Both Honey and Agave Nectar can be used in beer recipes to add a floral complexity to our homebrews. When brewing with honey or agave, keep in mind that it will need to be sterilized/Pasteurized. This can be done by adding it to the boil kettle, but this will drive off a lot of the delicate aromatics. A better way is to Pasteurize the honey on your stove then add it to the fermenter when it's at its most active stage. To do this, dilute the honey or agave to the same OG of your wort. Then heat it to 176F (80C) and hold it there for 60-90 min. Cool it with an ice bath and then add it to your fermenter.
Helpful Information:
Both Honey and Agave are very fermentable and will increase the final alcohol in your beer recipe. In addition, the liquid volume of the honey or agave will dilute the non-fermentable sugars that give your beers their body if not taken into account. Therefore, when brewing with Honey or Agave,
MoreBeer! recommends adjusting the grainbill down a bit to counteract the additional alcohol that will be produced and raising your mash temps to 155F-162F (or adding/bumping up any
Body Malts) to maintain your beers mouthfeel.
