Hey guys this will be my 3rd ag batch. I'm looking at doing a honey nut brown ale. Any tips for getting good honey flavor? I've heard it mostly ferments out, and I can add it a few days after the beer is fermenting. I'm worried if I add it late, will I have issues with over carbing? My buddy gave me some honey from his farm and I'd like to impart a nice rich honey flavor for him.
Brewing with honey
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Adding after primary fermentation is over will help with flavor. You can add a little honey malt 4 to 8 oz should work good. Do not worry about over carbing unless you add too much priming sugar at bottling.
I've used honey extensively and it doesn't really impart much flavor to the finished product. It is a very clean fermenting source of sugar. Even with late addition / flameout adding you lose most of the flavor and aroma. To add a nice honey flavor and nose to a beer add .25 to 1.5 lbs of honey malt per 5 gallon batch. The amount you want to use will vary based on personal taste and the style you are making.
+1 on using the honey malt. Actual honey ferments out and doesn't leave much honey flavor. On the opposite end of the scale is honey malt where a little will go a long way in imparting honey flavor.
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I've worked quite a bit with honey. What I do to get the aroma of honey is heat treat the honey in a closed container, cool to room temperature and add it to the primary fermentor just after high krausen. You need to pick a honey with a strong aromatic content as well. You will need to select a strong scented honey. Clover honey is much too mild and I usually go to either wildflower honey or orange blossom honey to get a mild scent of the honey in the beer. If you want the taste to be evident, go with the honey malt, it is much more reliable and controllable.
The honey malt would be added to the mash not in secondary.
But wouldn't the honey flavor ferment out if it's added pre-fermentation, most people on this thread are recommending adding after primary fermentation. or am i just misunderstanding
But wouldn't the honey flavor ferment out if it's added pre-fermentation, most people on this thread are recommending adding after primary fermentation. or am i just misunderstanding
honey malt is like any other crystal malt except it has a very clear honey flavor that does not ferment out.
But wouldn't the honey flavor ferment out if it's added pre-fermentation, most people on this thread are recommending adding after primary fermentation. or am i just misunderstanding
They are saying to add honey after fermentation. Honey malt is a grain that imparts a honey flavor.
I used 1.5 lbs of honey malt in a 4.5 gal blonde and it was very grainy tasting for quite some time. Aging helped, but I mostly mixed it with commercial wheat beer.
I have been using 0.5 lbs of honey malt along with 2+ lbs of honey at flameout and getting a fair honey flavor. But it's not quite like the exact flavor of honey. Mine tastes just like the Blue Moon honey wheat, which is what I was trying to replicate.
I have been using 0.5 lbs of honey malt along with 2+ lbs of honey at flameout and getting a fair honey flavor. But it's not quite like the exact flavor of honey. Mine tastes just like the Blue Moon honey wheat, which is what I was trying to replicate.
