honey or DME?

[DogFlynnHead]

Day 2 of fermentation on an IPA with a lower that expected OG. I planned to add 1lb of honey to the beer after the main fermentation has peaked. How much water should I boil the honey in? Or should I just use an appropriate amount of DME?

 

[pkeeler]

Why wait until after fermentation peaks? The yeast would probably prefer it before. DME and honey will give different flavors; you should choose the one you want. Just keep in mind that a lb of DME will raise SG by 45 pts/gal. while honey is more around 35 pts/gal.

 

[Golddiggie]

How much water should I boil the honey in?

Do NOT boil the honey... At most, heat up 4-8 ounces of water to ~110F and mix it with the honey. Let it cool to below 80F and then pitch it in.

I usually just put the honey into a pyrex measuring cup, then add some of the heated water, mix it around, and then add more if needed (start low)... Once it's in solution, let it cool and then pour into the primary.

As for when to put it in, you could do it almost any time. I've added it after racking to secondary (when I needed to for other reasons) as well as right into primary. I usually wait until at least I'm into week 2 before adding any though. Not to say it's bad to add it during the first week. Just be sure to keep the wort temperature within the desired fermentation range when you've added the honey.

 

[JonK331]

Honey will dry out the beer some. Be careful with sanitation if you choose not to boil the honey. Bringing it up to 170F to pasteurize is not a bad idea.

 

[Golddiggie]

As long as what you're mixing with was sanitized (and clean) before you use it, you'll be fine WITHOUT heating honey above 100-110F...

If you're just looking to add more gravity points (all you'll get if you heat the honey above about 135-140F) then just use DME or cane sugar.

More than half the reason to use honey is to get at least a hint of what it tastes like into the brew. Once you've heated it above 135-140 the chances of having anything left is slim to nil... The highest, safe, temp would be the 100-110F range...

The 'need' to pasteurize honey is very outdated when you're talking about brewing with it... I know of plenty of mazers that don't heat their honey, at all, and have never had any issues with it from going that route... Consider it similar to the 'need' to rack a beer to secondary, although with honey, it's even less necessary.

If you're a true germaphobe, then heat the honey to 100-110F and hold it for long enough to pasteurize it... It's going to take some time, but you can do it... The ONLY reason you heat to higher temps is to make the process faster.

 

[JonK331]

As long as what you're mixing with was sanitized (and clean) before you use it, you'll be fine WITHOUT heating honey above 100-110F...

If you're just looking to add more gravity points (all you'll get if you heat the honey above about 135-140F) then just use DME or cane sugar.

More than half the reason to use honey is to get at least a hint of what it tastes like into the brew. Once you've heated it above 135-140 the chances of having anything left is slim to nil... The highest, safe, temp would be the 100-110F range...

I've boiled honey for as long as 15 minutes and still got a lot of honey flavor. That was three lbs of honey with 6 lbs of lme though. Huge percentage.

 

[Golddiggie]

I've boiled honey for as long as 15 minutes and still got a lot of honey flavor. That was three lbs of honey with 6 lbs of lme though. Huge percentage.

Try it again without boiling it and see what the result is... If you're paying more than $1-$2/pound of honey, it's like throwing money away (boiling it)... I wouldn't even think about boiling quality honey (usually above $5/# in my area, for the really good stuff)...

 

[pkeeler]

If you're a true germaphobe, then heat the honey to 100-110F and hold it for long enough to pasteurize it... It's going to take some time, but you can do it... The ONLY reason you heat to higher temps is to make the process faster.

I would boil the water. Not because of contamination but because of oxidation. If the yeast are anaerobic, then I wouldn't want to introduce oxygenated water. Boiling will remove the oxygen. Then, you can either add the honey at flame out, or any temp. below that, all the way to 105-110.

 

[DogFlynnHead]

Interesting...

I'm really wanting to add gravity points, but also figured honey would be a nice background note to an IPA. I'm also aware that fermented honey can create a harsh headache hangover.

Thoughts?

 

[Wyrmwood]

corn sugar, candi sugar, dme

 

[Golddiggie]

I would boil the water. Not because of contamination but because of oxidation. If the yeast are anaerobic, then I wouldn't want to introduce oxygenated water. Boiling will remove the oxygen. Then, you can either add the honey at flame out, or any temp. below that, all the way to 105-110.

Way I see it there are a few things going on there...

1. We're talking about 4-8 OUNCES of water to start with here.
2. You'll introduce oxygen/air as soon as you pour the solution into the fermenter. That is, unless you're using a bucket, and plan to pour it in an inch above the wort you'll still get some addition.
3. I am curious as to how long you have to boil water to remove excess oxygen from it.

I don't use tap water for anything going into my brew. I use filtered water, so maybe that's either removing, or stopping extra oxygen/air from getting in. Anything I'm either going to drink, or eat, that is made up of, or uses, water gets the filtered water. The filter system I have sits under the sink, and comes out via a spout/tap in the actual sink (opposite the sprayer hose). I do know that there's no aeration going on there, other than what happens when the water hits the vessel, or other water (so minimal at most)...

I suppose that if you're using tap water, with an aerator attached, you would want to remove the extra aeration from the water. So, boil the water the day before, then seal it up and set it aside for use later...

 

[Golddiggie]

Interesting...

I'm really wanting to add gravity points, but also figured honey would be a nice background note to an IPA. I'm also aware that fermented honey can create a harsh headache hangover.

Thoughts?

Never heard that one before... I could understand having a hangover if you get F'd up on [high ABV] mead. I don't think there will be enough honey in the brew, at a pound, to do much of anything for causing headaches... Unless you're overly sensitive that is.

 

[esarkipato]

Disagree with fermented honey creating a harsh hangover. Typically that's more the drinker than the drink as diggie points out.

The honey will not contribute it's flavor to an IPA, in my opinion. It will ferment out dry. If you are lucky, the aroma of the hopefully unboiled honey will peak through the hops and malt, but not for months and months.

So, unless you plan on aging this beer to really see how the honey affects it, then I'd add some corn sugar. I add corn sugar to an IPA when I want higher gravity but a little less body. If you think the beer could use a little more malty flavor and body then I'd boil some DME and add it.

If you are curious about fermented honey then I'd suggest getting a little 1 gallon batch going (just yeast, water, and honey) and let it age for a year at least.

 

[Golddiggie]

If you do decide to go down the path of making mead, keep a few things in mind...

Common honey to must ratio is 2-4 pounds of honey per gallon of must made.
You'll need yeast nutrient on hand for while it's fermenting through the first 1/3 of the OG. Most common is DAP.
Yeast strain (and how you treat it) will determine what ABV% the mead is.
Pick QUALITY honey when making mead. Since it's pretty much the only thing you'll taste, you'll want the best you can get. Quality in truly equals quality out here.
Bulk age the mead for the longest time frame you can. The longer you do this, the better your end product will be.
With enough honey, and the right yeast, you could make a mead pushing 21% ABV... Just be prepared to age that for some time. Unless you like drinking rocket fuel.
Once you've made a batch, or two, don't be afraid to experiement some.
Mead typically takes months before it's ready for drinking. Some are as short as 3-4 months (a hard lemonade, or JAO recipe) while others take well over a year, or multiple years... Most common is the 10-14 month range, or so it seems.