some quick ones about honey

[jpr210]

i read somewhere (though i cant remember where, hence why im writing this) that you can use honey as priming sugar, but it needs to be used in different proportions than, say, dextrose to avoid over-carbonation. would anyone know what this magic amount of honey would be (for a 5 gal batch)? Also, ive seen some posts on here about using honey and it seems that some are saying to add it during the boil...is one way preferable to another, or is it a matter of taste? will it add a different character depending on when i add it (boil vs. priming)? and lastly, someone told me not to waste money on expensive honeys for my brew, as the different flavors will not be imparted into the finished product, could someone verify this for me? thanks a lot guys

 

[Brandonovich]

For the most part, when you add honey to the boil it will ferment completely away and leave almost no taste at all. One way to get the honey taste in is to add it a couple days after primary fermentation starts. Honey is easier to "digest", so the yeast will generally eat through the honey before it will eat through the sugars put in by the malt. If you give it a couple days to ferment most of the sugars, and then add the honey, you will end up with a little more honey flavor carried through to the beer.

 

[TotemWolf]

Start here.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f163/teach-me-about-honey-257416/

as far as priming... The quick answer is about 4-5 oz. The better answer would depend on the beer's temp, volume and the volumes of C02 you want in the final product.

 

[brewit2it]

What style of beer are you making that you want to add the honey to?

 

[jpr210]

What style of beer are you making that you want to add the honey to?

red ale, im gonna brew it tomorrow

 

[TotemWolf]

red ale, im gonna brew it tomorrow

Do you want the beer to have a honey flavor?

Fermented honey has some wonder qualities but it doesn't taste like honey from the jar.

Read the linked thread above for some of the answers to your questions.

 

[brewit2it]

red ale, im gonna brew it tomorrow

If you are looking for honey flavor you are better off with honey malt. If you want your red ale to have a full body mouthfeel I'd pass on the honey. You really should know what you are trying to achieve with the honey or you will likely be disappointed. I'm not a fan of it personally since it really gives a dry fizzy character to the beer.