I’m trying to work up a recipe for a honey porter, but I’ve never brewed with honey and I’ve never brewed a porter. So I’m probably working with rather a large handicap. I’ve done some reading and some poking about online, and this is what I have so far:
Honey Porter (2.5 gallons)
3 lbs. Northern Brewer Gold liquid malt extract
8 oz. brown malt
4 oz. chocolate malt
1 oz. black patent malt
8 oz. honey
0.50 oz. Perle hop pellets, 60 min.
0.25 oz. Fuggles pellets, 20 min.
0.25 oz. Fuggles pellets, 5 min.
Danstar Nottingham dry ale yeast
It’s the honey that’s causing my confusion. Beersmith is telling me this will have an OG of 1.052, which is high for a brown porter. It’s also going to be too bitter for a brown porter (39.4 IBU), but – and please correct me if I’m wrong! – I think that will be needed to offset the honey’s added sweetness.
Regarding the honey, I’ve seen much conflicting advice on when to add it. Some say at the very end of the boil (I guess with the last of the hops?), some say pasteurize it and add it to the secondary. I’m also not sure which variety to use. I don’t want a cloyingly sweet beer, but sweet will be better than bitter, and I’d also like it to take on some flavor for the honey.
Suggestions gratefully accepted.