Honey Beer

What is Honey Beer?

Honey beer is a beer brewed with honey. It is not a specific beer style as honey can be added to any type of beer. Honey beer features a sweet and floral character imparted by the honey.

Honey beer is not the same as mead; while mead is a fermented beverage made from honey and water, honey beer uses malt as the primary sugar source, with honey as an additional ingredient used for aroma and flavour.

Honey can be added to beer during boiling or fermentation, after fermentation, or just before bottling depending on the brewer’s objectives.

Origin Story

Archaeological findings indicate that fermented beverages with honey were consumed at least 10,000 years ago. However, the exact time when honey and grains were combined is somewhat unclear.

The examination of King Midas’s tomb revealed that 2,700 years ago in the Phrygian kingdom, an alcoholic beverage consisting of barley, grapes, honey, and saffron was consumed. A honey and grain-based drink was also consumed in Stone Age Britain 3,000-6,000 years ago. Since honey contains many fermentable sugars, and other sweeteners were not available, honey was used as an additive in various alcoholic beverages.

In the 12th century, a drink called Braggot appeared, which is essentially a hybrid of beer and mead. It was a popular drink in Medieval and Renaissance Europe made from a mixture of malt and honey. Braggot is made with roughly equal parts honey and malt. Although some consider it more of a mead than a beer, it is the closest predecessor to honey beer. Braggot has endured over time and has become a traditional Welsh drink, with many craft brewers in the USA also experimenting with it.

The modern world of honey beer is very diverse; beers brewed with honey can be found in practically every country and every beer style, from light lagers to strong imperial stouts.