My Recipe

[JoshuaG79]

I am brewing a batch this is my first ever I used 5lbs of raw honey for 2 gallons of brew I boiled my water and steeped 1.5 cups of Barley and 1/2 cup of Oatmeal in 8 cups of water I then added my 1.5 gallons of Honey water and my hops. I let it cool and then pitched 6 grams of Distillers yeast. My question is what kind of beer will this be I am clueless

 

[JoshuaG79]

I have been fermenting it for 10 days at a constant 70 degrees Fahrenheit

 

[grampamark]

You may have something closer to mead than beer but not quite either one.

If your barley was malted and crushed, and the “steeping” was long enough and at an appropriate temperature, the starches in the grain would become fermentable. If you used whole, unmalted barley, there would be no conversion of the starch, so there would be nothing for the yeast to convert to alcohol. You could just be fermenting the honey.

 

[JoshuaG79]

Thanks for the feedback and does this look right? Its been fermenting for 10 days and has a slighly sweet taste still so I am going to give it another week at least and my barley is malted it tasted OK

 

[marc1]

Thanks for the feedback and does this look right? Its been fermenting for 10 days and has a slighly sweet taste still so I am going to give it another week at least and my barley is malted it tasted OK

Was your barley crushed?
And what temperature did you steep it at?

 

[JoshuaG79]

Yeah it was crushed. I brought my water to a boil and then put in in a crook pot I added my mash bag after letting it cool for 10 minutes not sure of the exact temp and I let it steep for an hour and then brought it to a boil and added my Honey water I used 5lbs of Raw Honey mixed with boiled and filtered water I then added my hops and pitched my yeast

 

[grampamark]

OK, based on the info the OP has provided I think that any contributions to the fermentability of this brew by the grains can be ruled out. An hour in a slow cooker, even on the lowest setting, would be hot enough to denature the enzymes (the temp range of the typical slow cooker is around 180°-250°F). It would appear that he has a batch of hopped, fermented, honey.

 

[Erik the Anglophile]

I suppose the barley/malt will leave some sort of flavour contribution still. Please keep us updated how this turns out, I'm intrigued.

 

[marc1]

The malted grain generally needs to be kept in the 145-160F range to convert the starches to sugars that yeast can eat. You probably have extracted other flavor components from the grain though.

Where did you get your recipe/process from?

If you want to learn more about beer brewing there are a couple books that are great:
The complete Joy of Homebrewing by Charlie Papazian - easy laid back approach
How to Brew by John Palmer - goes from basics to very in depth

 

[JoshuaG79]

Tbh I just threw somethings together cause I read an article that said that there was no wrong way to make beer and since I mess up everything I figured might as well try lol after all I like to drink and I needed a hobby I will let everyone know how it turns out

 

[rburrelli]

Tbh I just threw somethings together cause I read an article that said that there was no wrong way to make beer and since I mess up everything I figured might as well try lol after all I like to drink and I needed a hobby I will let everyone know how it turns out

Good luck to you. Apparently there is a wrong way to make beer. You seem to have found it.

 

[JoshuaG79]

Not sure yet but well I am willing to find out. Regardless I will drink it and well hopefully it doesn’t taste awful. But either way I am learning and I appreciate the positive feedback and any tips that can be shared

 

[Cottonmouth]

Welcome to the hobby!

 

[JoshuaG79]

Thanks do you have any tips that could help me out like the do’s and don’ts of brewing I am a self learner from experience.

 

[Coastalbrew]

Get a copy of John palmer's "how to brew". It has everything a beginning brewer needs to know and much much more. There is an online copy of an early edition on his website for free, but the new edition is more up to date

Cheers!

 

[JoshuaG79]

Thanks I will check it out not looking for recipes just the basic guidelines for brewing beer. I am not wanting to craft a traditional beer I want to make something unique and buzz-worthy with a great taste

 

[madscientist451]

I like to drink and I needed a hobby I will let everyone know how it turns out

Wecome to HBT and welcome to the hobby.
That's great that you want to create something unique, but if you start out using established recipes, you can learn techniques and then you can change the recipes and make them your own and have a high probability it will come out good.
3 things for you:
-If you are using mostly honey in your brew, you'll need some yeast nutrient. (next time, its not good to add nutrients late in the process)
-You can read a free online version of the book "How To Brew" by John Palmer and its well worth your time EDIT Someone beat me too it while I was typing this.....
-There are many videos on you tube showing all kinds of brewing methods and if you have any questions just come back here to HBT and ask away.

 

[JoshuaG79]

Does it matter that the Honey I used is raw I tried a sample sip and it had a kick I mean it was well over 15% but still had a slight hint of sweetness and its still fermenting it didn’t have a sour or bitter aftertaste its hard to describe what I tasted it reminded me of an IPA I drank in PA years ago and on the nutrient what type do I use ?

