Honey in a conical

[iowahomebrew]

Hey Everyone. I added 5 lbs of honey to an 11 gallon batch of IPA when the standard fermentation was ending. As you can see in the picture, the honey has settled at the very bottom of the plastic conical. It looks like the trub is sitting on top of the honey and fermentation seems to be slowing down compared to hours after adding the honey. Would you be patient and leave the honey alone or remove the honey and dump it back in the top? This time with the valve closed above the collection container of course. Wish I had thought of that the first time! Thanks - Luke

 

[Jag75]

How long did it take for the honey to drop all the way down? I don't think I'd mess with it.

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

The honey is heavier than the wort so it makes sense it would drip to the bottom. I'd leave it alone too, maybe give the fermenter a shake every couple of days to slosh the yeast around.

That seems like a lot of honey to add.

 

[hotbeer]

Would you be patient and leave the honey alone or remove the honey and dump it back in the top? This time with the valve closed above the collection container of course.

The only difference will be that it has a little more surface area pooling in the bottom of the cone instead of the collection jar.

I'd try to wait it out first for at least three days then re-assess.

What's the volume of 5 pounds of honey? 6 cups or so? There must be quite a bit up in the cone too. What the volume of that collection jar?

Why add honey after the initial fermentation? Especially at a time when it's usually less desirable to stir. That just seems like playing with the yeast and confusing them on what they should be doing!

 

[iowahomebrew]

How long did it take for the honey to drop all the way down? I don't think I'd mess with it.

The honey sank immediately, displacing the trub. I warmed the honey in a 120° water bath prior to adding it but I suppose that doesn't change anything. Like @OakIslandBrewery said... honey is more dense and I hadn't thought about that. I agree with you about not messing with it... it just bothers me to see all that honey sitting at the bottom with a noticeable decline in fermentation activity.

The honey is heavier than the wort so it makes sense it would drip to the bottom. I'd leave it alone too, maybe give the fermenter a shake every couple of days to slosh the yeast around.

That seems like a lot of honey to add.

I appreciate your advice and agree that it was a lot of honey! Just followed a recipe from BrewYourOwn - doubled the recipe though. I'll post it below my replies.

The only difference will be that it has a little more surface area pooling in the bottom of the cone instead of the collection jar.

I'd try to wait it out first for at least three days then re-assess.

What's the volume of 5 pounds of honey? 6 cups or so? There must be quite a bit up in the cone too. What the volume of that collection jar?

Why add honey after the initial fermentation? Especially at a time when it's usually less desirable to stir. That just seems like playing with the yeast and confusing them on what they should be doing!

I'm not sure what the volume of 5 pounds of honey is. 6 cups sounds right though. The collection container volume is 600 ml which equates to 20.3 fluid ounces - And you're right, the honey does rise above the collection container into the cone. I'm not sure why the recipe called for adding the honey at the end of fermentation. I trusted that following the recipe instructions would be a good idea but we will see!

 

[Jag75]

I was talking to a brewer at a local brewery. We were discussing maple syrup. I was curious because in this particular beer you get a decent hint of maple. I told him I was shocked that it didn't just ferment out . He told me yeast can be lazy , so when the maple syrup is added towards end of fermentation they don't go through all the syrup. Maybe honey is the same way . Hopefully you get some of that honey flavor to be noticeable.

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

I was talking to a brewer at a local brewery. We were discussing maple syrup. I was curious because in this particular beer you get a decent hint of maple. I told him I was shocked that it didn't just ferment out . He told me yeast can be lazy , so when the maple syrup is added towards end of fermentation they don't go through all the syrup. Maybe honey is the same way . Hopefully you get some of that honey flavor to be noticeable.

Lazy or probably more like tired. That's a lot of extra work placed on the yeast after it's already put in a long shift!

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

The honey sank immediately, displacing the trub. I warmed the honey in a 120° water bath prior to adding it but I suppose that doesn't change anything. Like @OakIslandBrewery said... honey is more dense and I hadn't thought about that. I agree with you about not messing with it... it just bothers me to see all that honey sitting at the bottom with a noticeable decline in fermentation activity.



I appreciate your advice and agree that it was a lot of honey! Just followed a recipe from BrewYourOwn - doubled the recipe though. I'll post it below my replies.


I'm not sure what the volume of 5 pounds of honey is. 6 cups sounds right though. The collection container volume is 600 ml which equates to 20.3 fluid ounces - And you're right, the honey does rise above the collection container into the cone. I'm not sure why the recipe called for adding the honey at the end of fermentation. I trusted that following the recipe instructions would be a good idea but we will see!

Adding sugar, or in your case honey, adds complexity to the brew and boasts the alcohol. As mentioned not all of it will ferment out so you should get some honey flavor. Honey added first would get eaten up completely by the yeast and leave very little behind.

Some beer styles employ mini charges of sugar once primarily fermentation slows. It's added over a few intervals as the gravity drops. It's normally done to boast the ABV level without stressing the yeast. Too much sugar can wreck havoc on the yeast if added all at once.

 

[SFC Rudy]

I add honey at high krausen and the yeast eat it up.

 

[Kickass]

I typically add honey to the primary, as fermentation is finishing up. Honey is delicate so adding it too early in the process results in little to no flavor.

In your case, the IPA style creates added challenges. You don’t want to introduce oxygen now but you also want the yeast to have access to it. I’d probably just let it do its thing.

 

[iowahomebrew]

I was talking to a brewer at a local brewery. We were discussing maple syrup. I was curious because in this particular beer you get a decent hint of maple. I told him I was shocked that it didn't just ferment out . He told me yeast can be lazy , so when the maple syrup is added towards end of fermentation they don't go through all the syrup. Maybe honey is the same way . Hopefully you get some of that honey flavor to be noticeable.

The OG at yeast pitch was 1.061 so it makes sense to me that the yeast were ready to call it a day. I was expecting the yeast to plow through that honey no matter when added though! Lesson learned.
I'm planning on tipping the fermenter on its side for a few hours and letting gravity do its thing. If nothing happens after 24 hours I'll assume it's time to move forward and dry hop this beer.

 

[Jag75]

The OG at yeast pitch was 1.061 so it makes sense to me that the yeast were ready to call it a day. I was expecting the yeast to plow through that honey no matter when added though! Lesson learned.
I'm planning on tipping the fermenter on its side for a few hours and letting gravity do its thing. If nothing happens after 24 hours I'll assume it's time to move forward and dry hop this beer.

Have you pulled a sample to taste ?

 

[sibelman]

Heating the honey was insufficient. Next time, maybe the thick, heavy honey should be dissolved in some of the beer, outside the fermenter, then added?

 

[iowahomebrew]

Have you pulled a sample to taste ?

Not yet. I carefully tipped the fermenter on its side and was surprised to see the honey moving really easily. What I thought was thick honey that didn't ferment cleared out after a few gentle rocking motions. I checked on the beer a few hours after this and fermentation was super active!

 

[iowahomebrew]

Heating the honey was insufficient. Next time, maybe the thick, heavy honey should be dissolved in some of the beer, outside the fermenter, then added?

That's a great idea! I wish I had done that. My goal in heating the honey before adding it to the beer was to get it poured out faster and easier.