[joe_meadmaker]

Is there a reason you want to add the honey at high krausen?  I'm not aware of anything wrong with that.  Just curious.

If I want honey to be part of the initial fermentation, I usually add it at flameout, as purduekenn mentioned.  The other option he mentioned is what I usually do when adding honey after brew day.  For a secondary fermentation I'll syphon off 1-2 quarts of the fermenting beer (or you can wait until primary fermentation is completely done).  Put it on the stove and heat it just a bit.  Only to around 90° or so.  This is just to help the honey dissolve.  Gently stir in your honey.  The sweetened beer can then be chilled down a bit if you're worried about adding the higher temperature beer back to the rest of the batch.  I will often move the entire batch to a carboy at this time too.  I just like being able to see how well it clears up.  Combine the two parts back together and you'll see fermentation pick back up for a bit.

I'll actually be doing this with a Heather Ale in a couple days.

[pete b]

Is there a reason you want to add the honey at high krausen?  I'm not aware of anything wrong with that.  Just curious.

If I want honey to be part of the initial fermentation, I usually add it at flameout, as purduekenn mentioned.  The other option he mentioned is what I usually do when adding honey after brew day.  For a secondary fermentation I'll syphon off 1-2 quarts of the fermenting beer (or you can wait until primary fermentation is completely done).  Put it on the stove and heat it just a bit.  Only to around 90° or so.  This is just to help the honey dissolve.  Gently stir in your honey.  The sweetened beer can then be chilled down a bit if you're worried about adding the higher temperature beer back to the rest of the batch.  I will often move the entire batch to a carboy at this time too.  I just like being able to see how well it clears up.  Combine the two parts back together and you'll see fermentation pick back up for a bit.

I'll actually be doing this with a Heather Ale in a couple days.

Racking to secondary is a good idea. This is an actual secondary fermentation so any oxygen gets used up pretty quickly and the honey solution gets well mixed.

[joe_meadmaker]

@pete b - Exactly!  At least that's the theory I'm going on.

[hopfenundmalz]

I know a guy who never gets his mead to a temperature beyond getting it to flow. His meads are highly sought out. He wrote a book about Mead. ;-)

In beer you don't have the ABV in your favor. There are also dextrins and such for nasties to munch on, that are not in mead. I would at least put the honey into the whirlpool at 170F for a short rest. YMMV.

[pete b]

I know a guy who never gets his mead to a temperature beyond getting it to flow. His meads are highly sought out. He wrote a book about Mead. ;-)

In beer you don't have the ABV in your favor. There are also dextrins and such for nasties to munch on, that are not in mead. I would at least put the honey into the whirlpool at 170F for a short rest. YMMV.

I don’t warm my honey for mead more than getting it to flow either.
As to the infection possibilities, as someone who started out in meadmaking I learned the hard way that you have to be way more careful about sanitation with beer. Between the antimicrobial qualities of honey and the abv you can get pretty lax. That being said, I wouldn’t be too concerned about honey in secondary.
Fun fact: my wife self published a mead making book before The Compleat Meadmaker came out because she was teaching classes on meadmaking and there was no good reference book at the time. She as in her twenties then.Our LHBS sold it for like twenty years until the last time they ran out and my wife just didn’t want to bother printing more.

[denny]

Here is a short, concise answer regarding honey: Don't.

Why not?

[Bel Air Brewing]

Here is a short, concise answer regarding honey: Don't.

Why not?

I made a honey lager once, and did not like it.
How many mainstream German breweries add honey to their beer?

[ynotbrusum]

Here is a short, concise answer regarding honey: Don't.

Why not?

I made a honey lager once, and did not like it.
How many mainstream German breweries add honey to their beer?

German breweries may not use honey, but I have experienced some Braggots that were superb.

[dannyjed]

Here is a short, concise answer regarding honey: Don't.

Why not?

I made a honey lager once, and did not like it.
How many mainstream German breweries add honey to their beer?

Why limit yourself to what mainstream German breweries do?


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[Oiscout]

Here is a short, concise answer regarding honey: Don't.

Why not?

I made a honey lager once, and did not like it.
How many mainstream German breweries add honey to their beer?

Why limit yourself to what mainstream German breweries do?


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If we did be a pretty dull beer world

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[denny]

Here is a short, concise answer regarding honey: Don't.

Why not?

I made a honey lager once, and did not like it.
How many mainstream German breweries add honey to their beer?

Well, we're not talking about your beer or German beer.  Not relevant...

[Wilbur]

Here is a short, concise answer regarding honey: Don't.

Why not?

I made a honey lager once, and did not like it.
How many mainstream German breweries add honey to their beer?

Why limit yourself to what mainstream German breweries do?


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If we did be a pretty dull beer world

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+1

[Bel Air Brewing]

Here is a short, concise answer regarding honey: Don't.

Why not?

I made a honey lager once, and did not like it.
How many mainstream German breweries add honey to their beer?

Why limit yourself to what mainstream German breweries do?


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If we did be a pretty dull beer world

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

+1

Simple answer. We brew European / German style beers, Pils, Helles, Kolsch, and Oktoberfest / Fest Bier. A Fullers London Porter is also one of our main stay brews. No desire, or need for honey here.
If it's good enough for Spaten, Paulaner and Ayinger, it's good enough for us.

There are plenty of what I call freak beers available to keep some of the ladies happy...Rooti-Tooti Fruity Beers, plus the totally whacked out IPA's that I'm seeing.

Just not my cup-of-tea...or pint-of-beer.

[denny]

Here is a short, concise answer regarding honey: Don't.

Why not?

I made a honey lager once, and did not like it.
How many mainstream German breweries add honey to their beer?

Why limit yourself to what mainstream German breweries do?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

If we did be a pretty dull beer world

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

+1

Simple answer. We brew European / German style beers, Pils, Helles, Kolsch, and Oktoberfest / Fest Bier. A Fullers London Porter is also one of our main stay brews. No desire, or need for honey here.
If it's good enough for Spaten, Paulaner and Ayinger, it's good enough for us.

There are plenty of what I call freak beers available to keep some of the ladies happy...Rooti-Tooti Fruity Beers, plus the totally whacked out IPA's that I'm seeing.

Just not my cup-of-tea...or pint-of-beer.

OK, first, you just said don't use honey. You could have said you didn't use it, but you gave no thought to what someone else might do. Second, cut out the sexist tropes.  Or I'll say that all pilots drink wimpy ass German beers.   

[Cliffs]

Here is a short, concise answer regarding honey: Don't.

Why not?

I made a honey lager once, and did not like it.
How many mainstream German breweries add honey to their beer?

Why limit yourself to what mainstream German breweries do?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

If we did be a pretty dull beer world

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

+1

Simple answer. We brew European / German style beers, Pils, Helles, Kolsch, and Oktoberfest / Fest Bier. A Fullers London Porter is also one of our main stay brews. No desire, or need for honey here.
If it's good enough for Spaten, Paulaner and Ayinger, it's good enough for us.

There are plenty of what I call freak beers available to keep some of the ladies happy...Rooti-Tooti Fruity Beers, plus the totally whacked out IPA's that I'm seeing.

Just not my cup-of-tea...or pint-of-beer.

in all my beer obsessed life I have not found the stereotype that women like fruity/watered down/gimmicky beers to be true.