Sythreil
Brewsmith
Active Member
Registered: 01/14/12
Posts: 51
Loc: Chattanooga, TN
Hey there, just have a couple questions pertaining to honey. First, I have heard a lot of different approaches about the addition of honey and I'm wondering what the best way to add it is if I'm looking to gain honey flavor and ABV. Second, im interested in batch priming with honey and I only have the standard mr. beer kit. Wondering how to go about this? Is it possible or will I just have to bottle prime?
Drinking #6: Stark Industries Prototype Propultion Amalgamation #147- Baltic porter AG-freaking amazing!! Will definitely brew again!
Gone #7: Dark Alevengers- dark lager (second runnings of #6)-good, definitely drinkable, especially for being a free beer. #5: Onslaught Stout-oatmeal raisin stout--awesome right away, ok after a week or so, letting the rest age to see if it comes back around. #1: Deadpale-Pale ale--not really my style #2: Giant Green Rage Monster-Green ale--work on recipe #3: Snikt-black and tan(my take on one)--great! #4: Captain Rogers Super Soldier Syrum Stout--dumped, soured
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HatchetJack
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Ultimate Mr. Beer Fan
Registered: 12/14/09
Posts: 2501
Loc: Georgia
Honey ferments out dry like wine with very little if any honey flavor. Orange Blossom honey may get you a slight flavor but it's expensive. If you use honey I would recommend using US 05 yeast to help balance out the dry after taste. Start out with about 1/2 cup and see how you like it. It will also give your beer a bubbly head. Honey malt will add honey flavor but that's for later on down the road.
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psuchunk03
That's what she said...
Brewmeister
Registered: 01/01/10
Posts: 7001
Loc: St. Louis, MO
yup. honey in the beer will add no noticeable honey flavor... since it's mostly sugars, it'll get fermented, and the aromas and flavors will get "scrubbed" out. i wish it worked differently... but i, like high iron, have never been able to detect any honey presence when i've added honey to the mr. beer recipes i used to do.
honey malt, however, will give you a sweet honey flavor... but it needs to be mashed. you can do a mini mash with it and some base malt, like 2-row barley... it's pretty easy, but a little bit more advanced than the "heat water, add extract, make beer" approach of a mr. beer recipe. mini mashing works kind of like this:
... but a walk before you run approach is generally recommended, unless you're feeling up for the challenge.
_________________________ "Only a fool learns from his mistakes; a wise man learns from the mistakes of others." - Otto von Bismarck
Sythreil
Brewsmith
Active Member
Registered: 01/14/12
Posts: 51
Loc: Chattanooga, TN
Ok, I may give the honey malt a try, I only have my first brew going ATM, but Ive had too much free time lately so I've been looking for any ways to adapt my brew to my personal taste. Any thoughts on the batch priming with honey? I saw one post on batch priming with just the one mr beer keg. It said to add the chosen priming sugar, stir gently, then let settle for 30-60 minutes before bottling. This post was referring to DME though and not honey, but wondering if this approach would work with any chosen priming sugar? Also if I need to boil or dilute honey in water or if I can just warm it to make it easier to pour?
Drinking #6: Stark Industries Prototype Propultion Amalgamation #147- Baltic porter AG-freaking amazing!! Will definitely brew again!
Gone #7: Dark Alevengers- dark lager (second runnings of #6)-good, definitely drinkable, especially for being a free beer. #5: Onslaught Stout-oatmeal raisin stout--awesome right away, ok after a week or so, letting the rest age to see if it comes back around. #1: Deadpale-Pale ale--not really my style #2: Giant Green Rage Monster-Green ale--work on recipe #3: Snikt-black and tan(my take on one)--great! #4: Captain Rogers Super Soldier Syrum Stout--dumped, soured
Up Next GaP(grocery and produce) Pumpkin Porter Pumpkin Porter/amber parti gyle
Pudge
Brewmeister
Registered: 01/19/08
Posts: 6438
Loc: West Virginia
You can prime with just about any kind of sugar. A lot of folks like trying different things and a lot of folks prime with honey. Honey can vary slightly and so will your carbonation. I'm not saying don't do it, but my take is all we're looking for at that point is carbonation. CO2 is CO2. Personally, I'd use corn or cane sugar to prime with and put any other adjustments in the actual recipe.
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that calculator will calculate priming agents... honey is one of them. the sugar level varies from honey to honey, so... you'll need to be careful. if you see the PET bottles starting to bulge on the bottom, you might be at risk for bottle bombs.
_________________________ "Only a fool learns from his mistakes; a wise man learns from the mistakes of others." - Otto von Bismarck
Tiddly Beer
Beer, beer, beer, tiddly beer!
Active Member
Registered: 01/02/11
Posts: 46
Loc: Bay Area, CA
I've steeped honey malt, and the color/aroma comes through, and aroma is a big factor in taste. Certainly you don't get as much out of it as you would with a mash, but in a pinch you will get some honey character by just steeping honey malt and adding to a regular MrB process.
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