Supermarket Honeys For Mead

[Chookers]

Has anyone tried Australian Rainforest Honey, I picked up a 1kg bucket at my local Woolies for about $8.50.. Its got an interesting flavour..

Can anyone suggest good supermarket honey for mead. :icon_cheers:

 

[Muggus]

I've used the normal Capilano stuff. I think the 1.5kg tubs were on special, so bought 3.
The mead is pretty nice, very delicate orange blossom sort of flavour...should be interesting to see how it evolves (it's 1 year old atm).

 

[SuiCIDER]

I'd be careful of preservatives.

 

[JonnyAnchovy]

Not many (actually none in my experience) supermarket honeys have any preservatives. Go for it!

 

[O'Henry]

Listen to the Anchovy, he brews a mean mead (and other assorted beverages). If you can, get in contact with some local beekeepers and see if you can get bulk honey. It's cheaper and so freaking tasty.

 

[Dazza_devil]

I may be biased but for good reason, you will not buy better honey than Tasmanian honey, particularly the Leatherwood for my tastes, expensive but worth it.

 

[The_Duck]

Woolies just had 500gm Organic Leatherwood jars on sale for $5.20. I bought a few of them for test purposes.

The mead is bubbling away as we speak.

I have bought the rainforest honey before and it is quite tasty. A good lightish honey IIRC.

I have also used Yellowbox from a local beekeeper who sold me a 30KG bucket for $150. Not the absolute cheapest I have seen but better than the other prices I have been quoted at $220-250 for the same amount.


Duck

 

[SpillsMostOfIt]

I have used Capilano honey, a supermarket's own brand, the north Queensland rainforest honey, a local professional apiarist's honey and that from a friend who is an amateur apiarist. The latter had small quantities of bee parts in it.

I used to tell myself that the supermarket honeys would be more likely to be 'sanitary' due to likely being heat-treated. I've read that honey has all sorts of anti-microbial qualities, but I make no claim...

I tend to add boiling (or recently boiled) water to my meads in the primary fermenter (plastic fresh wort cuboid), which should provide some sort of pasteurisation as I then leave the wort/wash/must to cool overnight before heaving the yeast in.

I am yet to make a honey-only mead; I rely on spices, fruits and stuff to add flavour (in the next few days, I will be doing something with 8kg honey, some raw organic coca nibs, organic coconut, frozen cherries and maple syrup). My only truly sus batch is one made from fresh plums I pulled from my tree and froze for a few weeks. It might be okay in a few months... time will tell.

I think that there will be subtle differences between the variously priced honeys and for the first few batches, cheap/easy to get is probably a fine way to decide what to buy.

 

[brettprevans]

archibald honey in dingley Victoria. lovely honey and cheap. past BulkBuy thread here. They also had uber massive containers for sale also. im talking like 100L+ containers and the like if you were looking at commercial quantities.

their SBL labeled honey is uber strong as its a blend and they tend to sell it to cerial companies becuase of the strength of its flavour. I tasted it and it would be awsome for braggots/beers etc where you need punch with only using a bit. I think it would be too overrpowering with a straight mead though

(in the next few days, I will be doing something with 8kg honey, some raw organic coca nibs, organic coconut, frozen cherries and maple syrup).

I think I just blew my load. that sounds awsome spills. any chance of a recipe?

 

[Bribie G]

ALDI honey is really cheap, around $6 a kilo normal price and is a mild honey that would make a good base mead I reckon.

 

[SpillsMostOfIt]

I think I just blew my load. that sounds awsome spills. any chance of a recipe?

When I work out what it is...

Might be one mead or two. I usually throw everything in together at the very start, but with this I might be making a big base mead and then decanting onto the flavours. I might not. I might put the maple syrup one to one side purely as an experiment. I simply don't know. The recipe will not be firm until bottled (or as in the case of my lemon/lime mead, in the glass). I might add some oak too. I'm vacillating over yeast. Usually T-58. Maybe EC-1118.

Still glad you asked?

 

[brettprevans]

When I work out what it is...

Might be one mead or two. I usually throw everything in together at the very start, but with this I might be making a big base mead and then decanting onto the flavours. I might not. I might put the maple syrup one to one side purely as an experiment. I simply don't know. The recipe will not be firm until bottled (or as in the case of my lemon/lime mead, in the glass). I might add some oak too. I'm vacillating over yeast. Usually T-58. Maybe EC-1118.

Still glad you asked?

a man after my own heart when it comes to experiments.

 

[The_Duck]

I think I just blew my load. that sounds awsome spills. any chance of a recipe?

I think I just lost my lunch....


But I have to agree that my previous experiments with just plain honey seem to pale in comparison to something like that !!


Duck

 

[SpillsMostOfIt]

I think I just lost my lunch....


But I have to agree that my previous experiments with just plain honey seem to pale in comparison to something like that !!


Duck

There's two flavours I have no interest in introducing to my meads...

However, for me mead is just another opportunity to play with flavour combos, but with the happy side-effect of alcohol.

 

[Chookers]

Its hard to find people who sell honey in my area, as I am inner sydney suburbs.. This Rainforest honey from woolies tastes good, Im kinda sorry to make mead out of it.. I have one batch of Beechworth, which I flavoured with Licorice root, cinnamon and a few cloves.. tasted the mix before adding the yeast and it tasted spicey and a little tangy.. I made one last year from a recipe that said to use acid mix instead of lemons.. and it was awful.. too acidic and too dry.. The lemon recipes I have used before always seem to be the right balance. So from now on when a recipe says acid mix I automatically convert that to lemon.

 

[barls]

there use to be a great place for honey in glebe at the health food store

 

[Eggs]

if your in the eastern suburbs of melbourne, head to the wantirna trash n treasure market on a sunday morning. there is a bee keeper there who sells a range of honeys in all sorts of sizes up to small buckets.
hes very friendly and gives tastings. prices seem pretty reasonable. i make a special trip when i need honey. just having a look at the jar in the cupboard, he is harts honey, from lillydale.

 

[brettprevans]

if your in the eastern suburbs of melbourne, head to the wantirna trash n treasure market on a sunday morning. there is a bee keeper there who sells a range of honeys in all sorts of sizes up to small buckets.
hes very friendly and gives tastings. prices seem pretty reasonable. i make a special trip when i need honey. just having a look at the jar in the cupboard, he is harts honey, from lillydale.

Price? Less than $6 p kg? If not just go to archibalds. Honey prices r probably higher this year after bees were being killed by an infection and another insect last year.

Next time ur at wantirna drop in a fish galore fish and chip shop on wantirna hwy just across from the primary school (about 2min down the rd from trash and treasure). Awsome fresh cut fish chips souvs etc.

 

[SuiCIDER]

there use to be a great place for honey in glebe at the health food store

I get my honey straight from the Orchard in Darkes Forest. (just past the shire going south)

 

[barls]

i normally get mine ether near orange or taree.