Hop Hammer / Pliny clone question

[NikoBrew]

Just got Brewing Classic Styles and every page I think "oh THAT's the beer I'll make next". I'm excited for this one though and plan on brewing it or a variation of it next. My favorite part of brewing is making something your own and I know on my equip etc it will taste different than on someone else's, just thinking of a small variation.

Substituting the 1.5lb corn sugar for 1.88 pounds honey (based on a calculation the byo.com mr wizard help thing). Any thoughts? Anybody done this before? I've boiled honey into wort many times I know it doesnt give a honey flavor it's added at the beginning of the boil but does boost gravity and I THINK gives a smoother mouthfeel. Regardless I'm excited to brew this. Thanks.

Also thinking of having a friend brew side by side the same recipe but following it exactly to see the difference.

[jamilz]

There might be a very slight difference, but chances are you're not going to be able to taste it in that beer.

[NikoBrew]

There might be a very slight difference, but chances are you're not going to be able to taste it in that beer.

Cool thanks. I just like honey in general Starting making mead before I even liked drinking beer and use it whenever I can. I already shot you a pretty damn lengthy email the other day blabbering on about.. I don't recall what exactly. Kickass book I've got it here in my cubicle along with how to brew.

[NikoBrew]

Another question for that, I've never added sugar (or honey when I'm supposed to just when the boil started). For this recipe is the sugar supposed to be added at the beginning of the boil? I'm assuming so just figured I'd ask. Thanks.

[Dubba_Brew]

I don't have the book in front of me, but I would say for a beer like that that you would just need to add it in the last 15 minutes of the boil. The only real time I've heard of people adding sugar early on in the boil is when they're adding Belgian Dark Candi or something like that so that they can get the color as well as the flavor. Other than that, I normally add sugar late in the boil just so it gets sanitized.

[brewinhard]

I'm thinking that if you add that much sugar (1.5#) you might as well add it to the fermenter to get everything you can from those delicious hops in the boil! If you do add the honey to your boil maybe a touch of yeast nutrient might help the fermentation along.

[NikoBrew]

I know JZ mentioned no secondaries for him anymore, would he do that to dry hop?

[brewinhard]

I just kicked a keg of Green Flash IPA courtesy of the CYBI and it only lasted about 10 days! What a delicious beer and I learned a ton making it. I dry-hopped in the primary after about 6 days of fermentation when the airlock slowed to about 1 bubble every 10 seconds. The beer came out great and never even used a secondary like I used to for dry-hopping.