Ratio of honey to malt to hops...?

[srkaeppler]

Hey All-

I had this thought earlier this evening and I wanted to discuss it or get some opinions. So this last May I brewed what I affectionately named "the honey badger," which was a braggot. The style I was shooting for was going to be a modified Wit style beer, basically with the intent that it would taste great and get you drunk. Or as I like to say 'dangerously good.'

Now you might laugh when you see this recipe and I will admit, I shot from the hip a little bit when I 'designed' this (I did consult with a few other board members though).

5 lbs Muntons Extra Light Malt Extract
3lbs Orange Blossom Honey
2lb Rahr White Wheat Malt
1lb Belgian Aromatic
1lb Belgian Pilsner Malt
1lb Flaked Wheat
1lb Muntons Wheat DME
1lb Belgian Pale Malt

And hops...
3oz Hallertau (60 min, 15min, 5min)
2 oz Saz (15, 5)

So I posted all of this simply to ask: is there a good rule/ratio to follow regarding how much honey to add relative to the malt and hops? I felt like this turned out really nicely and had a GREAT taste. The orange blossom honey really came through, but it needed some 'balance.' It might be hard to say what, but just a little more of something the balance the initial taste.

Hopefully I am not being too vague!

Thanks all!

Steve

 

[mccann51]

Absolutely no rules when it comes to honey:malt. It all depends on what you're trying to get out of the final product. For instance, I've got a "braggot" going right now that has just a half pound of malt to 5 lbs of honey, because I just wanted a little bit of complexity from the malt (Special B in this case), whereas I've got another more proper braggot going that is half and half, because I want a big alcoholic monster of a brew; lots of honey character, but lots of malt to balance the alcohol.

It would be helpful if you described better what is out of balance. The recipe sounds delicious; I can see the wit style working well with some orange blossom.