Using Lactose in Honey Wheat

Hello,
I made a honey wheat which is currently at 2 weeks into fermentation. The beer tasted really good after 1 week after fermentation stopped and hit it’s final gravity. I then proceeded to add 1lb of orange blossum honey which after another week of fermentation made the beer very thin and very bitter, especially the aftertaste. I was wondering how I would be able to save this beer by making it sweeter and have a little more body. I came to the conclusion that lactose would be my best solution. A couple things I was wondering.

1.Should I add the lactose to the primary and leave it for another week? If I do this, do I have to somehow stir it, wont it just sink to the bottom since the beer is pretty much done fermenting?

2.If I add at bottling time, can I add the lactose, gently stir and try the beer, and that is what the final taste will be similar to, or does the lactose take time to create body and sweetness in the beer?

3.How much should I add? This is a 5 gallon batch. I have seen many suggestions that 8oz should be plenty.

Thanks! :cheers:

Most people add lactose to the boil. I can’t vouch for how easily you could get it to dissolve in say the bottling bucket. That, and as a general rule I don’t recommend “fixing” beer, it rarely works out. 1lb of honey shouldn’t have made that much difference. I say give it some more time, honey ferments slow and benefits from aging.

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by ruffryder1613 » Sun Nov 11, 2012 6:56 pm

Hello,
I made a honey wheat which is currently at 2 weeks into fermentation. The beer tasted really good after 1 week after fermentation stopped and hit it’s final gravity. I then proceeded to add 1lb of orange blossum honey which after another week of fermentation made the beer very thin and very bitter.

Brew another batch that’s thick and non bitter, then blend the two.