# when is the best time to add honey? **URL:** \ **Category:** Brewing Processes\ **Created:** [May 27, 2010, 4:31pm UTC](https://forum.homebrewersassociation.org/t/when-is-the-best-time-to-add-honey/2127 "2010-05-27T16:31:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![deepsouth](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/brewersassociation/user_avatar/forum.homebrewersassociation.org/deepsouth/32/4334_2.png) [@deepsouth](https://forum.homebrewersassociation.org/u/deepsouth)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2010, 4:31pm UTC](https://forum.homebrewersassociation.org/t/when-is-the-best-time-to-add-honey/2127/1 "2010-05-27T16:31:04Z")
i’m rushing to brew two beers in a short amount of time (the first one i did yesterday).  i’ve switched to all grain, but i’m doing these extracts so i can have shorter brew days due to the fact that my wife could go into labor any day… i’m wanting to do an ipa brewed with honey.  i have 48oz. of fresh local honey and i’ll be brewing this weekend.  is there a best time to add it in order to get some of the honey taste in the flavor profile a’la hopslam?  i’ll be using safale-05 as my yeast since i don’t have enough time to make a starter with liquid yeast. i’m going to be using about 10-12 lbs of extract in the beer. thanks in advance. (i’ll be doing a full boil if that matters.) ---
**Author:** ![hokerer](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/brewersassociation/user_avatar/forum.homebrewersassociation.org/hokerer/32/266_2.png) [@hokerer](https://forum.homebrewersassociation.org/u/hokerer)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2010, 4:33pm UTC](https://forum.homebrewersassociation.org/t/when-is-the-best-time-to-add-honey/2127/2 "2010-05-27T16:33:33Z")
Common wisdom I’ve always heard is to add it after the vigorous part of fermentation is complete.  Idea being that the crazy part of fermentation will blow off a lot of your honey character.  That said, someone on here, I forget who, says they have good luck adding just after flameout. ---
**Author:** ![deepsouth](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/brewersassociation/user_avatar/forum.homebrewersassociation.org/deepsouth/32/4334_2.png) [@deepsouth](https://forum.homebrewersassociation.org/u/deepsouth)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2010, 9:08pm UTC](https://forum.homebrewersassociation.org/t/when-is-the-best-time-to-add-honey/2127/3 "2010-05-27T21:08:27Z")
is any sterilization of the honey necessary adding it in post fermentation? ---
**Author:** ![kgs](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/brewersassociation/user_avatar/forum.homebrewersassociation.org/kgs/32/20835_2.png) [@kgs](https://forum.homebrewersassociation.org/u/kgs)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 2:25am UTC](https://forum.homebrewersassociation.org/t/when-is-the-best-time-to-add-honey/2127/4 "2010-05-28T02:25:05Z")
> [@hokerer](#): > > Common wisdom I’ve always heard is to add it after the vigorous part of fermentation is complete.  Idea being that the crazy part of fermentation will blow off a lot of your honey character.  That said, someone on here, I forget who, says they have good luck adding just after flameout. It was uthristy: [http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/forum/index.php?topic=2176.msg26484#msg26484](http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/forum/index.php?topic=2176.msg26484#msg26484) ---
**Author:** ![brewmonkeys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/58956e/32.png) [@brewmonkeys](https://forum.homebrewersassociation.org/u/brewmonkeys)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 3:19am UTC](https://forum.homebrewersassociation.org/t/when-is-the-best-time-to-add-honey/2127/5 "2010-05-28T03:19:40Z")
I have had the best luck adding during high krausen but I have also added during whirlpool with good effect.  In an IPA not sure it would matter much as the flavor will be only be a hint in the background.  So i would just add in the whirlpool for ease. An aside, don’t know the gravity of your IPA but wouldn’t make honey more than 20% of grist as you start to get mead-like alcohol flavor above this IMO. ---
**Author:** ![alikocho](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/brewersassociation/user_avatar/forum.homebrewersassociation.org/alikocho/32/1563_2.png) [@alikocho](https://forum.homebrewersassociation.org/u/alikocho)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 6:13am UTC](https://forum.homebrewersassociation.org/t/when-is-the-best-time-to-add-honey/2127/6 "2010-05-28T06:13:40Z")
I’d add it when you rack to secondary. The problem adding honey to cooled wort is getting it to dissolve. Stirring during fermentation isn’t a great idea because of oxidation issues.