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Post by blueadzuki on Oct 25, 2017 5:45:56 GMT -5
It's like this I have TWO ways of doing the fermentation. One is using the actual gallon jug that came with the kit. But to do that, I have to have at least a pound of honey of the same type, which I often don't (since a standard commercial honey jar is usually only about half a pound)
The other way is using old bottled water bottles (I always have some of those lying around) which are just the right size for a half pound batch. Every few days I take off the top and burp out the CO2. Low tech, but it works. But (as I said) different meads ferment at different rates so getting two to sync up so I could mix them is a no go. And since the total at the end is also variable (depending on loss to foaming, loss to racking and shrinkage if I need to freeze it) trying to mix honeys at the beginning would not really solve the problem.
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Post by blueadzuki on Jan 6, 2018 16:56:53 GMT -5
Update 1/6/18
Bushman's Holiday was completed and delivered, not a great success (I overdid the freezing when it needed concentration, and wound up with something TOO strong)
On the other hand, my cousin liked what was left of the Bam Booze, he said it was like a fino sherry.
I have had two running since Thanksgiving and one done today. The two running are a Portuguese Forest honey and a Brazilian Tropical Blossom (I got the jugs from my cousin, so I can do 3 batches now without using old water bottles) They're progressing I guess, but are being a little slow (maybe it's the cold) and are still too sweet to bottle.
The one I did today is a half gallon one with mesquite honey (yes, it is a little smoky)
As soon as one of the big ones is done the next batch's honey is ready, New Zealand Rata. I tasted it and it is pleasant but a little bland (I got a jar of New Zealand beech at the same time, maybe I'll add that for some complexity).
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Post by blueadzuki on Jan 31, 2018 21:40:43 GMT -5
Quick question
I just got some honey that happens to have pieces of comb in it. I'm a little worried that, if I put it in unfiltered the wax will clog the bubblers. If I heat the honey, then let it cool, can I just skim the wax off?
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Post by walt on Feb 1, 2018 14:44:40 GMT -5
Yes wax can be removed that way. I think honey is not quite as good after being heated. I think it evaporates some of the flower flavors. But most people don't notice the difference.
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Post by blueadzuki on Feb 1, 2018 15:25:38 GMT -5
Maybe so, but it is the only feasible way to get some of them out of the jar (a lot of the exotic honeys I work with are solid at room temperature, a few even beyond the ability of spoon to scoop.
Will be bottling the tropical blossom this weekend.
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Post by steev on Feb 1, 2018 20:04:35 GMT -5
In Guatemala, we got grainy-solid honey, wonderful stuff; honey was often sold in bottles, but that was a tip-off that it had been cut with orange juice.
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Post by walt on Feb 2, 2018 13:54:19 GMT -5
In Niger, all the local honey was sour. There rarely was local honey available. It was sold still in the comb.
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Post by steev on Feb 2, 2018 20:51:34 GMT -5
Know what flowers caused the sourness?
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Post by blueadzuki on Feb 2, 2018 21:08:43 GMT -5
There's a lot of baobob in Niger. That has sour fruit. Maybe that?
Oh an one warning to honey explorers. My college professor once told us that there are some honeys in some places that, due to their nectar, can cause liver damage.
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Post by steev on Feb 3, 2018 4:39:45 GMT -5
This is an interesting subject for investigation; I only know that almond honey is bitter; also, I'm not sure I want urban honey, being a tad leery of pesticide/herbicide issues, not really that enthused about agricultural honey, for that matter.
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Post by walt on Feb 3, 2018 14:27:43 GMT -5
The proportion of baobob trees in Niger are very small. But they are the only tree, probably the only plant, that blooms in the dry season, other than in irrigated gardens. No idea what caused the sourness. I first thought the honey had been watered down to where it could turn to vinigar. But they had no way to put it back in the comb. So I don't know.
Dry season there is 7 months, and that is dry as in NO rain for 7 months. Honeybees were not at all common there. The honey may have been brought up from Nigeria.
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Post by reed on Feb 3, 2018 16:04:43 GMT -5
Tobacco flower honey is as nasty as can be, tastes like an ash tray smells. Thankfully there isn't as much tobacco grown here as in the past. A bright side I suppose, to the loss of all the small family farms.
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Post by blueadzuki on Feb 3, 2018 16:37:57 GMT -5
Corbolezza (Arbutus Tree) honey is also famous for being bitter. I got some of that a month or so ago, and it tastes sort of like honey mixed with burnt sugar. Seeing how it works as mead.
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andyb
gardener
Posts: 179
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Post by andyb on Feb 3, 2018 23:50:38 GMT -5
Quick question I just got some honey that happens to have pieces of comb in it. I'm a little worried that, if I put it in unfiltered the wax will clog the bubblers. If I heat the honey, then let it cool, can I just skim the wax off? I'm not sure exactly what process you're using, but it seems like the wax would be easy to remove after you've diluted the honey with water, before you add the yeast. It should float to the top or be easy to strain out, I'd think. |
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Post by blueadzuki on Feb 4, 2018 0:49:14 GMT -5
That's sort of what I was planning mix the honey to make the "wort" (I know that is the term for beer, dunno what the mead equivalent is) then take the wax out with a straining. The heat is for the same reason I don't just pull the combs out and throw them away; at least half the honey is still in the comb and I don't want to waste it.
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