Priming with Honey

[WoodstockBrewer]

Hey everyone. New to the site, and so far, I'm really enjoying what I've seen. Great videos, great posts, and good discussion about home brewing.

I have a question I'm hoping I can get some advice on.

I'm in the third day of secondary fermentation on a 5 gallon batch of honey wheat. I'm excited about this one, as it was the first my wife actually joined in on during the brewing process...

I've been debating on using honey rather than corn sugar or malt for priming prior to bottling, and am curious as to experience others have had doing so. I'm not concerned with honey actually impacting the flavor significantly here, just thought it might be interesting to try something different and wanted to get some advice / experience from other home brewers.

Appreciate any comments / advice etc.

Cheers

 

[WBC]

Honey takes a lot longer to ferment and so I think it would not be good for this purpose.

 

[sittingturbo]

I second the above comment. Honey is more complex of a sugar I believe and you are better off sticking to Dextrose (Corn Sugar).

 

[tentacles]

Didn't this question come up like 3 days ago?

One thing to keep in mind is not all honey has the same quantity and concentration of sugar in it, this combined with generally longer fermentation (especially in carbing) makes it at the very least unpredictable for priming.

 

[RegionalChaos]

I just watched a basic brewing video that covered priming with honey. The guy on the video primed with 3/4 cups and it was over carbed. He recommended 1/2 cup and said he plans to use honey in general now, as he felt it gave it no off flavors (he thought dextrose gives a little off flavors at first, that need to condition out) so it did not require conditioning as long.

Look at this episode: September 12, 2006 - Brewing Beer with Honey

At the following web site: http://www.basicbrewing.com/index.php?page=video

 

[WBC]

Well everyone has an opinion and so the guy that likes honey has his mind made up. We will see what else pops up in this thread.

 

[DeadYetiBrew]

No offense but just because it takes longer to ferment doesn't mean it's not good for priming... if honey was cheaper i'd use it more often.... Personally the couple time's i've been able to use honey it turned out fantastic it gave it a slightly different character you can't put your finger on... even at a smaller amount... Oh and i eyeballed it somewhere between 1/2 and 3/4 because as stated above it's very unpredictable but if you use some sense and reasoning you'll be fine and get a good carb.

 

[EvilTOJ]

The only reason I wouldn't use honey to prime is cost and it does take longer. Honey does ferment out pretty dry though, so it's perfectly acceptable to use for priming.

 

[maoru]

never had a problem priming 5 gallons with 1/2 cup of honey, no delayed carbonation, no over/under carbonation, always worked great for me... i just dissolve it in a little steaming water and add it.

 

[WoodstockBrewer]

Thanks to everyone for the feedback

I did prime with honey this morning, (~4/5 c of honey raised to pasturizing temp with 1c water for dillution) and will let everyone know how it turns out. The honey wheat itself looked and tasted great! Should be ready for cinco de mayo (not a traditional beer for that occasion...but I never stand on tradition when it comes to homebrew p .

Thanks again!

 

[RICLARK]

Wouldn't priming with honey dry it out?

 

[DeadYetiBrew]

Wouldn't priming with honey dry it out?

honey is not 100% fermentable (at least i think) unlike Dextrose which is. It will be no drier than dextrose. That little bit isn't going to really change the full flavor it'll just add a small characteristic.

 

[newell456]

honey is not 100% fermentable (at least i think) unlike Dextrose which is. It will be no drier than dextrose. That little bit isn't going to really change the full flavor it'll just add a small characteristic.

From an article on brewing with honey in Brew your own magazind:

"Honey also contains various enyzmes that, if not denatured by heat, could go to work in your fermenting wort, resulting in a beer that's drier than you might have intended."
http://***********/feature/924.html

 

[foonder]

I've always been curious about priming with honey. Maybe I'll try it, I've had ideas for hopped meads (midomels?) floating around in my mind for awhile.

 

[DeadYetiBrew]

From an article on brewing with honey in Brew your own magazind:

"Honey also contains various enyzmes that, if not denatured by heat, could go to work in your fermenting wort, resulting in a beer that's drier than you might have intended."
http://***********/feature/924.html

ok but is it not denatured by heat when you boil it for bottling.... if it requires more time, let it boil... and again we aren't talking a large amount of honey 1/2 - 3/4 cup in 5 gallons.... they're talking on a larger scale..... i've never really had it come out drier than expected in rhe bottle. in fact comparing before bottle and after it tasted the same and had a small honey flavor to it... perceivable but not overpowering, you had to look for it.