Honey Beer

[bandit]

I have only just started on this beer making episode of my life. As you can see by my picture and signature, I keep bees aswell. Has anyone successfully made any honey beer as I have a 5 supers of honey still left to spin and want to make some for the summer months, so I can take it to my allotment and sup it while the sun goes down over my bee hives. Any recipies ???

[eskimobob]

Has anyone successfully made any honey beer as I have a 5 supers of honey still left to spin and want to make some for the summer months, so I can take it to my allotment and sup it while the sun goes down over my bee hives. Any recipies ???

Hi Bandit, I have made a couple of Honey beers and I really like them. You are welcome to check out my recipes:

Waggledance Clone

Bumble Bee Clone

I'll be interested to hear how you get on...

[PieOPah]

Depending on how much honey you have 'spare', something else you might want to look into is making Mead. This is something I will be doing shortly.

Basically mead is Honey wine. Very simply you are fermenting Honey mixed with water. There is slightly more to it than that and you can even make it more interesting if you wish (the joy of homebrewing).

The downside is it takes around a year to mature, longer if you want it better!! But, keeping bees you probably have enough honey to make a beer and a mead.

I'll be looking up the honey in Costco when I am ready to make mine!

I do have a small bottle that I recently bought and it tastes AMAZING. I bought the bottle as I always wanted to try mead but didn't want to wait years to try it. Now I have tried it I will definately be making it!

[CyberPaddy66]

Found this on a different forum...

Makes 5 gallons (18.93 L)
8 lbs. pale ale malt, crushed
2 lbs. Vienna malt, crushed
1 lb. dextrin malt, crushed
3 oz. Cascade hops (25 IBU) 60 min.
1 oz. Cascade hops (8 IBU) 30 min.
1 0z. Cascade hops, 2 min
9 lbs. honey-one with a big aroma. or a blend of several varietes
2 tsp. yeast energizer
2 tsp. yeast nutrient
10 g Lalvin D-47 yeast, rehydrated
. OG: 1.120
. FG 1.018
I use an infusion mash. Mash in grains with 11 quarts water at 180 F, hold at about 146 F, rest 30 minutes, test for starch conversion. Heat to 165 F to mash out. Sparge with 3.5 gallons at 185 F. Sparge directly onto bittering hops in boil kettle. Boil 60 min, adding hops as scheduled. After 60 min, cut heat, add yeast energizer and nutrient, honey. and stir. Chill to 70 F, transfer to fermenter, aerate vigorously, pitch yeast.

Extract Alternative Method
Those seeking to use extracy can substitute 6 pounds of amber DME, add water to 5 gals, and proceed with the boil.
Make sure you use a fermenter with plenty of head space. Bottle with 3/4 cup of corn sugar or ked and carb.

Has anyone tried anything similar?

[Gurgeh]

I did one recently which went down well.

just pale malt in the tun

used enough Progress & EKG to get to 37IBU, a heap of the same in the last 15 minutes and put 125g honey in at flame-out (with more of those hops).

definitely a gentle way to use the honey.

try the wychwood honey'd ale. very nice.

[Rookie]

I haven't brewed a lot of honey beers, but do have a honey pilsner planned for the not too distant future.
I do make a batch of mead most years.
For my melomels I use costco honey (less than $9 for six pounds). For plain mead I go to the farmers market in Gresham to the honey vendor there. I got three pounds of meadowfoam there last year for $9.