Bamboo Honey

[corexcore]

Has anyone ever used honey from Bamboo? SWMBO's uncle has several hives of bees from which he harvests honey and he just bequeathed to me 8 pounds of honey. Not bad considering he hasn't tried any of my mead and I've met the dude only a couple of times, and that I tend to make 1 gallon recipes that only need about 3 pounds anyway. The point at hand is that he told my lady that the honey had come primarily from bamboo plants (not entirely, but the majority of the nectar). I've yet to taste it but am told its very sweet and has a light flavor.

My question to the community is this; Has anyone else used bamboo honey for mead? What kind of recipe or flavors would complement the bamboo's flavor notes? Anyone with experience's voice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks a lot!

 

[Clayton]

Japanese knotweed flowers are valued by some beekeepers as an important source of nectar for honeybees, at a time of year when little else is flowering. Japanese knotweed yields a monofloral honey, usually called bamboo honey by northeastern U.S. beekeepers, like a mild-flavored version of buckwheat honey (a related plant also in the Polygonaceae

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_knotweed


real bamboo is a grass and does not make honey its pollonates with air in a way alot like corn , and no there is no corn honey ether

 

[Brew-boy]

I have not but given the chance I sure would make up a one gallon batch and see how I would like it.

 

[bubbachunk]

Taste it, if you like the way it tastes use it.

 

[corexcore]

Thanks Clayton. I was in fact confused by its labelling as bamboo honey because I didn't think that bamboo did flower. Similar to buckwheat, says wikipedia? Curious. I'll be trying it later today and hopefully it tastes delicious and good for mead making. Thanks for the input, and I suppose I'll pose a new question here;

Has anyone used Japanese Knotweed honey for mead? What sorts of flavors does it impart and what kind of mead would be best to make with it?

 

[1Brotherbill]

I would have to say that the honey is miss labeled. Bamboo seldom flowers. Since most bamboo is just runners off of one plant. Usually when it does flower all the runners off of that plant flowers at the same time all over the world. When I say seldom flowers, I mean it might flower once in a hundred years and when it does the stress on the plant usually kills the plant.

But back to the point of the thread. Like previous posts have said if it tastes good then use it.

 

[devil_doc]

hey, i have a book called "the complete meadmaker" great source of info. it lists everything about the honey varities. and if i read the book correctly it will even give you a forecasting of what the mead will taste like minus adjuncts.
very good book worth the money and time to read

 

[fatbloke]

hey, i have a book called "the complete meadmaker" great source of info. it lists everything about the honey varities. and if i read the book correctly it will even give you a forecasting of what the mead will taste like minus adjuncts.
very good book worth the money and time to read

Well I haven't seen him here, but the unfeasibly knowledgeable Ken Schramm does post over at gotmead.

Without checking the book (im lazy and busy watching the MIB rerun) I don't know whether he lists "bamboo" honey or not.....

 

[bubbachunk]

Well I haven't seen him here, but the unfeasibly knowledgeable Ken Schramm does post over at gotmead.

Without checking the book (im lazy and busy watching the MIB rerun) I don't know whether he lists "bamboo" honey or not.....

He has posted here in the past, although the last time I can remember was a while back when I was more active.

 

[huesmann]

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/search.php?searchid=10618201

 

[FromZwolle]

this thread is two years old. i'm pretty sure he's used the honey already.