Honey... Just for the boil? What about the secondary?

[ChuckMoney]

Ok, I have a overly watery nut brown ale thats getting ready to go to secondary within a few days. I have recently run into a cheap supplier of local honey that would be willing to donate some in exchange for some beer (a 12 pk or so).

My question is this: If I were to heat/cool (sterilize) some honey and add it to my secondary fermenter, rouse the yeast in the primary then rack to the secondary, do you think that I could restart fermentation and pull a little bit more alcohol content from this weak (4.2-4.5% potential) ale and smooth it out with that honey flavor?

 

[Yooper]

Yes, I don't see why not. I don't think that would solve your issue, though. Honey is fermented out, and will tend to dry and "thin" the beer. So, if it's already suffering from lack of body, the honey will worsen it.

 

[ChuckMoney]

Thanks for the help, do you think making a little mini wort with some dry amber extract might improve this, or is it too late to add any extract?

 

[sully]

you can still ad some wort. you may need more yeast.

 

[ChuckMoney]

I'd be willing to bet I have enough yeast, I pitched one a rehydrated danstar nottingham, and added too much water with this, I'm pretty sure if I feed the yeast a little more it will get back to work.

 

[Benny Blanco]

Careful when adding your honey. A friend of mine added honey he thought was sterile to the secondary and wound up with an infected batch.


You can always add some malto-dextrin for a bit more body.

 

[ChuckMoney]

I'm planning on mixing 1lb honey, and 1 lb light dme mixed with .5 lb of water (7.7oz where I live), (SG 1.016) bringing it to a boil for 1 min, cooling overnight in a sterilized jar, dumping into my secondary, slightly rousing the yeast and racking on to that mixture.

 

[ChuckMoney]

I'm planning on mixing 1lb honey, and 1 lb light dme mixed with .5 lb of water (7.7oz where I live), (SG 1.016) bringing it to a boil for 1 min, cooling overnight in a sterilized jar, dumping into my secondary, slightly rousing the yeast and racking on to that mixture.

Ended up Mixing 2lb honey, 1 lb extra light dme, and 8 oz water. Boiled, let cool over night, roused yeast and pitched. SG rose from 1.010 (estimated FG was around 1.006) to 1.020, my new estimated FG will be around 1.010-012. Fermentation that appeared to be stalled @ 1.010 is now bubbling away.