Adding honey to raise ABV

Honey will subdue and change your hop note. It also takes a while for honey to ferment. To kick up your ABV, I'd add DME or better; Rice Solids which will not change your flavor profile but will add fermentables to the wort. Both products are sterile and can be added at any time, but; you should not have heat or fire going when you add any sugars unless you want to be scraping it off the bottom of your boil kettle.

 

I'm not sure I follow why the batch size is relevant here. There's no reason to think you'll end up with a less full feeling beer because it was made in a smaller quantity.

 

Sugar and honey would provide the opposite of a fuller feel, assuming you mean body.

 

Why would that be, in comparison to say, fermentables from DME or mashed grains? I haven't noticed my beers with honey taking any longer to ferment than similar recipes without honey. (Also, with similar OGs.)

If the answer to this question is theoretical, and involves the antimicrobial properties of honey, I'd hypothesize that sacch yeast must be pretty much immune to them at reasonable honey beer level dilutions, and/or that the amount of honey we're talking about typically adding to a beer (something not approaching braggot levels) isn't enough to make a noticeable difference. Again, based only on my observations.

 

This. Higher ABV via the addition of simple sugars actually results in a slightly lower FG. And there's the perception of less body ("thinner" feel) in a higher alcohol beer that happens to have equal residual sugars, proteins, etc as a lower ABV beer.

 

If you are doing all grain, mash at higher mash temps and/or use some carapils or other malts (e.g. Munich Malt, Crystal Malts) known to provide more body than typical base malts. IMO the only reason to add DME to an all grain recipe is if you screw up and get a much lower mash efficiency than you expected, or your mash tun isn't big enough to mash enough grains to get the volume or gravity of wort you need.

ETA: You'd add it to the boil. But since you didn't know that, have you read www.howtobrew.com ?

 

Too late to edit, but after re-reading the OP... I realize you're asking "when" in the boil to add sugar or DME. Answer is... your choice. You will get marginally better hop utilization adding late. And if you're doing a partial boil (topping off with more water after the boil), then late addition is an even better idea. It will help prevent excessive melanoidin production (thus also helping keep your wort the color you had intended).

 

As others have said, if you are after a fuller mouthfeel, and are not looking at getting any honey aroma/flavour, then you shouldn't add honey (or plain sugar).

Your best bet is to mash high, add a bit of caramel malt, and use a less attenuative strain of yeast.

I would add DME later in the brew.

 

The easiest and most effective way to get more body is to add more grain to the mash. Specifically Carapils. It will add body and foam and won't contribute flavor or sweetness. 1#/5gal.

Mashing high will also work, but not as well in terms of body and it will make the beer sweeter.

 

or maltodextrin powder if using extract

 

add some wheat or unmalted barley to the grainbill

 

Exactly, to infuse enough honey to cause a significant increase in ABV. As you say, fermentables are fermentables, so adding two pounds of Light DME or Rice Solids vs. two pounds of honey and expecting the same fermentation interval (14 days) may not result in what the brewer is looking for. Fermented honey can produce a metallic taste (my palate) that I feel would skew his experiment with his selected hops.

I've never played with honey in a beer nor have I ever made a Mead, but I have tasted many and liked very few. Just a flavor profile I haven't been able to appreciate.

 

So, I'm not quite following what you're saying here. Are you saying that replacing, say, 2 pounds of DME with an equivalent OG from honey will cause the fermentation to take longer? I'm saying in my experience it has not.

 

No, to ferment the honey at say 70 degrees could produce fusel alcohols and off flavors. Honey benefits from a longer fermentation in the mid 60's and from fermentation with a more aggressive yeast than you would normally use for an IPA.

And if you are fermenting at the lower temps, you say you have seen no difference in fermentation times?

 

Honey is an expensive adjunct for rasing ABV...rice or corn sugar is better. Can sugar is fine.

If you want to taste hop combinations and don't mind wasting the hops, just brew a quick hop tea and combine with carbonated water.

 

Of course lower fermentation temps would tend to lengthen fermentation times, but I don't use lower than normal fermentation temps when using honey. I also tend to ferment most ales somewhat below 70F. That said, I'd be very surprised if fermenting worts containing honey fermented at 70F would tend to produce more fusels than equivalent gravity non-honeyed worts also at 70F. I can think of no reason for it, and am pretty sure I've never heard anyone say it (before now).

Are you relaying personal observation, or did you read/hear this somewhere?

 

Honey benefits from a bit of added yeast nutrient to help fermentation. Honey is not necessarily a sluggish to ferment, but it never hurts to add some nutrient to help the complex sugars.

Another thing about honey is that it contains different amounts of water, so some honey that was thought to be slow fermenting, might not have fermented as much as other honeys. That's the beauty of brewing with natural adjuncts, sometimes it's a mystery.