Granulated honey

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mrmcdowe

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I am in Calgary and having issues sourcing reasonable priced bulk honey. One beekeeper has 5gl buckets of white honey from last fall. He says the white honey is granulated. Is it worth the effort of slightly heating to un granulate it? Or should I keep looking.

Thanks in advance.
 
Granulated honey is usually no problem at all. On occasion, you will find that the granulation will have left the moisture content too high in the surface layer and spontaneous fermentation can sometimes start there. Skimming that off will leave you with good honey underneath. If there is no funky smell, then you don't have to worry about it.

I wouldn't necessarily even heat it up. When I get granulated honey, I just scoop it out and mix it with warm water until it is dissolved and until I get the gravity I want.

Medsen
 
The granulated honey may be the least of my concerns :) the beekeeper wants 60$ a gallon for the white honey. Is that a good price? I know it's Calgary but I was thinking he is way overpriced.
 
That sounds outrageous. I see prices from $60 to $90 (US currency) for 5 gallon buckets for clover, wildflower and orange blossom.
 
I live in Calgary also and this is what keeps my mead making to a minimum. Your looking at $5.00 for 1/2 liter even from the farmers markets. Cheapest I found was $17.00 for 2 liters of liquid honey of potentially low quality.
 
I just bought 8 gallons of Wild Flower Honey for $37.50 a gallon. I see Orange Blossom offered for about $60.00 a gallon most anywhere on the Internet. I think they are a bit to proud of their honey there in Calgary.
 
It drops to between -15c and -30c for most of the winter here which lasts 6-8 months (I know bee's can live through this, but they fall into hibernation which means no honey) and I am sure not keeping them in my house.

That aside I think we import a lot of honey from the warmer parts of the country and the US which drives up the cost.
 
I did keep bees for a few years. That was a long time ago while living in Chicago.

I guess I will need to bite the bullet and pay the high costs if I want mead.

I have one more year here in calgary and will not hassle bringing any liqueur across the border. I would usually not even think I could enjoy a mead in less then 10 to 12 months. But watching brewingtv show on mead he said he has success in 6 to 8.
 
Your lucky you get to escape next year. This winter was brutally long. Its mid-May and the snow is finally disappearing.

Maybe there is something we can substitute for honey? Obviously not entirely but just a portion to increase the body without adding to much (or any) undesired flavours. I was thinking of making a mead and using corn sugar/syrup (say honey:dextrose, 4:1 ratio). I am still a mead-newbie but I am wondering if we could use spices and other flavours (tea, vanilla, etc) to mask the use of adjuncts?
 
If that is, in fact, water-white honey it can be very hard to find and $5 per pound wouldn't be crazy. Getting a honey that light can allow you to produce a mead that looks almost like water - a rare delicacy. Would you mind sharing the contact number for this beekeeper?

Medsen
 
I found some honey a little cheaper. But not much. Also it was not granulated. So I am going to try tomorrow.

Wish me luck

Thanks for your help everyone
 
Thanks! Its not very far from where I live. Totally going to make a trip up there this May Long.
 
Maybe there is something we can substitute for honey? Obviously not entirely but just a portion to increase the body without adding to much (or any) undesired flavours. I was thinking of making a mead and using corn sugar/syrup (say honey:dextrose, 4:1 ratio). I am still a mead-newbie but I am wondering if we could use spices and other flavours (tea, vanilla, etc) to mask the use of adjuncts?

I made a mead in April using maple sap (not syrup), in place of the water. Or maybe you could use maple syrup.... although that is about $40 a gallon.

Won't know how well the sap mead will turn out for months, but my maple sap Helles Bock is quite good...IMHO
 

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