last week and am thinking of adding some honey and fresh ginger to the secondary. It's actually pretty close to the target FG, after being in the primary for a week, so I was wondering two things.

1. I've got some delicious raw fireweed honey, so obviously I have to treat it somehow first. I was planning on diluting it with some water to the gravity of the beer and boiling it with some fresh ginger. People say this destroys a lot of the flavor compounds in honey, but I am skeptical because I've bottled with honey before (much in this manner) and the flavor has been noticeable.

2. What are everyone's thoughts on adding yeast nutrients? Since my first fermentation has nearly slowed to a stop, I'm hoping the honey addition will kick it up enough, but some people say that it might be sluggish without an addition of yeast nutrients.

 

[HalfPint]

I wouldn't worry about "treating" the honey before hand. Honey is known to be somewhat safe to use without pasteurization. I'd just dump the honey and let it finish it's second fermentation, then when that is complete I'd add the ginger and taste frequently until the beer has achieved the flavor you want. Now pasteurizing the ginger and or soaking it in vodka is up to you, but I'd probably just throw it in.

 

[ScrewyBrewer]

I think there is enough alcohol in the beer by now to kill off any unwelcome organisms that are in the honey. Some folks wait and add the honey at bottling time, in addition to priming sugar.

There is a free Bottle Priming Calculator that can help you calculate how much sugar and/or honey to use per beer style.

Screwy Brewer

 

[PetitChouffe]

Would you suggest diluting the honey to the beer's gravity before adding it, or just dumping it in? I'm afraid it won't mix in if I just dump it in there!

 

[DrawTap88]

Just heat it up, so it's easier to get out of the bottle. Doesn't have to be boiling. Also, the amount of sugar in honey is so great that very few organisms can live it, and those that can will be killed by the alcohol already in your beer.

 

[HalfPint]

Would you suggest diluting the honey to the beer's gravity before adding it, or just dumping it in? I'm afraid it won't mix in if I just dump it in there!

Just dump it in. Although the honey may sit at the bottle of the fermenter for a little while, the yeast will do their job.