Honey beer: 5 recipes at home + tips

Low-alcohol drinks made with honey were made in ancient Russia. Among them, aromatic yellow-amber beer was especially popular, the strength of which varied from 3 to 8%.

It is much easier to make such alcohol than traditional "foamy" beer: instead of malt (sometimes together with it), honey wort, the so-called "sythe" is used.

Tips before you start

1. It is better to take flower or buckwheat honey (the most fragrant) and always fresh. It is better if it is liquid. Otherwise, melt the honey by placing the jar in a bowl of warm water.

2. Use spring water (optimally), purified or boiled.

3. Before starting the fermentation, make sure that there is enough space in the container for the foam and gas formed during the process.

4. The ideal temperature for the wort depends on the type of yeast (bottom and top): in this matter, it is better to follow the manufacturer's recommendations.

5. During cooking, it is important to maintain sterility to prevent spoilage of the drink by microorganisms.

6. Store honey beer for no more than six months, in open bottles - no more than 1 day.

Traditional honey beer recipe

The amount of ingredients can be adjusted by observing the proportions: 12% honey from the total weight of the wort, 200 g of hops - for 100 liters of sweet mixture.

The volume of the "sieve" at the end of cooking should remain unchanged: if there is not enough water, the beer will turn out to be too cloying, if there is a lot of water, the drink will quickly turn sour.

Ingredients

1. Water - 88 liters

2. Liquid honey/honey molasses - 12 liters

3. Hop cones - 0.2 kg

4. Brewer's yeast - according to the instructions

Method of preparation

1. Mix honey and water until smooth.

2. Cook the mixture over low heat for about 1 hour, regularly removing the foam and adding water as it evaporates.

3. After foaming stops, add hops to the "sieve".

4. After boiling, boil the mass for another 1 hour, removing the foam only in the last 30 minutes.

5. Add boiling water to the mixture until the original volume is restored, turn off the heat.

6. Quickly cool the wort to 16-20 °C by dipping the container into a bath of water, ice, or using special equipment.

7. Filter the liquid through a cheesecloth, add the yeast according to the instructions.

8. Send the container with wort to a warm place, having previously installed a water seal.

9. Wait until fermentation is complete (6-10 days at t = 22-24°C), pour the drink into bottles, let it mature in room conditions for 1-2 weeks. Store for no more than six months.

Beer recipe with honey and malt

You can buy malt or make it yourself. To do this, soak rye grains in water and wait for germination. After the sprouts reach a size of 4-5 mm, the cereal mass is dried and ground.

Ingredients

1. Honey - 2 cups

2. Rye malt - 3 cups

3. Hops - 0.1 kg

4. Yeast - ½ cup

5. Water - 11 liters

The method of preparation

1. Mix malt and hops, pass through a meat grinder.

2. Boil 1-2 liters of water, pour it over the malt mass, add honey.

3. Put the mixture on a small fire, let it boil, boil for about half an hour, let it cool to a warm state.

4. Dissolve the yeast in a small amount of heated water, add to the rest of the ingredients.

5. Pour the remaining water into the mixture, take the container with the wort to a warm place.

6. Let the mass ferment until a sediment appears, strain.

7. Pour the drink into bottles, leave in a cool place/refrigerator for 5 days.

"Old Russian" beer with honey

Ingredients

1. Honey - 2 kg

2. Hops - 20-30 g

3. Yeast - 50 g

Method of preparation

1. Dissolve honey in water.

2. Pour hops into the sweet liquid, boil the mixture for 1 hour.

3. Cool the wort to 22-24 °C, strain into a wooden barrel, add yeast.

4. Leave to ferment for 5 to 7 days without closing the container.

5. After the allotted time, seal the keg, send it to a cold place (cellar) for 2 days.

6. Pour the beer into bottles.

Spicy honey beer

Other spices can be used instead of cardamom: peppercorns, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, etc.д.

To make the flavor of the spices more pronounced, you can add them during the cooking stage.

Fans of unusual flavors can add cocoa to the wort: about 100 g will be needed. This drink will be slightly bitter, but will acquire a bright chocolate color.

Ingredients

1. Honey - ½ kg

2. Water - 6 liters

3. Yeast - 10 g

4. Hops - 5 g

5. Cardamom - 4-6 g

6. Sugar - 1 tsp.

The method of preparation

1. Mix honey with water, cook over low heat until foaming stops.

2. Pour in the hops, keep the mixture on the stove for another 20 minutes.

3. Let the liquid cool to a warm state, add yeast and cardamom.

4. Fry sugar until brown in a hot frying pan, add to the wort.

5. Mix thoroughly, put in a cool place (+10-+12 °C).

6. After the yeast foam has settled, strain the drink, pour into small containers and keep in the refrigerator for 2 weeks.

Recipe for floral honey beer

You can collect the pollen for this recipe yourself or buy it in specialized outlets.

Ingredients

1. Honey - 700 g

2. Yeast - 100 g

3. Dry hops - 200 g

4. Pollen - 300 g

5. Rye malt - 2.5 kg

6. Water - 4 liters

The method of preparation

1. Dissolve honey, hops and malt in water.

2. Boil the mixture for at least half an hour, let it cool to room temperature.

3. Dilute yeast with water, wait for the first bubbles to appear, pour into the wort.

4. Cover the container with a cloth / gauze cloth, send it to a warm corner.

5. After 4-5 days, after the end of the fermentation processes and the precipitation of yeast, add pollen to the wort.

6. Mix the mass well, let it brew for 4-5 hours.

7. Drain the drink from the sediment, pass it through a multi-layer cheesecloth.

8. Pour the beer into small vessels, seal tightly, and leave to mature in the cool for 2-4 days.

Update: 07.04.2019

Category: Beer, Cider, Ale