Honey Ale.

Orfy · Jun 5, 2007

If you brew with Sugar then it leaves very little flavour unless you use a lot then it gives a cidery taste.

I some times make English bitters with a pound of brown sugar or a pound of invert sugar and it give an extra depth but nothing that stands out or could be called a distinct flavour.

I've just tried a commercial Honey beer and I'd expect the honey to ferment out leaving subtle flavours but the over riding after taste is like eating a spoonful of honey without the massive sweetness.

Now I'm glad I've not brewed 23l of this stuff and it's only a 500ml bottle. I'll not try it again.

One more reason to stick to tried and tested recipes and experiment with tastes and styles with commercials.

Cheesefood · Jun 5, 2007

Rhoobarb makes a Honey Blonde that's absolutely phenomenal, but he hasn't posted the recipe. I've had several pints of it, and I think it's my fave honey beer. Light honey flavor that compliments but doesn't overpower the beer.

Rhoobarb · Jun 5, 2007

Cheesefood said:
Rhoobarb makes a Honey Blonde that's absolutely phenomenal, but he hasn't posted the recipe. I've had several pints of it, and I think it's my fave honey beer. Light honey flavor that compliments but doesn't overpower the beer.

Thanks, Cheese!

I originally posted it here, but it's gone through some changes since that time. I finally have it where I want it and will post that recipe in the database as soon as I can. I'm already down to the last 5-6 and need to brew it again. I really need to up it to 10 gallon batches; we go through it so fast.

IMHO, the key is to add the honey in the last 15-20 mins. of the boil.

Bosh · Jun 5, 2007

The flavor that the commercial honey brew that you had has tastes nothing like the flavor that a 1 pound or so of honey would give to your beer, the stuff you drank probably used a lot of honey malt or some other flavoring since using lots of real honey is expensive. Honey ferments very clean and I don't think I've seen a single complaint on this board from people saying that there was too much honey taste (quite the opposite in fact). My honey ale is quite nice but the only reason that I can taste the honey at all is that all of the other ingredients were very mild.

DeathBrewer · Jun 5, 2007

that's what i've read and seen on the forums here, that honey ferments out almost completely and leaves the beer dry if using too much. the taste comes from honey malt or flakes.