Honey instead of sugar?

[MadBoozer]

Hi!
I saw this thread : https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=51887 and I'm very interested in making some honey beer. But I use Cooper's malt extract, I just wonder about how much honey I should put in my 5 gallon batch. Do you think I should read the nutrition facts of the honey and just add the amount of honey I need to bring the amount of sugar to 1kg? Would it work?
Thank you.

 

[sirsloop]

I'd look through some existing recipes and try one that looks good. After you have experience making beer with honey, you can modify the amount to taste.

 

[Kayos]

2 pounds in the primary just after initial fermentation is subsiding is my 2 cents. That way you can adjust from there next time. I have had beer with 3 pounds and it was VERY high ABV. I like the slight flavor contribution from adding after the inital explosive fermentation subsides, too.
One more thought....steep some brumalt in their if you like the honey flavor. If it were me...it would be a wheat beer and add some honey. but if it must be Coopers....here is my idea

5 lbs. coopers extract
1 oz hallertau
WLP300
2 pounds honey after initial ferm.

That is it....

 

[tagz]

I'm going to jump on here - My dad started up a honey bee hobby this year and just finished extracting his first harvest. He now has 90 pounds of delicious clover honey!!! I'm sure we'll give mead a go at some point, but what are some of the best beer recipes for honey?

I figure I'll try to use some in a wheat. Do you think I could use the 3068 hefe yeast I just washed or should I go for a less fruity wheat so I don't bury the floral notes of the honey?

Also, I'm dying to try out a belgian yeast. Could I substitute honey for the candi sugar in a tripel? Does it ferment out in a similar manner?

Thoughts?

 

[bikegeek]

Also, I'm dying to try out a belgian yeast. Could I substitute honey for the candi sugar in a tripel? Does it ferment out in a similar manner?

Thoughts?

Beersmith lists honey at 1.035 and sugar at 1.046 per pound, per gallon. I was going to use 1.5 lbs of light raw cane sugar in my last tripel, but went with 1 lb of the sugar and 0.5 lb of orange-blossom honey. I got 82% attenuation out of the WLP530 yeast that I used (OG 1.089, FG 1.015). It probably would have gone a little dryer with just sugar, but I am very happy with the taste and don't plan to chage my recipe for future batches. Also, the higher carbonation of tripels helps with perceived dryness.

 

[Richo]

I made a Honey Pale Ale a few months ago and it came out great. I used 3 pounds of honey, but next time I would probably use 2 to 2.5 pounds. It was a tic sweet for my tatse.

 

[cclloyd]

I make a Honey Blonde Ale that is quite tasty - but be aware that adding honey will not impart much of a honey flavor. At least that has been my experience. I add 2 lbs of honey for the last 15 minutes of the boil. I use it because it ferments out very clean and doesn't lend much color to the beer. I've been told that to get a honey flavor you should use a honey malt.

 

[Ooompa Loompa]

I make a Honey Blonde Ale that is quite tasty - but be aware that adding honey will not impart much of a honey flavor. At least that has been my experience. I add 2 lbs of honey for the last 15 minutes of the boil. I use it because it ferments out very clean and doesn't lend much color to the beer. I've been told that to get a honey flavor you should use a honey malt.

Agreed. I made a honey cherry wheat a while back using 3.3 lbs wheat LME, 3 lbs honey, some steeping grains (don't have the recipe in front of me but I think it was around 8 0z cyrstal 10L and 4 oz honey malt), then added 2 lbs of cherries after initial fermentation died down. It was a very dissapointing brew. Because the honey was so fermentable it finished extremely driy, when I wanted it on the sweet side.

I recently made a sweet cream ale and used 8 oz of honey malt, and it turned out beautifully, with a nice honey note to it.

 

[MadBoozer]

Thank you for your answers! So, if I understand well, I should put 2 pounds of honey about 3 or 4 days after pitching the yeast. Should I stir it all? Will the stir affect the batch? Thank you again.

 

[bgrand281]

how would using the homey as priming sugar work? how would it change flavor at that point?

 

[fatboy570]

Ive made several honey ales, using from 1-3 lbs honey. Honey ferments completely, which will add a drier finish to beer. It will add 1 percent alcohol per pound. Some say boil, some say dont boil. I have never boiled the honey, just added to 1 gallon warm water in the fermenter before adding wort. You may need to add yeast nutrient and energizer at pitching to help things get started good

 

[Moonshae]

I've made this honey beer recipe, it's really basic and really good.

7 lbs honey
2.5 oz kent goldings
1 lime
nottingham dry yeast
5 tsp yeast nutrients
1 tsp irish moss

Add the honey when your 5 gal has hit 200 degrees. When the liquid starts to boil, add 2.0 oz of the hops, and the lime (sliced).

With 15 min remaining, add the irish moss, the last 0.5 oz hops, and the yeast nutrients.

Ferment for 2 weeks, move to secondary for 2 more weeks. bottle when the beer is clear. Use 4 oz dextrose to prime.

I wouldn't try priming with honey. I also recommend using some local honey, rather than crap from the grocery store. You'll get a better flavor.

 

[coldsep]

You can prime with honey. I think Papazian says the ratio is 3/4 priming sugar = 1/2 cup honey. Double check that before trying it.

 

[CVB]

In my limited experience, priming with honey works fine. I've used it twice on a porter and once on an alt. First time I just went with a straight 3/4 cup honey (prepared as you would corn sugar for priming). Seemed a little over carbonated, so now I use just about 1/2 cup. In each case, it imparts just a little honey fragrance to the final product - really nice and smooth.

 

[rocketcrab]

2 pounds in the primary just after initial fermentation is subsiding is my 2 cents. That way you can adjust from there next time. I have had beer with 3 pounds and it was VERY high ABV. I like the slight flavor contribution from adding after the inital explosive fermentation subsides, too.
One more thought....steep some brumalt in their if you like the honey flavor. If it were me...it would be a wheat beer and add some honey. but if it must be Coopers....here is my idea

5 lbs. coopers extract
1 oz hallertau
WLP300
2 pounds honey after initial ferm.

That is it....

I gotsta ask - why add the honey at this stage? To retain some of the honey flavor? How do you do this without the risk of contamination? Thanks.

I am thinking of using honey in a Cooper's Wheat beer and a Canadian Blonde kit that I have. I've been mulling the idea of boiling 1 pound of honey with some hops for 15 minutes, then adding another pound with some aroma hops for about 5 minutes, then remove from heat and adding the kits.

 

[muddlehead]

Honey imparts verrrry little flavor and mostly just adds alcohol and lightens the beer, if i want a higher gravity without adding more malt i use honey, honey works much better for this than just adding sugar

Honey doesnt need to be boiled because of the natural enzymes in it which dont allow bacterial growth, i use honey when i make ciders and i only warm it up to dissolve it and then pour it in, mead is the same, no need to boil, just add it to warm water to dissolve and your ready for yeast

When i use honey in an extract beer i just have the shop put the honey into the same container as the malt extract, cant say i have tried adding it late but i dont think it makes much difference, maybe i will try it out and see if i notice a difference