 

[madscientist451]

I use Fermaid O and when re-hydrating the yeast I use go-ferm protect.
There's an on line calculator on the Mead Made Right website that shows how much to use for different size batches and ABV levels.
A small digital scale is needed to weigh out the yeast nutrient amounts.

 

[JoshuaG79]

I have a digital scale have had it for years don’t judge lol I bought a pound of distillers yeast which says up to 22% I will check out those products but first I am gonna see how my current batch turns out

 

[JoshuaG79]

I am taking notes and learning a lot in a little time I appreciate all of the input and advice that has been given so far and I’m look forward to any and all tips and tricks that you guys have learned so far.
Thanks to everyone that has posted

 

[Rish]

Welcome! Looks kinda like a braggot, but high on honey and low on grain. High steep temperature may sweeten it. Also, with no nutrients in what is much closer to mead, it may require some aging reach it's best, although again the grains might make some contribution there. Keep us posted.

 

[JoshuaG79]

I will and thanks for the feed back I appreciate so after I bottle it I am gonna have to let it age for a month or 2 or could I get away with 2 weeks I think an experiment is in order will post about both

 

[grampamark]

The nice thing about this hobby is that there are no rules. Brew what you like and drink what you brew. Sure, there are a few who will insist that homebrewing must be done in the One True Way or god will kill a kitten every time a non believer pours a pint, or something. Don’t let that bother you. Keep experimenting and keep us posted. All of us can learn something from those who dare to be different. Well, most of us…

 

[JoshuaG79]

Good cause I hate cats so Ima gonna break all the rules and traditions

 

[Rish]

I will and thanks for the feed back I appreciate so after I bottle it I am gonna have to let it age for a month or 2 or could I get away with 2 weeks I think an experiment is in order will post about both

I'd try 1 at 2 or 3 weeks to give it time to carb up, then again a few weeks later. If you like the 2nd one better, keep trying another every few weeks to see how it progresses. It you like it enough to make again, this will be a guide for how you want to age it next time, if at all. Some meads can take a long time (1+ years) to reach their peak. You could stick 1 back and try it on the anniversary on bottling if you have that much patience!

 

[JoshuaG79]

I do and that sounds like a fun little experiment thanks for the insight

 

[ford2110]

some great basic overviews on making beer,cider and mead. How to Make Beer

 

[Golddiggie]

I wept a little when I read that you boiled honey. You boiled off pretty much everything that makes honey great to ferment. All the delicate flavors and aromas were blasted off before it ever had a chance.

As already mentioned, having grains at high temps won't give you any fermenting sugars. Also, using volume measure for grains is a bad idear. Use weight for grain measure.

Also, read up on ingredients. Include hops, malts, and even yeast. Yeast WILL effect the flavors in your beer. Just picking a yeast at random, or something like distillers years for it's high tolerance is NOT a good idea for beers (mead, wine, or cider as well). Everything can impact the flavor and aroma of your finished product. Ignoring one of them will give you lesser results.

 

[JoshuaG79]

I didn’t boil my Honey I boiled the water and added the honey to it when it cooled

 

[JoshuaG79]

Thanks for the info I am learning as I go

 

[Golddiggie]

I didn’t boil my Honey I boiled the water and added the honey to it when it cooled

Honey shouldn't be heated above 100-110F if you want to retain what makes it great. You mentioned you added the 'honey water' along with the hops. Hops don't do much in the 100-110F range. At least not for bittering.

 

[JoshuaG79]

I was going for the Aroma not the bitter my sample smelled and tasted good but after looking at my fermenter I think I will have to let it set for at least a week or more

 

[JoshuaG79]

Well I bottled up my brew and had a little left over so I drank it it wasn’t nasty tasting but it was strong omg it was at least 17% Alcohol it tastes like The Wicked Hops IPA’s but stronger

 

[Rish]

Well I bottled up my brew and had a little left over so I drank it it wasn’t nasty tasting but it was strong omg it was at least 17% Alcohol it tastes like The Wicked Hops IPA’s but stronger

That's kind of a short ferment. Did you check SG to make sure it's finished?

 

[JoshuaG79]

Everything had settled and it was brewing for 14 days

 

[Rish]

Everything had settled and it was brewing for 14 days

I've had mead that took longer than that to get to FG. If you didn't make sure by gravity readings that you are at FG, you may want to store your bottles in a sturdy container so you don't have injury or damage in case of bottle bombs.

 

[JoshuaG79]

I put them in a box to help regulate temperature and they are plastic bottles by Mr.Beer hopefully they dont bomb on me well thos is my forst time so ima gonna hope for beginners luck and well I am gonna buy a hydrometer so I can check in the future lol

 

[camonick]

this is my first ever I used 5lbs of raw honey for 2 gallons of brew

but it was strong omg it was at least 17% Alcohol it tastes like The Wicked Hops IPA’s but stronger

5 pounds of honey in 2 gallons of water with distillers yeast would yield about 13% ABV according to beersmith assuming you didn’t gain many more fermentables from your grains. A hydrometer is an invaluable tool for brewing.