Low Gravity- How much Honey can I get away with?

[krennis93]

I made a 3-gallon batch, a Sierra Nevada pale ale clone. Less water evaporated during the boil than expected, and I used a blender to crush grains along with BIAB methid. This lead to a poor OG of 1.030 when the goal was 1.055 or so. Two days into fermentation it dropped to 1.012 and no bubbles in the airlock. I figured the abv wouldn't get past 4 percent, so I put in a cup and a half of honey. I read that honey is 40 points per pound, so 40/3 = 13.3.

For calculating, do I added 1.030 plus 13.3 points to the original gravity? Second question, can I get away with more honey without affecting the flavor profile or quality too much?

 

[DVCNick]

I don't know the overall answer to your question but I can tell you the "points per pound" will depend on how big your batch is that you're dissolving into and I doubt that any rule of thumb is based around a 3-gallon batch.

 

[Calder]

Honey is more like 32 points per lb. 40 is way too high.

Are you sure of the 1.030 reading?

Honey is fully fermentable and will result in a much drier beer. You might want to add extract rather than honey.

 

[CodeSection]

I made a 3-gallon batch, a Sierra Nevada pale ale clone. Less water evaporated during the boil than expected, and I used a blender to crush grains along with BIAB methid. This lead to a poor OG of 1.030 when the goal was 1.055 or so. Two days into fermentation it dropped to 1.012 and no bubbles in the airlock. I figured the abv wouldn't get past 4 percent, so I put in a cup and a half of honey. I read that honey is 40 points per pound, so 40/3 = 13.3.

For calculating, do I added 1.030 plus 13.3 points to the original gravity? Second question, can I get away with more honey without affecting the flavor profile or quality too much?

I've always thought honey had a ppg of roughly 35. There was a recent thread on the subject but I only could find this older thread which I believe says the same thing..... How many gravity points would a pound of honey add?

You only added 6 oz into a 384 oz batch or ~ 1.5%, correct? I would seriously doubt that would be noticeable even if you doubled that amount....

 

[krennis93]

I've always thought honey had a ppg of roughly 35. There was a recent thread on the subject but I only could find this older thread which I believe says the same thing..... How many gravity points would a pound of honey add?

You only added 6 oz into a 384 oz batch or ~ 1.5%, correct? I would seriously doubt that would be noticeable even if you doubled that amount....

I actually added like 700-750 ml.

 

[CodeSection]

I actually added like 700-750 ml.

Upon further reading, it appears honey ppg is in a range of 32 to 38. So, that is why some use the average of 35. You could use 32.

700-750 ml equals ~ 23.5 to 25.5 ounces. Taking the average of 24.5 oz, brings you to roughly 6% of the total volume. As @Calder pointed out, that will make your beer drier.

Personally, I would not add anymore honey. The highest amount of honey I have added to recipes has been 5.2%. This percentage is based on the recipe and other ingredients. That is not the case with your situation since yours is based on your current volume. With your amount, the beer will be drier and I suspect it will be noticeable. Especially when compared to the original recipe's beer.

At this point, don't make anymore adjustments and let it ferment. It will be ok.....

 

[krennis93]

Upon further reading, it appears honey ppg is in a range of 32 to 38. So, that is why some use the average of 35. You could use 32.

700-750 ml equals ~ 23.5 to 25.5 ounces. Taking the average of 24.5 oz, brings you to roughly 6% of the total volume. As @Calder pointed out, that will make your beer drier.

Personally, I would not add anymore honey. The highest amount of honey I have added to recipes has been 5.2%. This percentage is based on the recipe and other ingredients. That is not the case with your situation since yours is based on your current volume. With your amount, the beer will be drier and I suspect it will be noticeable. Especially when compared to the original recipe's beer.

At this point, don't make anymore adjustments and let it ferment. It will be ok.....

Thanks! I've read some other forums that honey levels can go up to 5-10 percent with pretty subtle impact. I'm guessing since my starting gravity was pretty low due from too much water that the body could change noticably, but we will see!