How much honey for 2 gallons?

[MtnGoatJoe]

So, I'm looking to up the alcohol by volume a bit. I'm planning to heat pasteurize at about FG 1.020 or so to retain some sweetness. Will honey be appropriate for that?

I'm looking to add interesting flavor and am thinking honey is a good way to go. I know some people use sugar, but it sounds like that is more for alcohol than for flavor???

What do you think? What are my options?

 

[Grod1]

darker honey tends to lend more of a honey flavor. but if your pasteurizing(150F or so) then anything will lend sweetness. agave, brown sugar, more apple juice...
to answer your question if you put 1 pound of honey in 2 gallons it should give you a gravity of 1.021(according to berewersfriend) i guess you can add it and pasteurize away

 

[Labatts]

Joe,
Honey is a good option, I brew only gluten free beer and found Belgium candi sugar to be a more economical option. Keep in mind the higher the "D" number the darker the sugar. For lighter beers I use D-45 or lower.

If your making small batches under 5 gallons you should be able to use half a package for each batch of brew. At my LHBS 1 pound of candi sugar is only $6.99.

This will increase your alcohol content and ad a bit of malt flavor to the finished beer. The darker sugars D-90 to D-180 will add a bit of malt and nut flavor.

Easy to use, fermentable and cheap.

Is this a recipe from extracts, grain or a partial mash? If it's an all extract brew then I think the Belgium candi sugar will be your best bet but there are lots of options for raising the OG and ultimately the alcohol content.

Best of luck,
Labatts

 

[Lefou]

Honey is a very fermentable ingredient. It's expensive compared to D-45 Candi syrup. Both will boost your ABV, but will have different aromatic and flavor influences depending on the amount you use. Honey will lend a thinner drying effect. The caramelization effect of Belgian candi sugar will tend to leave a different mouth feel from dextrins present from the heat processing.

Another option is Gambrinus honey malt. If you'd be interested in doing so, a ground portion of that grain could be steeped in water near 150-160F for 30 minutes. It would add color, aroma, flavor, and would contribute toward your alcohol level in a different way. One pound of honey per gallon of water will raise your gravity by approximately 42 points as calculated by Brewers Friend, which is what I use for my number crunching...

 

[Lefou]

...and the honey malt grain will contribute 25 points of gravity fermentables at one pound per gallon of water. The honey will increase your ABV more efficiently, but it will be relatively more expensive although easier to use.

 

[ten80]

For my cysers:

Light honey flavor: 3 lbs honey for 5 gallons for ABV around 9-10% and full attenuation at about 1.000.

Strong honey flavor: 5 lbs honey for 5 gallons for an ABV around 12-13% and a fermentation that ends around 1.010 due to lack of nutrients.

I just warm the honey slightly and pour into the degassed cider. Swirl every few days for a month and it will all dissolve and ferment away slowly. Easy.