Honey Malt

[Denny's Brew]

How is Honey Malt made? Was this truely an accidental discovery?

[rudge75]

Contact Gambrinus Malting and ask them. I believe the malt is starved for oxygen sometime during the growth phase. They'll have a better answer for you, though.

[Mad-Brewer]

From Paddock Wood Brewing:
"Malt sweetness and honey like flavour and aroma make it perfect for any specialty beer. The closest comparison is a light caramel, but Honey Malt has a flavour of its own: sweet and a little bit nutty. Made by restricting the oxygen flow during the sprouting process, Honey Malt is essentially self-stewed. When the oxygen is cut off, the grain bed heats up, developing sugars and rich malt flavours. The malt is lightly kilned for a color color profile of 25 SRM and is devoid of astringent roast flavors. Honey malt has a diastatic power of 50, and can convert itself but not additional adjuncts. It is best mashed with a base malt. Use up to 25% in specialty beers for a unique flavour."

[kugeman]

Wondering if anyone can give me some guidance on what the flavor/aroma impact of honey malt will be. I'm brewing a Belgian Quad and I want a subtle but noticeable honey presence to mix with the other flavors and aromas that will be in this beer. It'll probably be a 26 plato beer and having never used honey malt myself I'm not sure how potent this stuff is. Any thoughts on percentages?

[Denny's Brew]

Wondering if anyone can give me some guidance on what the flavor/aroma impact of honey malt will be. I'm brewing a Belgian Quad and I want a subtle but noticeable honey presence to mix with the other flavors and aromas that will be in this beer. It'll probably be a 26 plato beer and having never used honey malt myself I'm not sure how potent this stuff is. Any thoughts on percentages?

I'd say it's a very strong, Munich like flavor. I personally don't get honey notes from this malt. I live an hour or so away from Gambrinus and since I posted the above I've been to the malting house a number of times.

It's malted at as high a heat as they can get away with without the grain getting to "ripe" (bordering on the edge just shy of becoming sour), then it is kilned at a fairly high temp. It's kind of of like an extra strong version of Munich. Very intense sweet Munich taste. Don't take this literally, but flavor wise it's almost like a concentrated Munich malt with a kick. Smell and taste the raw grains and you'll get an idea.

I use honey malt in almost every brew I make. It's became a signature malt and I get a great response from my beers.

It needs to be converted. It's diastatic level is very low.

I'd give it a try in your Belgian for sure. Try less than 5% maximum in your grist. (Though I've used up to 15% on certain beers I recomend under 5% unless you know this malt).

[kugeman]

Thanks for the advice. That's exactly what I need to know. I'm already using quite a bit of Munich in this recipe, so I'll low ball the honey malt in order to not overdue it. Thanks!

[beertje46]

I use Honey malt in two of our seasonal/specialties. One uses 8% the other 11%. I've used it as high as 25% in the past in a fairly big 20+P beer. I think it works well in larger beers but can overpower smaller beers very fast, think Special B. I agree with the Munich on Crack aroma.

With the 26P Quad, you are safe with 15% as long as you don't use a bunch caramel malts as well.

I first used Honey malt 14 years ago on the recommendation of a brewer friend. I was looking for a light honey aroma in a 10-12P summer beer without using honey. I think I used less than 5% in that beer with good success.