# Adding honey to Brewers Best Kit



## GrapeApe (Jun 2, 2008)

While waiting for our wines to age, I'm putting up a few more batches of beer. I've had great success with the Brewers Best kits and I'm looking to try something a little different from the standard kit. I'm thinking of adding 2 lbs of honey to the last 10 minutes of theboil of the English Brown Ale kit I have on order. Has anyone tried adding honey to a Brewers Best kit? Any suggestions or warnings??


I'm also happy to see that George is now carrying the Brew Bucket strain bag. It makes straining the boil real simple because it fits over the primary, so you simply pour the cooled wort from the brew pot into the primary. I've made 5 batches so far and it still works like a champ!


Here's the link - 


http://www.finevinewines.com/ProdDetA.asp?PartNumber=5036


-GrapeApe.


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## masta (Jun 2, 2008)

I have made my OBIPA by adding 2 lbs of Orange Blossom Honey to a Brewers BestIndia Pale Ale kit withgreat success. No need to boil the honey at all just add to the cooled wort and stir well before topping off with water and pitching yeast.


Honey Brown Ale will be great!!


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## GrapeApe (Jun 2, 2008)

Thanks Masta. Is there a lesson on honey that needs to be learned or can I simply use a jar of store bought honey?? I've heard that adding "raw" honey can spoil thewort b/c of wild yeasts and enzymes. Sounds like I have an excuse to do some more experimenting.


Thanks again for the info.


-GrapeApe.


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## smurfe (Jun 2, 2008)

What are you wanting out of the honey? More toward a touch of honey flavor or more toward a honey aroma? I have added honey to a few batches with fine results. My best brew to date was a Honey Brown Lager where I was trying to clone a J.W. Dundee's Honey Lager. I nailed it dead on. 


If I am wanting a tad sweeterhoney flavor I add it at 30 minutes left in the boil. If I am looking for aromatic results I add it in the last 10 minutes. When I add early in the boil I get a honey flavor with a mild residual sweetness. When I add late in the boil I get a mild honey aroma that gives me a mild honey flavor without the residual sweetness as I am picking up the flavor through my sense of smell. 


I don't know why it makes a difference but it does. Something about boilingoff some of the fermentable sugars I believe thatrestricts the honey from fermenting to dry. I always add my honey to the boil if it isn't pasteurized for the reasons you stated. Mostly the wild yeasts. You can boil non-pasteurized honey prior to adding to the wort if you want to add it at flame out if you are concerned about the yeasts and enzymes. 


One thing to add. If you do add honey during a boil, you should remove the pot from the heat source. The honey is heavier than the liquid and will drop straight down to the bottom of the pot and you will scorch the honey. get off flavors, and end up with a darker colored beer.Simply either turn off the flame or move the pot off the flame, dump in the honey and stir it until it is dissolved. Then fire it back up. You should do the same with the liquid malt extracts when adding them to the pot as well. *Edited by: smurfe *


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## GrapeApe (Jun 3, 2008)

J.W. Dundee's Honey Lager is exactly what I'm looking for. Am I on the right path with the Brewers Best English Brown Ale as a base? If so, how much honey did you add? What type did you use? When did you add it to the boil?Did you use dry orliquid yeast? If I'm not on the right path, can you provide your recipe? I've looked up a few recipe's and most recommend lagering, which I'm not set up for.


Thanks for the info.


-GrapeApe.


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## smurfe (Jun 3, 2008)

I don't have my brew notes in front of me but I remember we did a 10 gallon batch. We added I believe 3 pounds of honey. I would have to search the post that was here a while back about a guy that had honey for sale on eBay that Waldo and I both bought some from. I used one jug of that honey. I added at between 20-30 minutes left in the boil. 


I do remember I used White Labs WLP940 yeast which is the Mexican Cerveza yeast and made a starter. It is my favorite lager yeast and ferments very crisp and dry. If you don't have lagering abilities and are going to make an ale I recommend using White Labs WLP001 American Ale yeast or the Wyeast equivalent or if you are a dry yeast user get a couple packs of Fermentis US-05 (it is the same strain as the WLP001) as this yeast will ferment crisp and dry. It is the closest to lager taste of any ale yeast. If you have a cool spot between 50 and 65 to ferment the WLP810 San Francisco Lager yeast would work great to. Wyeast calls it California Common I believe. 


I don't know if you will clone Dundee's with that kit but you will probably make something close to it. It all depends on the flavor profiles of the extract. I am in no way an extract expert and have only made 3 extract kits and 2 of them were terrible (one being a honey brown ale)and I am still lagering the other. I really had to play with the grain bill to hit the target I hit so it wasn't a first shot success. *Edited by: smurfe *


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## GrapeApe (Jun 3, 2008)

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll let you know how it comes out in about 6 weeks.


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