brewing with honey.

[mitchcl640]

I tried a wheat recipe and love it. I want to try honey this time. How will this effect my beer, when do i need to add it, during boil, during fermentation?? Will it taste bad?? etc....

 

[two_one_seven]

It will and alcohol and dry the beer or give a lighter body. If it is a quality orange blossom or some other type of honey then it may impart some of that flavor. Try it out and see how it works, thats the great thing about brewing you can do what ever you want.

 

[BrettFitz]

I'm just back into brewing, but I've switched to honey exclusively for priming. Still playing with amounts, but so far I really like the texture of the beer. Maybe I'm overstating the honey factor but it is working so I'm running with it.
Last batch I added a pound right after flameout. Just had the first sample of the beer (a 2IPA). Def cleaner/drier than the previous batch, and a little higher ABV.

Next batch will be some kind of juniper honey 2IPA.

My honey is raw tupelo, btw. Not a honey freak, just have a source of great stuff.

 

[Pezman1]

Many post on this subject. Here is what I do:

I use one to two pounds of honey at flameout. I also use 4 to 8 ounces of Gambrinus Honey Malt. Gives a nice honey background flavor and aroma.

Pez.

 

[mitchcl640]

Did you add a pound of honey to a 5 gal batch, or how much would I need for a 5 gal batch?

 

[dhoyt714]

I added a pound to a five gallon batch at flameout.

 

[idahobrew]

2lbs. at flameout will give you a better chance of actually getting any flavor from the honey. The honey malt is a better option.

 

[dhoyt714]

If you go with the honey malt use maybe 4-6 oz of it. It's really sweet.

 

[Calichusetts]

I loves me some honey in brewing. Just about everything has been covered in the posts so far: Honey malt helps to get the flavor without drying out your beer. 5-10% of your grainbill seems to be a nice starting point to figure out how much you want the flavor to play a role. If you want to use real honey in the boil and don't like it too dry, mash at a higher temp to get some more sweetness to try and balance it out.

I also only bottle with honey. 3 tablespoons PER GALLON is the standard, but I use 4 for a couple reasons. Honey is sometimes inconsistent and and can settle in a bottling bucket before you finish. I also like slightly more carbed beers. Just heat it up (dont boil) in some water, swirl it around vigorously, then add to your bucket and rack the beer immediately. Bottling as quickly as you can will help to eliminate the settling of the honey but its usually not an issue.

Finally, you can add it to a secondary or your primary after your initial fermentation has completed. It should kick start a second round so be prepared to wait a week before you bottle/keg.

Last thing to consider is the type of honey. I almost only use orange blossom honey when I bottle, it really gets me the honey flavor that I am looking for. I have found clover honey to be really bland and almost useless in trying to get the flavor through. There are so many types of honey that you should try a few to see what you like.

 

[Pezman1]

Look into wildflower honey too, very nice. Like Cali said, orange blossom honey comes through in certain beers pretty well. I've used it in an American wheat with good results, carbed fairly high. The higher carb levels help bring out the aroma in the glass.

I add honey to Brown Ales (honey nut brown) for the wife, but a more nuetral honey than orange blossom is called for here.

I do not bottle with honey, mostly because corn sugar is so easy and precise.


Next to a hefe, a nice highly-carbed American Orange Blossom Honey Wheat is what a hot Summer day calls for.

Pez.


Pez.

 

[duboman]

It will and alcohol and dry the beer or give a lighter body. If it is a quality orange blossom or some other type of honey then it may impart some of that flavor. Try it out and see how it works, thats the great thing about brewing you can do what ever you want.

+1, it will raise the ABV and dry as well as thin out the beer. One way to add back the body is to add malto-dextrine powder in the boil around the last 15 minutes. This is a neutral non-fermentable, for a 5G batch you can add 1/2lb.
You can also reduce the grain bill in relation to the amount of honey so you do not raise the ABV as well.

 

[Calichusetts]

+1, it will raise the abv and dry as well as thin out the beer. One way to add back the body is to add malto-dextrine powder in the boil around the last 15 minutes. This is a neutral non-fermentable, for a 5g batch you can add 1/2lb.
You can also reduce the grain bill in relation to the amount of honey so you do not raise the abv as well.

+1

 

[Mase]

I put in 1 lbs at the 30 min mark for my wheat/wit hybrid. The sample I tasted before bottle was pretty good.