Honey Wheat Beer

[bentaxlebob]

Hello, I am very new to this forum and I have been brewing from comercial kits for about 10 years, recently I went to a restaraunt that sold a honey wheat beer brewed at TAFE Ballarat. I have been trying to copy this by using Beez Neez, however I am missing the subtle honey flavour and the beer is a little too bitter. Any suggestions or brands that I might try?

[Throsby]

What procedures have you been using to add honey to your brew?

There are a lot of ways one can do this, each of which will impart a different level/style of sweetening.

Search the threads on the forum - I remember it being discussed about 6 months ago or so.

Welcome aboard,

Throsby.

[bentaxlebob]

Thanks for the welcome, thought I knew a little about home brewing but after getting on the computer for the first time, relised I know very little. I have in the past just followed directions on the can and added 500g of honey and 1kg of dry malt into the brew. It has been suggested to me to add more honey, but I like the subtle aroma and taste without too much sweetness. I was talking to the owner of the Home Brew Shop in Horsham, where I inquired about brewing with honey, but he said that honey did not break down in the brewing process. After looking at other Home Brewers on this forum, I am considering making a brew from scratch with some of the suggested recipes. So I am willing to take any advise that is offered as I enjoy the unique tastes of home brewed beer.

[drsmurto]

Honey wont add sweetness to your beer. It is 100% fermentable. The malt you add isnt 100% fermentable so leaves behind some residual sugars.....

Fermentability of various ingredients lecture now over you need to add the very scientific measure known as a shitload to get the honey flavour in.

From memory, beez neez is 1/3 barley, 1/3 wheat and 1/3 honey.

I should put a disclaimer in - I cant stand beez neez personally but as always, its a personal preference. Still happy to help with a recipe!

To get there from a kit you need to be using wheat based kits which are normally (in the case of coopers) 50/50 barley/wheat and add a heap of honey. Dont add any hops, there will be enough IBU in a wheat kit and to my palate there is zero hop flavour and aroma. An ale yeast, probably english, such as S-04. Bulk priming with honey may also be worthwhile.

i dont have access to beersmith at work so cant whip up a recipe for you but there must be one in the recipes section of the forum somewhere.

Cheers
DrSmurto

[bentaxlebob]

Thanks DrSmurto, It is as I suspected, I will use your very scientific approach to measure and use a shitload.

[Throsby]

Old mate telling you about honey not breaking down during the brewing process is kind of correct, but it depends on how you add it.

I would recommend against just dumping a bucket of honey into your fermenter and hoping everything works out ok.

Bringing 500ml of honey to the boil in a litre or two of water helps get the enzymes shifting.

I tend to simmer it just below the boil for 5 or 10 minutes, stirring to keep the honey off the bottom but I know some people swear by boiling it right up and keeping it there for a bit.

Tip the honey/water mix into the fermenter as part of your 23L of water.

Adds a really nice and smooth honey taste to the beer. Most I've ever used for 23L is 600ml but I don't think 1kg would ruin a brew. You may need some extra hops for balance though.


Again, this is one of those procedures that have been debateed and discussed a few times on the forum. Read a few threads, try a few methods, stick with the one that works for you.

[bentaxlebob]

Thanks Throsby, have done nearly as you have suggested , I mixed 1kg honey with boiling water and added during the topping up of 23lts. I could definately smell the aroma of honey this morning and fermentation has begun. I am going to search through the threads and find a little more about it. I now have three Honey wheat beers down, including a Beez Neez, which was nothing to rave over on an early tasting, I usualy try to get between three and six months before I drink. Thanks once again

Cheers Bob

[pixelboy]

You really should give honey at least a couple of minutes boil to kill off any nasties that could lead to possible infection.

Honey isn't sterile by any stretch of the imagination.

[bentaxlebob]

I will put another brew down next week and I will take advice about boiling the Honey. It seems the more I go into this the deeper it goes. I have explored at least two other threads on honey and they have said the same thing. I also have seen the different yeasts pitched into different beers and on one other thread it suggests a cascade yeast with a honey wheat beer. I better be careful not to overload on all this information, it is getting far too much for this old brain.
and thanks for the advise.

Bob

[wrighty]

Gday Bob,
Recipe sounds good mate ,if you like the style try some ridgey didge German ,Belgian wheats .
Hoegaarden is a personal fave . .
Time in the bottle seams kind of long for this style. Advice ive read on here from the pros
tend to think they are best drank fresh 2 weeks is usually good.
Made a hoey clone that i tasted after 4 days in bottle was choice seemed to loose its
friuty /spicey tones after 4 weeks still nice but lacked real fresh zing of a young one.
(jeez thats open for comment)

Wrighty

[bentaxlebob]

Thanks wrighty, I wish I joined a forum years ago. I will certainly look for some German Wheat Beer the next time I visit my Home Brew Shop and I will definately try the one you suggested, will have to write it down though as I may have trouble pronouncing it.

Cheers Bob