Brewing with Unconventional Sugars: Honey, Agave, or Maple?

Good morning. Have you ever enjoyed a Kölsch at your local brewery and wondered why it had the two little dots above it (known as “umlaut”)? Well, it’s because it’s a German style of beer specifically from Köln (Cologne) Germany - read more about it here.

-Brandon Copeland

Brewing With Unconventional Sugars: Honey, Agave, or Maple?

Most homebrewers stick to malt, hops, water, and yeast. But substituting a portion of your malt bill with honey, agave syrup, or maple syrup can unlock surprising flavors—and fermentation quirks. The question: are these sugars a fun experiment or a risk of unpredictable results?

Why Tinker with Unconventional Sugars?

Adding non-malt sugars can:

• Boost Flavor: Honey offers floral notes; agave delivers a clean sweetness; maple brings caramel or smoky undertones.

• Influence Fermentation: Simple sugars ferment almost completely, speeding up yeast activity and raising ABV while lightening body.

• Connect to Tradition: Mead must (honey diluted with water) harkens back to ancient fermentations, linking your brew to history and local terroir.

However, you lose some malt complexity, and yeast may need extra nutrition - simple sugars lack the proteins and minerals malt provides. Let’s see what each sugar brings.

Honey: Floral Depth… Sometimes

Fermentation Behavior: Honey is nearly 100% simple sugars, so yeast ferments it rapidly. Expect a faster, more vigorous fermentation. Adding yeast nutrient is wise to prevent stalled or stressed fermentations.

Flavor Impact: Floral character depends on honey’s source - orange blossom honey can add a gentle citrus lift; buckwheat honey adds molasses-like depth. Note that most delicate aromatics won’t survive a 60-minute boil. Adding honey late in the boil or post-fermentation (“dry-honeying”) preserves more flavor.

Body & Mouthfeel: Because honey ferments completely, it often leaves a thinner body. For a crisp, “champagne-like” finish (think honey blonde ales), this works. To maintain body, limit honey to 10 - 20% of fermentables or add it late.

Agave Syrup: Neutral Sweetness with Perks

Fermentation Dynamics: Like honey, agave is mostly simple sugars, so fermentation kicks off quickly and finishes very dry. You’ll see higher attenuation and a lighter mouthfeel.

Flavor Impact: Agave is less assertive - your beer tastes mostly like beer, with a whisper of agave character. Perfect for boosting ABV without muddying hop or malt profiles.

Practical Perks: It’s vegan (unlike honey), dissolves easily, and is widely available. Many brewers use it to boost gravity or create “agave pale ales” where hops remain the star.

Maple Syrup: Rich, Caramel, and Earthy Notes

Fermentation Dynamics: As with other syrups, maple ferments almost completely - expect a dry finish and lighter body unless you compensate with more specialty malt or adjunct grains.

Flavor Impact: Maple adds caramel, toffee, and sometimes subtle smoke. Darker grades (Grade B) pack more intensity. Add maple at 5 - 10% of total fermentables to avoid overpowering the base beer.

Regional Touch: Using local maple ties your brew to place. To enhance complexity, consider steeping maple on toasted oak cubes post-fermentation.

Mead Must and Other Home-Fermented Sugars

Using home-made mead must - honey and water - creates a braggot (beer-mead hybrid). You control “beery” versus “meady” by adjusting the ratio. Mead must often ferments slowly; blending it with malt curbs sweetness and improves head retention.

Other fruit musts (concentrated grape or berry juices) can also replace part of the malt. Nutrient addition is crucial here, too, since these musts can starve yeast without proper supplementation.

Is It Worth the Experiment?

If you’re chasing new flavors, replacing 10 - 20% of your malt with these sugars can be enlightening. Expect a drier, lighter beer - plan accordingly with yeast nutrient, mash adjustments, or specialty grains to retain body

Sponsored by Money.com

Take the bite out of rising vet costs with pet insurance

Veterinarians across the country have reported pressure from corporate managers to prioritize profit. This incentivized higher patient turnover, increased testing, and upselling services. Pet insurance could help you offset some of these rising costs, with some providing up to 90% reimbursement.

SEE OPTIONS

Beer Trivia Question

🍺 Which U.S. state produces the most maple syrup, supplying over 40% of the nation’s total?

Read to the end to find out if you're right!

Brewgr Recipe of the Week

Number Twos Shadow Porter

I’m getting to the point of the Spring season where I’m starting to get a little tired of pale ales, lagers, and IPA’s, and I’m yearning for something with a bit more UMPH. This Porter is just the cure I’m looking for, and to boot it is an extract recipe. It leverages Williamette as it’s one hop and the trusty Safale US-05 yeast.

Credit: MarisEvilBrew

Poll Results: Does Ottoman Beer History Inspire Your Brewing?

This poll was a little out there - I have to say, before going to Turkey I had never even considered the impact of the Ottoman Empire on beer, or any ancient styles that may exist from that region. However, the majority of you voted that you would be interested in brewing a historical recipe at some point. I have felt the same way for a long time as well - ever since Dogfish started doing that.

Sponsored by The Rundown AI

Learn AI in 5 minutes a day

What’s the secret to staying ahead of the curve in the world of AI? Information. Luckily, you can join 1,000,000+ early adopters reading The Rundown AI — the free newsletter that makes you smarter on AI with just a 5-minute read per day.

Sign up to start learning.

And the Answer Is...

🍺 Vermont’s cold winters and warm spring days create ideal conditions for sugar-maple sap to flow, and the state’s extensive maple forests allow thousands of trees to be tapped each season. At local sugarhouses, that sap is boiled down into syrup, enabling Vermont to produce over 40% of the country’s total.