Raw honey

If I'm going to use raw honey in primary, will the anti microbial properties of honey allow me to just dump it in? Or do I need to heat it up first?

ricshayne said:

If I'm going to use raw honey in primary, will the anti microbial properties of honey allow me to just dump it in? Or do I need to heat it up first?

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I'm not sure what honey's anti-microbial qualities have to do with this, that's due to honey's high ratio of sugar:water. If the honey is very thick or stiff, a gentle heating in hot water will make it much easier to pour.

To add after reading Cider123's response: ricshayne, if you are worried about contamination from the honey, as Cider said it's very unlikely. However, the honey may contain mold spores or some other fellow travelers held in stasis by the honey's properties. Rather than adding the honey to the primary you could add at knockout to essentially pasteurize it. This will probably reduce some of the more delicate aroma just a bit.

If your primary is still going then the chances of some other micros taking hold over the yeast is not very probable. And yes, they would first need to survive the high solute conc of the honey itself. You probably have a better chance of infection from opening the bucket or not sanitizing the equipment you use than from the honey itself.

So it's pretty safe, but like Ed said, warming it up will help pour it in quickly.

Thanks guys!