Low OG... thinking about adding some honey in secondary

[sucrebrew]

Hello everyone... Just brewed up a blonde ale yesterday, but it looks as though I got a bad crush with my mill, resulting in a low OG of 1.032. I'm wondering if it would be worth it to add some honey during secondary fermentation and make this a honey blonde. I was aiming for a low alcohol beer, but not this low. I'd like to get it in the low .040's. Any thoughts on whether it would be worth it and if so, how much honey should I use?

Here is the recipe I used.


Batch Size: 5.00 gal
Estimated OG: 1.046 SG
Boil Time: 90 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
9lbs Pilsner
0.25 lbs Honey Malt
0.75 lbs Flaked Wheat
0.25 Ounces Chinook @ 60
0.25 Ounces Cascade @ 25
0.25 Ounces Cascade @ 10
0.25 Ounces Columbus @ 10
0.25 Ounces Cascade @ 5

1 Pack US-05

 

[sucrebrew]

Or... I was also thinking of just putting it in the primary. Maybe just a pound.

 

[TopherM]

Adding honey will add ABV and will dry out the beer.

Of most concern, however, is all you will be adding is ABV, with no additional malt backbone. You may as well just throw in a couple shots of grain alcohol, you'll literally accomplish just about the same thing. Point being, that original recipe had a certain balance, and just adding ABV without balancing it with more malt will likely throw the whole recipe out of balance.

If I were in the same situation, I'd either:

1) just finish this one as-is and call it a session beer (and lesson learned)

or

2) Brew another beer of similar recipe bumping the malt bill a bit in proportion, then blend the two beers.

Good luck!

 

[JimRausch]

Although Topher is correct, I would slightly disagree with his conclusions.
Your recipe was based on a certain efficiency, which you failed to achieve, so by being low on your OG, your balance will be off. 1 lb of honey will raise your projected OG by about 8 points raising it to around 1.040. 1 lb DME will do about the same. So here's your options as I see it:
1. As Topher suggests, leave as is and chalk it up to 'lesson learned'(always check your SG toward the end of boil, and keep some DME on hand to add if needed).
2. Blend with a stronger batch, as Topher suggested. Could work.
3. Boil up 1 lb honey and 1 lb DME and add it now, in primary. I've done additions like this after 3-4 days into fermentation, and it has worked out fine.
Probably won't be exactly what you were hoping for, but it should be OK.
Good luck!

 

[sucrebrew]

Thanks for the input. I just tested my Hydrometer, and it seems as though that could be, in part, the culprit. In regular water, I'm getting a reading close to 0.992. In that case, would the OG actually be about 1.040? I could live with that.

 

[JimRausch]

One thing I've learned over the years is to always take the temperature of the sample. Usually the hydrometer is set to 60*F( it should say on the paper tube or the instructions). Higher or lower temps need to be compensated for.There's a good table in J.P.'s book.
I can remember the sample taken at the end of a boil(at 212ish) that made me think I was way low on my predicted OG.

 

[sucrebrew]

The temp of the wort for the 1.032 reading was taken at about 75 degrees. The water from the tap I used to test the hydrometer was a little lower, and I got a reading of 0.992. I'm wondering if the OG in that case is actually 8 points higher. Still kinda low, but I could live with it... or maybe throw 1/4 to 1/2 pound of honey in the fermenter and call it a day.

 

[m1batt1]

Adding honey after initial ferment would actually impart a little honey aroma and flavor that trends to get cooked out when adding to boil or lost during the aggressive initial fermentation.

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