I am going to do this recipe because I have the ingredients. http://hopville.com/recipe/623270/blonde-ale-recipes/jamils-blonde-ale-extract However, there are no directions as far as the grains and boiling. I was assuming the Crystal and the Honey Malt are to be put in a grain sock and steep for 20 minutes at around 155 degrees, then get to a boil, drop the DME, then get to a boil , then start the 60 min clock. Am I correct with thinking the crystal and honey malt are to be used this way? I was also thinking of doing half the DME at 60 and the other half at 15min. Does this look ok?
People do steep Honey Malt, but I think they do their beers a disservice. Honey Malt is not a crystal malt (it's more similar to Brumalt). So steeping will result in some starches in your beer.
If he steeps at 155, which is basically mash temps, a lot of the starch will get converted... It's almost like a mini-mash I would add half extract at 0 minutes and the rest at 55. Since this is a blonde, you'd want as little kettle caramelization as possible. But you need the malt extract there to help with the AA isomerization, I think this is a good compromise.
"If he steeps at 155, which is basically mash temps, a lot of the starch will get converted... It's almost like a mini-mash" This of course assumes Honey Malt has sufficient diastatic power (enzymes) for conversion. This may be the case, but I have never seen anything definitive about Honey Malt's power. If it does have sufficient power, then I'd also make sure the water to grain ratio is appropriate for a mash, something like 1-2 quarts per pound.
I don't have a source for this, but I always thought that Honey Malt had some diastatic power because it's not a crystal and is low Lovibond. You might be right though that it might not convert on it's own. Water to grain ratio is one of those things that lots of people disagree about though...
