Teach me about Honey

[jasonbwell]

Is honey usable as something to add into - say - a brown ale?
I'm really knew to all of this, just wondering a few things...

does it need to be sanitized and how
will the yeast and sugars increase the alcohol content
when if at all should it be added.

j

 

[bob1852]

Honey doesn't need to be sanitized, and heating it can cause some changes in its aroma and flavor.

Because it contains lots of sugars, it ferments well and will increase the alcohol content.

Most folks like to either add it when you've cooled your wort down below 100*F, or added a couple days after fermentation has started.

 

[kbuzz]

I would think it only needs to be sanitized if you are adding post boil. When I use honey, I add it with about 10 mins left in the boil - so I've never had to consider whether or not to sanitize. Yes, it will certainly add to the alcohol content.

A couple things I've noticed about honey - depending on how much you use, it will dry out your beer pretty good and it also takes a considerable amount of time to finish fermenting.

 

[TotemWolf]

Honey adds a great flavor to Brown ales.

Honey does not need to be sanitzed. Most microorganisms do not grow in honey because of its low water activity.

Honey contains monosaccharides fructose and glucose. All these ferment and add alcohol to the beer. It will also flavor to beer.

The best time to add the honey is after you have cooled the wort down to about 100 F. This way there will be enough heat left in the wort to disolve it, but it will not cook the honey. The other option is to add it while the beer is in high kraeusen.


Be aware Honey is very complex and can take yeast a bit longer to fully ferment the honey. As long as you are ready for this you are good to go.

 

[jasonbwell]

thanks guys for the quick responses. If I'm doing a starter kit (the 5 gallon variety) how much honey do we need to add?

 

[TotemWolf]

thanks guys for the quick responses. If I'm doing a starter kit (the 5 gallon variety) how much honey do we need to add?

Hard to say without seeing the recipe.

For a Brown ale, I think you said, typical 5 gal batch, I would start with about half a pound. That will give you a good flavor but won't dry out the beer too much. If you like the honey flavor try about 1 pound. That will have some good flavor impact without taking away from the beer itself. Until you've tried it for yourself, I wouldn't go any more than that.

 

[osagedr]

Adding honey may result in a dry, over-attenuated beer without very much actual honey character.

Most AG brewers would advise you to use honey malt rather than honey itself.

 

[mcwilcr]

I do a honey nut brown ale with raw local honey and .5 lbs of honey malt. I add the honey once the wort has cooled below 150 F. I'm sure 100 F would do just fine for the honey's sake but in that danger zone, I personally try to mess with the wort as little as posible so I add the honey a few degrees hotter.

if you are looking for distinct honey flavor, I would definitely recommend adding a little honey malt to your recipe.

 

[TotemWolf]

Don't be afraid of Honey. Like sugar, many will say you should avoid it. Many brewers believe it's just another tool in their kit. Most modern yeast ferment very cleanly and don't leave behind the off flavors often linked to sugars in the past. You just need to use it right.

Honey is a complex ingredient. It contains many simple and complex sugars, plus other enzymes and trace amounts of other compunds. Approximately 90-95% of the honey are fermentable. Depening on its source it can have rich flavor profile, however this is destroyed by boiling.

The variety of honey to use depends on your desired flavor profile.

Between 2 to 10% of your fermentalbes should come from honey. Too little and you gain no flavor. Too much and you will increase the fermentation time and also give the beer a mead-like character. Depending on what you are making 5-10% is best.

Anytime you use honey remember to give the yeast a little extra time to ferment it out completely. Depening on the amount use this can be from 1 to 3 weeks. Make sure to check the gravity before racking or packageing the beer.

This link talks a lot about the honey itself.

http://home.comcast.net/~midnighthomebrewers/Honey In Beer.pdf

 

[TotemWolf]

I do a honey nut brown ale with raw local honey and .5 lbs of honey malt. I add the honey once the wort has cooled below 150 F. I'm sure 100 F would do just fine for the honey's sake but in that danger zone, I personally try to mess with the wort as little as posible so I add the honey a few degrees hotter.

if you are looking for distinct honey flavor, I would definitely recommend adding a little honey malt to your recipe.

+1 Honey beers don't tatse like honey from the jar.

 

[Golddiggie]

Unless you have an actual type of honey that you want specific flavors from/of, I would use honey malt. Ive used it with great success in batches. The higher the percentage of the grist the more flavors you'll get.

You can add honey later in the batches fermentation/aging cycle too. I've used it to prime with, getting good results.

I would t3y both ingredients and decide for yourself. If possible, makebthe same base recipe just changing from honey to honey malt between them.