Using Honey

[dinokath]

Morning all!

Doing a beer this weekend that I hope will taste like Hopslam. The recipe I am using calls for 2lbs of honey added during the last 5 minutes of the boil. I am using US05 which should attenuate at around 81% or so.

Using Beersmith 3, the software is calling for nearly 87% attenuation. When I back out the honey, it drops down to 80%. I have never used honey in a beer before, so I did a little reading and it seems honey will almost completely ferment out and boost attenuation numbers.

I want to get to around 1.016 or thereabouts so I can have a little of that residual sweetness/honey flavor that Hopslam is known but I also want to keep the ABV right in that 9-10% range.

My plan, that I would like some opinions on, is to boost the grain bill by a couple pounds using pale malt to boost the OG and then cold crashing the batch and effectively stopping fermentation when AA gets to 78%.

Does that sound like a plan? You all think that's what Bell's does? I usually just let the yeast finish up where they finish up but I don't want to dry this beer out. Thoughts? Thanks in advance!

 

[IslandLizard]

First off, adding honey to the boil is a waste of honey, better off adding it to the fermenter when fermentation is slowing. That way you retain more honey flavor in the end product.

Honey malt leaves a honey-like flavor. IMO, more than most honey does.

Honey will mostly ferment out, as it consists mostly of simple sugars. (Intentionally) under-attenuating is risky, especially if you're bottling, it may (no, it will) cause bottle bombs. If you're kegging you may get away with it, but it needs to be kept cold, like 40F.

Breweries do not under-attenuate, or stall fermentation, AFAIK. Imagine the risk and havoc they'd be causing.
There are ways to keep beer sweet, by filtering/centrifuging, and (bottle) pasteurization/sterilization.

 

[dinokath]

Thanks IslandLizard for the reply! Here's the page I am looking at with the instructions - LINK

I was wondering about honey in the boil but that's the instructions so I am guessing it should be about right? It is entirely possible the recipe above isn't truly a Hopslam recipe from Bell's!

The beer isn't really cloyingly sweet, just a touch of honey taste with a subtle dryness so maybe that's why it gets added to the boil? I just don't know.

Definitely going to keg and keep it kegged and was thinking of using potassium sorbate to fully ensure the yeast are "deactivated" in case I bottle some up for a buddy.

 

[IslandLizard]

Those instructions are what they are, but not very good, IMO, really tailored to a wide, wide audience, removing any complications. 1-2-3, Hopslam bam.

Judging from your membership date here you're not a beginner, so I'd add your own experience back into the recipe and interpretation of it.

IOW, brew it as you see fit. If you've brewed IPAs lately you know about hopstands and whirlpool hops, yeast and starters, oxygenation of high(er) gravity beers, fermentation temps (lower and steady is better), the uselessness of secondaries, avoiding oxidation, especially in hoppy beers, and so on.

And no, honey should not be added to the boil. You may as well add (much cheaper) sugar.

2 weeks on dry hops? How about 3-5 days before packaging?

I'm not sure what Bell's using for yeast in Hopslam, but 2-Hearted uses WY1272, or their house version of it. It has a lesser attenuation % than US-05, so it stays somewhat sweeter, while it accentuates citrus nicely. I've brewed WY1272 based NEIPAs that were out of this world.

Have you looked for a Hopslam clone in our recipe forum? Elsewhere? There may be some useful hints there.

 

[dinokath]

Yeah man, I agree with 100% of everything you say! Was looking more at the grain bill and hop schedule than anything else. The honey is what really throws me as I've just never really brewed with it. Heck, up until recently I strictly followed the Reinheitsgebot but am now starting to stray into new waters, which is exciting but new all the same. I had to dump a batch of chocolate orange stout because I used orange extract off the grocery shelf and now it tastes like Gojo hand cleaner. SMH... Won't do that again.

Thanks for the advice! I'll dive into the forums and see what I see there on adding the honey. I really appreciate your time.

 

[IslandLizard]

I did a quick search for 'hopslam' in our recipe 'database' and found quite few results.
I'm sure you can find some useful pointers.

 

[dinokath]

Thanks! I notice the first one off the bat boiled the honey for 10 minutes but also used honey malt for flavor? They list sugar as a substitute for honey so I am guessing it one of those 'if you got the money honey, we got your disease' kind of things!

I think I will stick with what I was planning on doing and based on your advice, hold the honey back until towards the last 1/3 of primary fermentation and then adjust from there after reading more on the subject. Unfortunately I kind of have to brew this weekend (first world problems, lol) because a buddy is coming by with his equipment and we are going to both brew double batches and are starting out early and making a long day of it.

Thanks again for posting back with the list! I really appreciate it.

 

[Calder]

If you have $s to waste, by all means add honey to the boil. I'd add it as late in the fermentation as possible to minimize fermenting off the flavors/aromas. I'd even use some of it to prime (if you keg add it then).

The Hopslam recipe may produce a decent beer, but there seems to be a few errors that I would change if I were to attempt it. Seems like a lot of different hops to (maybe that is what is called for in the original - but I would question them).

 

[LittleRiver]

My last brew was a honey amber, a recipe I was experimenting with, which I pulled the first glass from the keg today. I added the honey at flameout, just after the boil.

It tastes great, exceeding my expectations. The character and aroma of the honey is there, without being cloying or overwhelming.

 

[AJinJacksonville]

My last brew was a honey amber, a recipe I was experimenting with, which I pulled the first glass from the keg today. I added the honey at flameout, just after the boil.

It tastes great, exceeding my expectations. The character and aroma of the honey is there, without being cloying or overwhelming.

How much honey did you add?

 

[LittleRiver]

How much honey did you add?

1.5 pounds.

 

[dinokath]

That's what I love and hate about this hobby! 1,000 different ways to do things right and 1,000 different ways to do things wrong and then 1,000 different ways to do the same thing. Trick I have found is to make sure you do the things you like and do them again and do them well. Like lots of different hops? Fricking go for it! Think that SMASH beer is the only way to go? Fricking go for it! In the end, this is just like cooking. You like more salt than I do but that doesn't mean your food is bad, it's just saltier than I like. I like more hot pepper in my food than you do. Does that make my food bad? No, it just means you don't like it. Now, if you always burn your food or serve under cooked chicken to me, well, then, yeah, that's a problem.

All that being said, thanks for the advice and banter. It's helped me decide what to and we'll see how it comes out. I have little doubt it will come out good but it's that ever so subtle hint of dry honey that will be a factor and if I don't get it this time around, I'll try the same thing again but add it at a different point in the process and see if it's on point. Love this hobby!