Why use honey instead of malt?

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#253928 - 01/26/12 12:04 AM Why use honey instead of malt?
Dan_Hills Active Member Registered: 07/30/11 Posts: 45 Loc: oakland, ca	I know adding honey or corn syrup to the wort will ultimately increase the alcohol content after fermentation, but why do that? Its not cheaper than malt extract and everything I've read indicates it adds no flavor.
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#253932 - 01/26/12 12:24 AM Re: Why use honey instead of malt? [Re: Dan_Hills]
Jon_TWR I'm the white rabbit. Brewmeister Dubbel Registered: 12/17/09 Posts: 12028 Loc: Brooklyn, NY	Well, here's the thing...if you've got a recipe that's already got plenty of malt, but you don't want to add more flavor or body, that's when you'd add honey or other simple sugars (corn sugar, table sugar, etc)...it ups the ABV and in some cases, will actually thin out the body, if you're looking for a beer that feels lighter. And while honey may not be cheaper than malt, sugar definitely is. _________________________ CCBBA Yeast Trials Favorite recipes: Drunken Druid (Mr. Beer),JPA (All Grain)...there are more that go here, I will add them later. Wines and Ciders: House Red Apfelwein
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#253935 - 01/26/12 12:40 AM Re: Why use honey instead of malt? [Re: Jon_TWR]
Stinkfist Ultimate Mr. Beer Fan Registered: 01/07/10 Posts: 3470 Loc: Minnesota	good question... I see little benefit to adding it to beer...where it will most likely be overpowered...it works in a melomel and mead where it is the main flavor but in most beers that flavor will be lost..if you want to thin out a beer adding any of the different kinds of sugar is probably a better idea...you can use honey malt in a beer if you want some honey flavor, but be careful with that malt as it can be overpowering..a little goes a long way _________________________ Third Eye Brewing #12. Conditioning: Cherry Cider (3 Gallons) #15. Gone: Mirror Pond Clone (5 Gallon) #19. Drinking: Creamsicle Pale ale (not so good) #20. Drinking: Iced Tea Experiment (1 Gallon) (Ok) #21. Drinking: Oktoberfest (5 Gallon) #22. Gone: Firestone Pale 31 Clone (5 Gallons) #23. Drinking: Scotch Ale II (5 Gallons) #24. Drinking: Latericious Ale II (5 Gallons) #25. Drinking: Lagunita's Censored Ale Clone (5 Gallons) #26. Fermenting: Jamil's Belgian Golden Strong (5 Gallons) On Deck: Firestone Pale 31 Clone II
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#253962 - 01/26/12 09:01 AM Re: Why use honey instead of malt? [Re: Stinkfist]
HatchetJack Chillin' The Most ! Ultimate Mr. Beer Fan Registered: 12/14/09 Posts: 2501 Loc: Georgia	Using about 1/3 to 1/2 cup honey is an easy way to increase the head on a MB sized extract brew. Too much will dry out the finish. _________________________ ""Wait, my Engrish is poorly. You make gooder translatin?"" I just ordered up a beer and sat down at the bar when some guy walked in and said "Who owns this car with the peace sign the mag wheels and four on the floor?"
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#254020 - 01/26/12 04:23 PM Re: Why use honey instead of malt? [Re: HatchetJack]
psuchunk03 That's what she said... Brewmeister Registered: 01/01/10 Posts: 7002 Loc: St. Louis, MO	some styles... the high ABV styles like all the "imperial" styles and high gravity belgian beers, barley wines, etc... CAN BENEFIT from a simple sugar addition. the large amounts of malt in the grain bill can be a little overly-cloying... you know, all thick and syrupy... like having to chew the beer. a sugar addition can thin out that heaviness and cloyingness to make the beer more "drinkable". it's should not be the main source of gravity points, but it can be beneficial in some instances... and especially with fermentation temperature control. _________________________ "Only a fool learns from his mistakes; a wise man learns from the mistakes of others." - Otto von Bismarck Fermenting: #25 Mr. Beer Beta Test Bavarian Weissbier Carbing / Conditioning: #24 Keep Calm and Brew On E.S.B. #21 Colonial Ale Drinking: Pipeline is empty On Deck (...eventually): Hefeweizen, Scottish Ale, Kenny's Fat Tire clone "It Has Big Taste"
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#254021 - 01/26/12 04:29 PM Re: Why use honey instead of malt? [Re: psuchunk03]
Jon_TWR I'm the white rabbit. Brewmeister Dubbel Registered: 12/17/09 Posts: 12028 Loc: Brooklyn, NY	Plus, honey sounds better to people as a beer additive than sugar does. _________________________ CCBBA Yeast Trials Favorite recipes: Drunken Druid (Mr. Beer),JPA (All Grain)...there are more that go here, I will add them later. Wines and Ciders: House Red Apfelwein
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#254024 - 01/26/12 04:54 PM Re: Why use honey instead of malt? [Re: psuchunk03]
Stinkfist Ultimate Mr. Beer Fan Registered: 01/07/10 Posts: 3470 Loc: Minnesota	Originally Posted By: psuchunk03 some styles... the high ABV styles like all the "imperial" styles and high gravity belgian beers, barley wines, etc... CAN BENEFIT from a simple sugar addition. the large amounts of malt in the grain bill can be a little overly-cloying... you know, all thick and syrupy... like having to chew the beer. a sugar addition can thin out that heaviness and cloyingness to make the beer more "drinkable". it's should not be the main source of gravity points, but it can be beneficial in some instances... and especially with fermentation temperature control. +1. But why use something that costs 100 times more to achieve the same end result. Honey is way too expensive to thin out a beer save the honey for mead and melomels _________________________ Third Eye Brewing #12. Conditioning: Cherry Cider (3 Gallons) #15. Gone: Mirror Pond Clone (5 Gallon) #19. Drinking: Creamsicle Pale ale (not so good) #20. Drinking: Iced Tea Experiment (1 Gallon) (Ok) #21. Drinking: Oktoberfest (5 Gallon) #22. Gone: Firestone Pale 31 Clone (5 Gallons) #23. Drinking: Scotch Ale II (5 Gallons) #24. Drinking: Latericious Ale II (5 Gallons) #25. Drinking: Lagunita's Censored Ale Clone (5 Gallons) #26. Fermenting: Jamil's Belgian Golden Strong (5 Gallons) On Deck: Firestone Pale 31 Clone II
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#254038 - 01/26/12 06:31 PM Re: Why use honey instead of malt? [Re: Stinkfist]
Beklorn Ultimate Mr. Beer Fan Registered: 09/28/10 Posts: 1045 Loc: Puyallup, WA	If you need the honey flavor use honey malt even in small doses it adds the flavor without thinning the beer _________________________ Warning to all: The longer the post the drunker I am
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