Honey!

I am still a novice brewer, and I am still experimenting with different kits and recipes. I wanted to try and brew with some honey, I have read all of the ridiculous rules and different things that can go wrong with brewing with honey. So I did an experimental 1 gallon batch and added 5 oz of honey after flame out. I dont think it is going to turn out well, can anyone help me with tips for a 5 gallon recipe. I have a kit of american wheat that I wanted to add honey to. All help is welcome!

I’m not really sure what rules you’re referring to but adding honey at flame out shouldn’t cause any issues. The wort is boiling when you stir it in.

That’s a resonable amount for one gallon of beerr. I’ve used a pound of honey in a 5 gallon recipe.

Why do you think it’s not going to turn out well? What are you trying to accomplish by adding honey?

If you’re looking for sweetness or honey flavor you won’t really get it from adding honey to the kettle. The simple sugars will be some of the first consumed by your yeast during fermentation. The alcohol created will have a drying effect on your beer rather than imparting flavor.

Some brewers believe that highly aromatic honeys impart flavors but that’s contributed by the flower the bees collected the nectar from.

If you’re looking for honey taste in the finished beer something like a honey malt might give you more flavor.

I was looking for more of a honey taste yes, I didnt think it was going to turn out well because of the sugar in the beer and how much it would throw off the fermentation time. Since the sugar in the honey is going to cause it to ferment for a longer period correct? Or am I wrong?

Maybe…but fermentation time is up to the yeast. Not what some instruction sheet says or what the recipe creator thinks.

Let the beer tell you when it’s done, through your trusty hydrometer. It will be beer. The addition of honey will not in itself ruin your beer. It may not be what you had in mind but it might still be a good beer.

^ What he said. But honey is an inverted sugar thanks to the bees’ digestive tracts, which means that yeast will tear through it like nothing else. Honey actually leaves a really subtle flavor, and goes great in light ales. One of the best saisons I’ve had was heavy on the honey, and it was incredible. But fermented honey tastes nothing like fresh honey… almost a sake-like flavor. Bit of an acquired taste.

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I use honey in any recipe that calls for simple sugar. 1lb. honey is basically equivalent to 1 lb. sugar or 1lb DME (there are differences, but they are minor)
In addition if my mash efficiency suffers and it looks like my OG may be lower than I want, I reach for the honey.
However, I’ve never made a braggot or mead…

Mead is what has the sort of rules and stuff that you might be referring to. That’s a different process than just adding some honey to beer.

Honey can add something nice to the right beer, otherwise it’s basically just adding sugar. I brewed a delightful Blonde Belgian that I put 1.5 lbs of honey per 5 gallons in during fermentation.

Did. Brew few beers with honey. 5 gallon with 1 lbs honey. Did not get a real honey taste. But the honey. Did help the yeast. With. Fermenting. At least the sugar part. I did about. 5 min before end of boil to add the honey

Honey in beer can become much more interesting when working with flavors (for example, Wildflower , Orange Blossom , …). When brewed well, the flavors will show up - and one can learn a lot about how people experience beer flavors. If you thing “secondary fermentation” is a polarizing topic, ask about brewing a beer with buckwheat honey :open_mouth:

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So I’ve learned regular honey isn’t gonna work it’s better to use honey extract to get the flavor to come through, but is it still better to add it at flame out?

If using extracts you’ll want to add them at bottling/kegging.

Pour four 2oz samples. Add a measured dose to each sample and taste. The amount of extract in the sample you liked best can then be scaled up.

A lot of my summer ales wheats and pales I use different types of honey in. The varity out there is amazing for one of my summer wheats i a use black berry blossom. If you add it in boil you will not realy notice any flavor you have killed the aroma in it by doing a long boil with it. Adding it at flame out will will preserve some or the aromas. Adding it when you have cooled your wort down to below 100 degrees will add more aromas and adding it directly to the fermenter will add the most aromas. But if I’m understanding right you want more than just aroma and a little taste of honey. Add a little honey malt to the recipe you are brewing a little of it goes a long way so stay under 5%

I make three, sometimes four 5-gallon batches of wheat beer each spring, I’m getting ready to start my first one. They go back-to-back with the same yeast. The first is a honey-wheat. I use the American Wheat all grain kit but the German Hefe yeast. I add a quart of honey at flameout (normally from my dad’s farm, but he passed away last year, so it will have to be whatever I pick up at a farmer’s market or some other non-pasteurized source). It really raises the OG, and ends up around 7%. But it has a nice essence of the honey. As soon as it’s racked off I do a red raspberry wheat, followed by a black cherry wheat, and usually followed by a blueberry wheat. The honey wheat is the lightest in color, and I progress from there. It’s a wonderful brew.

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Do you mash the fruit? How much fruit to you use?

For the fruit, starting with the raspberries, I usually buy 4, 12-oz bags of frozen raspberries at the grocery. I put 2 of them in the last 5 minutes of the boil, then the other two in the fermenter. The hefe yeast is usually active enough that it doesn’t have a problem. I’ve never had an infection problem with it. Then I do the same with sweet black cherries, and then the same with blueberries. I do try to strain out the fruit from the fermenter somewhat with a sanitized strainer.