What kind of honey

[petrolSpice]

For my 2nd home brew, I'd like to try this honey american pale ale recipe I found on morebeer:

Extracts:
6lb ultralight malt extract
1.5lb honey

Steeping grains:
1lb crystal 15
0.5lb white wheat

Hops:
0.5oz cascade, 60min
2oz cascade, 30min
2oz cascade, 1min

Yeast:
US-05?

It calls for 1.5lb of honey. Is there a particular kind of honey that will work best in a home brew? Thanks!

 

[Calichusetts]

I prefer orange blossom at flameout. The later you add the honey the better the chance you get some flavor from it. Including at the end of the initial fermentation. I'm guessing this is just used as a sugar so anything will work. There are several great posts on here about honey. You should check them out

 

[BrewerinBR]

Honey will completely ferment just like sugar. If your looking for a honey flavor use a honey malt as a steeping grain. If your looking to boost the fermentables then any honey will work.

 

[petrolSpice]

I've read that even adding a bunch of honey to the boil will produce little to no honey flavor. The recipe says to add the honey in the last 5 mins of the boil, will this produce any honey flavor?

How much honey malt would you recommend to steep?

 

[eastoak]

I've read that even adding a bunch of honey to the boil will produce little to no honey flavor. The recipe says to add the honey in the last 5 mins of the boil, will this produce any honey flavor?

How much honey malt would you recommend to steep?

the yeast will eat every bit of honey you put in there, you may get some flavor left in there or you may not. like someone else pointed out, honey malt is the bomb for honey flavor. it's strong stuff so 6 oz or even less will give you very good honey notes.

 

[Chadwick]

I made a bracket beer last year where 50% of the fermentables was honey. I added all of the honey during the boil. In the end, it took over 3 months of bottle conditioning before it was drinkable. It had very little honey flavor. So little that you had to know it had honey in it before your sense of taste would even consider that was what you might be getting a hint of.

In short, if you want honey flavor and aroma, go with the honey malt. Or, add your honey late in the fermentation. After my bracket experience, I feel it is a waist of honey to add it to the boil. I would have never even made the bracket myself if it wasn't for being given 15 quart jars of honey from a local producer. I couldn't imagine paying for that much honey. It's expensive stuff.

 

[LexusChris]

Just to post another view on using honey...

If you want a strong honey flavor, then using some honey malt sounds like a good idea. I've never used it myself, but everyone describes the honey malt as giving a nice sweetness to a 'honey beer'.

I prefer to add my honey post boil. Boiling honey will definitely drive off alot of the aromatics & flavors, and will mostly ferment out like regular sugar. However, adding it after cooling, or post initial fermentation, will leave a lot of honey flavors around.

I like honey, so I would probably add the 1.5# honey during cooldown, when the wort is under 130-F... Alternately, I would add it to the fermenter once the bubbles start to really slow down, and then give it another week for the honey to ferment.

All good ideas. Just don't boil your honey.

Good luck!
--LexusChris