Just under two years ago I was sitting at the computer and putting together my “beer and brewing to-do list” for the New Year. It’s a habit I recommend brewers get into, and it has led me down some interesting paths, whether it’s spending a year not having more than one of any specific beer, deciding to get better at beer cloning, committing to brewing five styles I’d never brewed before, and more.
This time, though, I decided that I was going to spend more time using alternative brewing sugars as flavor additions in my recipes. The resulting beers had dimensions and accents that often surprised me, and since then I’ve been happy to evangelize on the addition of honey, molasses, black treacle, golden syrup, and more to standard recipes.
The process and recipe adjustments are minimal, and with just a bit of conscientious planning you’ll find that these beers are relatively easy to nail on the first or second attempt, so long as you’re working with a stable (and good) recipe to begin with.