Newbie and Honey

[Naikii]

Hey all this looks like the perfect place for me to be.. as a newbie with a question about honey.. as so many posts seem to involve the stuff!

Let me set the scene: I like honey.. its good stuff, and I drink Beez neez like its going outa fashion so I decide I wanna make something similar, with perhaps just a tiny bit more of a honey flavour...

Anyway without thinking about going online I mixed up a batch with a wheat beer mix, about 600g dextrose and about 600-700g honey...

Reading these posts however it seems that the norm for honey quantity is much lower than this.. How bad a beer am I looking at producing.. and is it fixable before I bottle it??

And just touching on the yeast quickly also.. it seems to forming big clumpy balls of yeast, which my other brews havent done.. when pouring to take an sg reading they even clog up the tap sometimes... is this honey's fault as well?

Cheers all!

[Aussie Claret]

Naikii,
Adding 600g of honey is probably a little too much, about half the quantity next time would be the go upto max. 500g. You just need to beware that honey takes alittle more time to ferment out fully.
I'm guessing that the clumpy balls you are talking about is infact krausen, which is huge ingeneral when fermenting wheat beers, it's the foamy head on the top of the wort, it will start to subside (usually around 4-5 days after fermentation starts), its nothing to worry about infact a very good sign. All beer when fermenting produce krausen some more than other and some lasting longer than others (stouts and wheats being the biggest), just a good sign that everything is hunky dory.

By the way what type of kit was it?
You may want to think about adding a wheat malt or other malt type and some hops next time, as the dextrose and honey will ferment out fully leaving little body to your beer.

Cheers
AC

[yardglass]

Dogger is your man.

He's probably just in a phone booth changing suits.

[undercover1]

I drink Beez neez like its going outa fashion

Oh dear. Have you tried drinking proper beer yet? Might make a nice change. Hops & all that.

Oliver, can't we do something about these aparians who keep swarming (pun intended) to the site?

[NickMoore]

after rav reviews from my brother-in-law, I ordered a beez neez off the tap at a golf club about a month ago. no matter how hard I tried I couldn't finish it. don't think that's ever happened before.

[grabman]

ah nick someone with taste!

yep beezneez = crap!!!

sorry just my opinion!!

I'd almost rather have a crownie

[Dogger Dan]

Ok, to put the thread back on track

beer kit in this case a wheat
1 kilo dex or DME, 1.2 kilos LME or 1.2 wheat malt wich is a 60/40 split
500 grams honey
a little hop action never hurt say 14 grams Cascade for 20 min in the boil

Yum

Dogger

[Aussie Claret]

Dogger,
You and I agreeing again, what's going on?
Nikaii,
I made a red back clone posted on the site a while back
1.7kgs Morgans Wheat Sheaf
1kg Morgans beer Enhancer (malt and honey liquid in a can)
12g hallertau hops
500g Body Booster (dextrose/corn syrup blend)
Yeast as supplied

Came out a top drop, had one last night, was very drinkable after a few weeks in the bottle but now has been in bottle 3 months, it has really matured into a great beer, the misses even liked it and she's not a beer drinker.

Cheers
AC

[Oliver]

And just touching on the yeast quickly also.. it seems to forming big clumpy balls of yeast, which my other brews havent done.

Naikii,

Different yeasts flocculate at different rates. That is, some yeasts clump together more than others. So your situation is nothing to worry about.

I'm not going to comment on Beez Neez

Cheers,

Oliver

[scblack]

After reading this thread I tried a BeezNeez last night, drinkable, but a bit of an awful aftertaste at times.

If given one I'd drink it, but won't be buying again.

[Naikii]

Thanks all I spose theres nothing left now but to wait and see.. and down another beez neez

Truely its great stuff, but I reckon tastes different every bottle, on tap is constantly good!

Large yeast balls have diminished which is good to see.. and I forgot to mention before I added 1kg of malt also, so far on tasting after taking an sg reading it seems to be more sour than sweet... Ive decided to see where its going with this whole should be sweet but is sour thing.. maybe its some divine decision that I must abide by...

[Matty]

Is that 1.2 kg lme and 500g honey Dogger? Iwas thinking about doing nearly all honey instead of lme, something like 1 kg honey and 500g lme, a bit excessive? or maybe 500g honey and 500g lme? All still with a kit.
Any suggestions which hops could be good?

Any thoughts what it would be like? too dry with all that honey?

Cheers,

Matty

[Dogger Dan]

Matty,

No it should be OK, I just find it gets more and more mead-like rather than beer-like.

Dogger

[Matty]

Even contemplating just using 1kg honey and no malt at all, except what's in the kit, just to see how it goes.

Cheers,

Matty

[Simo]

this is kind of related so i thought i would slot it in here rather than start a new thread.
A while ago (early october or late september from memory) I brewed a coopers pale ale with a BE@ and 300g honey. It is drinkable now but it has a kind of tarty flavour to it. Would I be right in assuming this is due to the fact that I used normal supermarket honey (such as capilano or the like) which probably contained additives and preservatives?
If so what's the best honey to use as an additive to a brew?

Cheers.

[Dogger Dan]

No preservatives in pure honey

Dogger

[eggar]

Naikii
I've just recently bottled a honey beer for the missus. She is a real fan of the Beezneez. If you get close to cloning it, let us know.
My HBS said to use 1kg of honey. This is way over the top compared to what has been said here. Hopefully it will be drinkable. Will let you know in a couple of weeks (couldn't wait any longer).
Eggar