Brewing with Honey...

[SKRiM]

I am fairly new to brewing but have been wanting to incorporate some honey into my next batch. I will be brewing a pecan porter, and yes i have read some reviews that say not to add honey to a porter, I am not here to debate that. I have done some reading up on the subject of adding honey to your brew and there are just a few questions I have that I would like some input on from some more experienced brewers out there. I purchased the book How to Brew by John Palmer and in it, it recommends pasteurizing the honey and adding it to the fermenter after primary is complete. I have also read a lot of posts and other websites that recommend just adding it towards the end of boil or even flameout. I was just looking for some thoughts and incite from anyone that has actually used honey before. Any information would be much appreciated. Thank you.

 

[worstbrewing]

I've brewed with honey a handful of times, and each time I've only added it at flameout, but had pretty good results. It doesn't leave any real honey flavor behind this way, but there is typically a subtle honey aroma. Beyond that, I can't say much as I've only used it at flameout, but have gotten rave reviews from each beer and definitely been pleased with the results.

 

[twigboy2000]

According to most of the mead documentation, if the honey goes over 100F then you will probably drive off most or all of the aromatics.

Add it as primary starts to slow down and you should get more honey/flavor aroma in your beer.

-chuck

 

[terrapinj]

theres a discussion on same topic going on in this thread:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f14/any-advice-amount-honey-add-229525/

 

[SKRiM]

I much appreciate the replies. It seems to me, from a number of sources I've read, that most of what you're going to get is just the honey aroma anyway, which is totally fine (like I mentioned I'm trying a Pecan Porter, so even just a subtle honey aroma I think would be very nice).May also boost the alcohol but i don't really care about that... whether it's at flameout or after primary is more of my question which seems to be quite up in the air in terms of preference on what charateristics you are really looking for. I was more just worried whether or not I would really hurt the beer not to pasteurize the honey or if it would be fine, but it seems like a lot of people have gone without that. Like I mentioned I am new to this and have only brewed extract kits so far but have been doing a lot of research and am excited to just try a few new things. Will add at flameout i think...any incite as to how much? from what I've read for a 5 gal. batch maybe 1 to 2 lbs at most. I don't want it too strong with the pecan flavor already.... probably 16 oz at flameout, or just before. Any further advice would be more than helpful. Thank you.

 

[Stout-n-Braggot]

One pound or so of honey at flameout or during cooldown would be good for a porter, but i would recommend using a strong flavored honey for this.

 

[SKRiM]

thinking of probably using buckwheat honey, or another dark honey if i can find it. from what i've read, should be good for a porter or stout. again thank you for the advice. will be posting again soon. should be brewing honey pecan porter in two days if all goes according to plan!

 

[LexusChris]

I've been adding my honey additions during cool down, at around 120-F and I also like the idea of just adding to the primary post initial fermentation. Honey has a low moisture content, which makes it really resistant to bacteria growth. You're not likely to have any problems using honey in your beer in either of those ways.

One pound in a 5-gallon batch should give you a nice honey accent in flavor & aroma. In a porter, where you may have a lot of malt character(s) going on, it would be a more supportive role, than in a lighter beer.... but tasty!

Good luck!
--LexusChris

 

[Stout-n-Braggot]

Buckwheat honey is an excellent choice.

 

[Saccharomyces]

Unless you are planning on letting your beer age for a long period of time it really doesn't matter if you add unpasteurized honey to the primary. There is plenty of yeast in there to dominate, and most of the spores in the honey will be things that won't survive at over 3% alcohol anyway. I'm not a fan of boiling honey or getting it too hot, since you do lose the nice aromatics, and some of the enzymes in the honey that are beneficial for flavor get denatured.

 

[SKRiM]

i forgot to mention, until i recieved the kit today that i must secondary ferment after primary is finished and add oak chips. so i'm thinking since i have to do that anyway just secondary with oak chips and honey....or just add honey at flameout still and secondary with oak? brewing in about 12 hours i'll make the call then but any extra last minute advice would help.

 

[KAMMEE]

I would ferment 7 days, add honey to fermenter, wait 7-14 days, rack to secondary on pecans age for a few weeks. Thats how I would do it.