soonann

Recipes 

Anyone had any experience with Eucalyptus honey? I got 6 kg (13.2 lbs) of it, should I do a traditional or add fruit?

hightest

Recipes 

Be careful using this honey variety. Most of the online comments I've read were quite unhappy with the results - strong medicinal favors.

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pdilley

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If you see a web site that says don't use eucalypt honeys (tons of different varietals) or even this that say dont use bread yeast. Run! the other way and never visit that place or listen to that persons advice again.

Since moving to Australia I have been brewing meads with both eucalyptus dark honeys like Stringy Bark Honey along with the local bread yeasts sold (also ale yeasts like US-05, as well as the wine yeasts like D47) and have have excellent results. I did not de-clorinate the water with some meads and still got excellent results.

There are so many varietals of Eucalypts to go through and even the venerable The Compleat Meadmaker book is completeley useless when it comes to Eucaluptus honey data and useage advice.

Whomsoever starts such advice is proven wrong and wrong again time over the more don't listen and do my own first hand experience brewing meads with them.

Try it and learn for yourself firsthand experience trumls heresay everytime and shows you who/what the experts really are.

Cheers,
P

soonann

Recipes 

Thanks for the comments.
pdilley, have you tried the eucalyptus Honey from Superbee before? That's the honey which I got.

k1v1116

Recipes 

I guess it depends of the type, here in NY the only type I've seen has a warning label that reads: for topical application only. So I guess try a spoonful and if the smell and taste doesnt make you gag its worth a shot in mead.

malkore

Recipes 

every successful recipe i've seen using this honey, its always 1 part eucalyptus honey to 2-3 parts wildflower honey.

its just too potently flavored/aroma'd. i've used eucalyptus oil before and WOW is that a pungent odor.

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Malkore
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pdilley

Recipes 

Im in Australia and buying all my honeys at a local farm from a 1,200+ hive primary producer. Non pastuerised and fresh from the harvest.

All the rules are out the window on dark and light honeys, Ive had darks with delicate flavor and lights with strong flavor.

My ironbark eucalypt variety is rather delicate and my stringybark eucalypt is rather strong. Im brewing 100% (no diluted mixtures) eucalypts in Mead and have not found any of the problems associated with them. One problem you could be facing is a blended pastuerised multi-varietal mixure being sold to you under the name eucalyptus honey. Without a proper varietal its going to be a bit of a crap shoot as to what to expect but the standard dilution ratios in water and a taste will give you an indicator of where its going to be headed.

There are over 500 species of Eucapytpus and many more hybrids so judge anything labelled Eucalyptus honey wih a wary eye unless it tells you the exact variety.

The most popular varieties of Eucalyptus honey locally are:
StringyBark
Ironbark
Yellow Box
Red River Gum
Salvation Jane
White Box
Spotted Gum
Mallee
Leatherwood


There is no scent of eucalyptus/flavour in the honey. You have adulterated honey if you do. And no, people don't slather it on their skin here so you have honey and eucapyptus oil mixture for cosmetic use it seems.

Cheers,
P

ericd

Recipes 

Wow pdilly, you're the eucalyptus expert.