Hello all, it's been a while, hope everyone is doing well. I had a "homebrewy" question I thought some folks here could help me with. We're doing a pilot batch of a beer brewed with (nearly) all locally sourced ingredients, including local honey. Planning to add 14# of orange blossom honey to 25 gals of beer. I'd like to add after primary fermentation is complete to preserve honey character. Not worried about infection as much as I am about dilution and mixing. As I understand it, adding the honey will create a secondary fermentation that will dilute the honey well into the beer. Is this correct, have folks had success with this, or should I be heating and/or diluting to ensure the honey and beer are mixed? Thanks!
I always advise adding honey at high krausen when the yeast are the most active and can handle the big sugar addition the best. Despite what you may have heard, you will not lose a lot of aromatics this way. Initially, the honey will just sink to the bottom of the fermenter, but given enough time your yeast will eat it. I'd give it at least 4 weeks to reach a stable terminal, though. Personally, I give my braggots 8 weeks, just to be on the safe side. FWIW, orange blossom honey is one of the more subtle varietals and 14 lbs in 25 gallons isn't that much. Are you looking to feature the honey? What does your recipe look like?
Thanks. We can add to high krausen if it will move it along a bit faster. I've got a little less than 5 weeks to get this done so that sounds like it will be enough time. 14# of honey will be 25.6% of fermentables; per this article that should add "a robust honey flavor that should be balanced by strong hop flavors, spices, or darker specialty malts", none of which I'm adding. https://byo.com/article/brewing-with-honey/ OG of recipe is 1.046 before the honey, made up of: Pilsner 74% Red Wheat 15% Honey Malt 6% Carapils 5% Mashing at 158 deg F to try to keep some sweetness in the beer. Will add some Amarillo in whirlpool and dry hop (not a local hop, but looking for some orange hop flavor/aroma), only ~ 14 IBUs.
Thanks! Do you think this will be enough honey character, or should we amp it up even more? I'm getting 7.2% ABV with this much honey and am trying to keep this somewhat drinkable.
I think that you'll be fine with where you are. You're not making a braggot, after all. Simply a beer with some honey character.
Out of curiosity, what is a variety which is less subtle? I've had a hankering to attempt a tripel that used honey in place of candi syrup, but I'd want something with noticeable character since I'd probably only be doing a few pounds in five gallons.
Any of the darker honeys would fit this bill, but I don't know how many of them would fit a tripel's flavor profile. More a quad or dubbel kind of application. There are a couple here that would be excellent in your application. Southern Belle, especially.
jesus is correct on the dark honey. I got a pal who has a bunch of hives. his late season honey can have some real neat flavors, where the summer or clover honey is great but kinda like fancy maple syrup, very clear but little flavor/caractor
If looking for a season, go fall. Varietal- you've got a lot of options. Blueberry is good for a deep floral character without being too far in any odd direction. A lot of the darker honeys have what can generously be called "off the wall" flavors. My favorite is Colorado Star Thistle- it tastes like a charred marshmallow with a bit of pipe tobacco.
