A Technique to Add Honey

[Tippsy-Turvy]

I want to share an approach to adding honey that aims to allow pasteurization whilst minimizing the vapourisation of the honey's aromatics.

Basically, heat the honey and cool it in a sealed bag! I put the honey in a Ziploc-style bag, heated it to ~150F for 10mins and cooled it to ~100F before opening and adding to the primary. Hopefully, this will allow any aromatics vapourised during the heating phase to be reabsorbed into the liquid during the cooling. Unfortunately, any proof will have to wait a few weeks.

The honey was added after 1 week's fermentation and has already kicked off another wild orgy.

 

[cluckk]

It seems like an interesting idea. However, I wonder one thing. If you are adding it after a week of fermentation (which is a good idea) why bother pasteurizing it? When I do this I just add the honey straight in the fermenter. With the alcohol and the amount of active yeast an infection is unlikely.

 

[Newsman]

I thought honey was naturally sanitary anyway?

 

[Yooper]

Since honey has such a high sugar content (and little moisture from water), it's naturally antimicrobial.

I've never heated it or pasteurized it. I use it in wines, meads, cider, and beers.

 

[cluckk]

It is. Historically it has even been used to dress wounds and prevent infection. However, it does often contain wild yeast and once it gets diluted that yeast can take off, but you would most likely to have it in a mixture without another strain of yeast to compete with. I know many mead makers never heat their honey. I've only made a few batches of mead and stopped heating using sulfates since the first two.

 

[Tippsy-Turvy]

If you are adding it after a week of fermentation (which is a good idea) why bother pasteurizing it?

The honest answer is paranoia. Once I added it straight to cooled wort and, whilst it turned out fine, when you read things like the quote below there's the fear that I was just lucky. I now add honey at 2mins or flameout but then wonder what aromatics are being lost!

It is well known that honey won't spoil, so people often assume it's sanitized naturally. Actually bacteria and wild yeast could be present, but they aren't active and can't propagate in honey. If you dilute the honey, it can spoil (that's why bees fan it with their wings to concentrate it prior to capping it).

Quaker did also maintain that if the yeast has been allowed to propagate then it should be ok. I know, RDWHAHB.