Brand new brewer!!!!

[bockdoc9]

Ok fellow hopeful brewmasters, I just set my wort to ferment for 2 weeks I'm pretty pumped. I wanna try a honey brown ale next but a little confused on what sugars to use I'm thinking brown sugar and honey. Am I way off here or what. Guys let me know.

 

[Pilgarlic]

Welcome. Stay pumped. As to which sugars to use, most wouldn't use added sugar at all. You might use honey in the recipe, but research how to use the honey or you won't realize any honey character from it at all. Even if you handle it well, the honey character probably won't be what you're expecting. Much of what is essential (pun intended) in honey simply won't survive heating and fermentation. Often a brewer will use "honey malt" to add a honey-like character. Mostly, congrats on your first beer... and stay pumped!

 

[bockdoc9]

The sugars I used in my first was what came with my kit it was a pre measured mix called a booster. I guess what I was most confused about is can I use brown sugar and honey instead of the booster

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

the 'honey' flavor in many beers that say 'honey this' or whatever is usually honey malt, it's a specialty grain. actual honey will mainly just dry the beer out and increase ABV. you could try honey at flameout, so you don't boil off any honey flavor, but keep in mind that honey is a very delicate flavor and won't stand out in most beers.
my suggestion for a honey brown is to look into how you can mash a touch of honey malt in your next batch, then maybe add some honey to the end of the boil, or better yet, to the secondary fermenter after fermentation is complete.

 

[Calichusetts]

Bottle with honey...the flavor will come through if you drink them while they are young. I use honey with 15 minutes and flameout, then bottle with it. You get a great first impression of honey aroma and taste, but it never overpowers...the longer they age the less you get. Bigger beers will also overpower the honey.

Honey malt is truly the way to go.

There is a lot of discussion on how honey malt is the way to get flavor through, but I have used honey to bottle all my beers and over the last 10 batches have added it during the boil and it always comes through for me, sometimes more than I want...recently started to use honey malt as well though.

Try bottling with a nice honey first and see how that works for you...

 

[bockdoc9]

When you say add during bottling do you mean replace the 3/4 teaspoon of sugar with honey as the priming agent

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

When you say add during bottling do you mean replace the 3/4 teaspoon of sugar with honey as the priming agent

that's what he means. it works well, but i still don't think you get much honey flavor from it, except maybe soothing light, like a honey wheat. really, look into the honey malt, it's the way to go if you want n actual honey flavor.

 

[Calichusetts]

Yes, bottle with honey...its about 3 tablespoons per gallon (or a teaspoon per 16oz, in my experience). I have only used honey from when I started brewing and its really one of the first aromas you get from the bottle, but its not a honey beer. Use the malt if you really want a honey beer.

Downside, carbing can be uneven...

 

[KevinW]

When you say add during bottling do you mean replace the 3/4 teaspoon of sugar with honey as the priming agent

Whenever possible try to weigh the sugars I use for bottling. For example I just bottled a couple of IPA's. One batch had 5.5 gallons and I wanted 2.5 atmospheres so Beersmith suggested 4.63oz of corn sugar based on the 64°F beer temp!

I boiled ~2 quarts of water, added the 4.63oz of sugar to the water stirred a little to dissolve then simmered for about 8-10 min. I gently stirred it into my beer that i had racked into the bottling bucket and (very gently) stirred for about 3 minutes to mix thoroughly. I stress a gentle stir as to NOT aerate the beer! After stirring I bottled. This process is very helpful in preventing uneven carbing!!

Good luck