Using honey malt in a brown

[ShadyBrewer]

Bought 2 lbs of honey malt out of curiosity and am not sure how to use it in an American brown ale of sorts. I have tons of 2-row, black patent, crystal 40 and 120, chocolate, carafa II, Munich and wheat.
I've ready the honey malt can be very potent and to use with caution.

Any ideas?

 

[blakelyc]

I use honey malt quite a bit and I have never had issues with it in the 1-2lb range for a typical 1.050 beer. My experience, though, is that the honey-ness of it is easy to cover up. The aromatics aren't really overt.... You get the impression of honey with mouthfeel and a little retro-nasal aroma.

My typical use is with pilsner base malt, crystal 40 and honey malt. It also works well with Maris otter. Never tried it with black patent or anything roasted.

 

[DocScott]

I think the opposite. I use honey malt in a couple beers I make each year and I find it noticeable at small amounts. In a darker, more malty beer, you can probably use more without being too sweet. I usually use around 8oz in my beers (probably 3-5% of bill) and I find it subtle honey sweetness. In a darker bet you could maybe go to 8-10%, but I think pushing that would be cloying.

I'd stay away from the black malt as it can be astringent in a brown ale.

 

[blakelyc]

I think the opposite. I use honey malt in a couple beers I make each year and I find it noticeable at small amounts. In a darker, more malty beer, you can probably use more without being too sweet. I usually use around 8oz in my beers (probably 3-5% of bill) and I find it subtle honey sweetness. In a darker bet you could maybe go to 8-10%, but I think pushing that would be cloying.

I'd stay away from the black malt as it can be astringent in a brown ale.

Interesting observation differences... Looking through my recipes, i have used honey malt in 1lb+ amounts only with Belgian yeasts. In recent batches the beers have dried out to the 1.007-ish range. Perhaps I am just not detecting the honey malt strongly over the yeast profile, or maybe the dryness keeps it in check?