Honey Ale Critique

[hibbleton]

Hey everyone,

I'm getting married next summer and want to create a honey beer for the rehearsal dinner. I wanted to do a trial run before the real thing and this is what I came up with:

BeerSmith Recipe Printout - http://www.beersmith.com
Recipe: Matrimoniale
Brewer: Michael
Asst Brewer:
Style: Specialty Beer
TYPE: All Grain
Taste: (35.0)

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 5.25 gal
Boil Size: 7.25 gal
Estimated OG: 1.068 SG
Estimated Color: 6.9 SRM
Estimated IBU: 18.8 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
5.25 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (1.8 SRM) Grain 40.38 %
5.25 lb Vienna Malt (3.5 SRM) Grain 40.38 %
0.75 lb Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 5.77 %
0.75 lb Honey Malt (25.0 SRM) Grain 5.77 %
0.50 oz Centennial [9.10 %] (60 min) Hops 15.7 IBU
0.50 oz Centennial [9.10 %] (5 min) Hops 3.1 IBU
0.75 oz Coriander Seed (Crushed) (Boil 5.0 min) Misc
1.00 lb Honey (1.0 SRM) Sugar 7.69 %
2 Pkgs SafAle American Ale (DCL Yeast #US-05) Yeast-Ale


Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Medium Body
Total Grain Weight: 12.00 lb
----------------------------
Single Infusion, Medium Body
Step Time Name Description Step Temp
60 min Mash In Add 3.75 gal of water at 169.4 F 152.0 F
10 min Mash Out Add 2.10 gal of water at 198.2 F 168.0 F


Notes:
------
http://www.localharvest.org/blossomorange--honey-C5193
Pasteurize honey and add after couple days of fermentation
---

I'm looking to create a golden to orange beer that is semi dry and drinkable but retains some honey sweetness, has good head retention, is ~7% ABV, and has some honey/fruity flavor. I chose all these ingredients for a reason but I'm unsure about the Vienna. I added that for complexity but would it be a good idea to replace this with white wheat malt? I'm just throwing this out there to see if there are any helpful suggestions. Thanks!

 

[shanecb]

That sounds pretty tasty. FYI, the actual honey your adding isn't going to leave much if any honey flavor left in the beer. Honey basically completely ferments out. If you used a dark or strong honey (maybe buckwheat) that would be more likely to carry through to the finished product, though. If you're looking for extra honey flavor you could just add another half pound of honey malt.

But, if you're just using the honey for a gravity boost or to dry it out then that'll work fine.

 

[hibbleton]

Yeah the honey is mostly to boost gravity and hopefully add a little flavor (and authenticity). People say 0.5lbs of honey malt is a lot so I didn't want to go to crazy with it but I've only used 0.25lbs in a blonde and don't even notice it.

 

[shanecb]

Ah ok. Sounds like a pretty tasty recipe, then!