honey as a primer?

[rich]

I boiled up a batch on Pumpkin Ale last Monday, and will be bottling it soon. The recipe that I used did not specify what primer to use. I was curious about honey, and I understand that it can work as a primer, but am not sure how it should be applied. Does it need to be boiled first, or disolved in water or something? I know that's the case with sugers, but how does that work with honey?
Also, I am curious if anyone knows what honey contributes to a beer.

Thanks

Rich

[brewmonkey]

I would at a minimum bring it up to pasteurization temps. I have used honey as a primer before and had good luck with it. I used it in several "Honey" porters that I have done and loved them to the last one.

IIRC honey is about a 1.040-1.044 gravity (1LB/1USG) but will vary depending on the source of honey and location it is coming from.

[sallad]

i used honey to prime my pumpkin ale (and several other brews as well). about 1/2 cup of honey should be good- honey has more fermentable sugars than priming sugar or DME. I boil it for about 5 minutes, cool, and add to my beer. they say boiling honey drives off flavors; this shouldn't be a concern for bottling, but it might be if you were making mead. also, as honey heats up, "scum" will rise to the surface. try to scoop it off as it comes up, because its made of beeswax, bee body parts, and other things not meant for your beer!

*edit* one other point- i think honey takes a little longer to ferment, so allow at least 3-4 weeks in the bottle before drinking.

[rich]

Sallad,

So in terms of boiling the honey, does that mean just put it in a pot and boil it? or does it have to be mixed with water or something? If just boiling it in a pot is the case, Ill be doing that tomorrow.
Actually I'm sitting here right now and drinking the last bottle of a nut brown ale I brewed about a month ago. Time to get the led out and get this other batch bottled.
I'll keep an eye out for your feedback.


Rich

[toneyc]

Yep, you'll want to boil the honey with some water. I would use one part honey to two parts water.

:)
Toney.

[sallad]

absolutely you will need water. if you try to boil just honey, all you will do is scortch the sugars, set off your smoke alarms and ruin the pot! i boil all my primers - whether its DME, corn sugar or honey - with about 1 pint of water.

[rich]

Well, I hope I didn't completely blow it.
From the book "Joy of Home Brewing" it said to use 1/2 cup of honey for 5 gallons. So I measured it off, put it in a small pot, and was all prepared to put in water but it was loosening up nicely and becoming quite liquidy, so I held out to see what would happen. It started to foam as if to boil over, so I took it off the flame and tossed it right into the bottling bucket. It splashed in, and then I siphoned the beer in, trying to stir the bottom a bit so that it would all mix evenly.
I guess I'll have to let you know how it turns out in a few weeks. They are all bottled and capped.
I'll say one thing though, the beer smelled great, and then afterward, when cleaning the bottling bucket, there was this great essence of honey. I hope something like that comes through in the beer. Unfortunately, I didn't smell much of the pumpkin, or the other spices. We'll see in 3 weeks.
Thanks again guys. I appreciate the feedback.
Actually this is only my second batch but I really felt far more in control this time (for one thing, I didn't spill beer all over the kitchen). Your feedback was helpful, and appreciated.

Will follow up on the results.

Rich

[rich]

Hey Guys,

Promised I'd get back on the results of the pumpkin ale, so here it is....
The priming with honey went well enough. I wouldn't describe myself as an expert beer taster..... far from it.
So I went to a local beer club meeting last night (first time) and brought a couple of the pumpkin ales. The speaker was this female brewer from Dogfish Head brewery down in Deleware. She had a bit of a crew with her. When samples of the dogfish brews went around I got talking with the woman, then offered if she'd be interested in trying the pumpkin ale. Next thing I know, I'm pouring samples into 9 glasses.
The pressure was on and I invited any and all criticism... expecting the worst. But to my surprise, the complements started flying. It has a strong spice aroma, which I was almost uncomfortable with, but they liked it a lot. Apparently, the pumpkin presence could have been a little more pronounced. I did use 8 pounds of cubed pumpkin for 5 gallons (roasted).
I used one large pumpkin, but have heard (after the fact) that it is better to use smaller pumpkins (using 3 or 4). Apparently, they are sweeter.
Anyway, glad to say that it all turned out to be a success.
Thanks again guys.

Rich