Honey Blonde Ale

Preheat the oven to 176° F. Place the honey in a sanitized, oven-proof saucepan. Heat the honey on the stovetop to 176° F. The honey should be stirred occasionally to avoid burning it. When the honey reaches 176° F, cover the pan and place it in the oven. Use a thermometer, and hold the honey in the oven at 176° F for 2.5 hours. Then bring the honey to room temperature by placing it in an ice bath. (If you can’t hold the honey mixture at precisely 176° F, any temperature from 176–185° F will be fine.)

Now add the honey to sufficient boiled water to match the starting specific gravity of your beer. Honey varies tremendously in most of its characteristics, including specific gravity. As a rough guide, 1 pound of honey dissolved in 1 gallon of water should yield an SG of about 1.032 to 1.038.