Crystallized honey question

[AzOr]

Hello mazers.... and maizers- I don’t discriminate. Although fermenting corn doesn't seem like much fun. To each his own.

I have a 5lb bucket of crystallized white clover honey that I want to use a portion of in a cyser.

My q- does crystallized honey stratify? Can I just chip out a pound or two from the top and weigh it out? Or will the bottom (or top) be concentrated?

Appreciate the help. I usually use my honey fast enough, I don't have to worry about it crystallizing.

 

[specialkayme]

It depends on the type of honey and how fast it crystalized. Some honeys crystalize slowly, and the bottom can be like a brick while the top remains liquid. It can sometimes impact moisture content, causing the top layer to have a higher moisture content that can sometimes ferment (never happened to me personally though). Some honeys crystalize rapidly and uniformly.

I'd reliquify if I were you. If you can put it in a wooden box, or a fermentation chamber, and maintain a 95 or 100 degree temp for a few days it'll reliquify.

 

[CodeSection]

When I was younger and in high school, I was a beekeeper with 12 hives. Frequently, I would have jars of honey that crystallized. In your situation, I would liquidfy the honey again. The five pound bucket of honey is really not that large.

I believe the easier and better method to liquidfy involves placing the five pound bucket in a kettle filled with warm (105F-115F) water for several hours. It WILL liquidfy. If you try rushing it by raising the temperature, you risk burning and/or darkening the honey. I would avoid using a microwave as well as you can burn and/or darken the honey with that method as well.

Good luck!

 

[AzOr]

Thanks all. I was trying to take the lazy way out but I’ll go ahead and liquify the whole bucket.

Another q- once it’s been crystallized and liquified, will it crystallize quicker?

 

[CodeSection]

Thanks all. I was trying to take the lazy way out but I’ll go ahead and liquify the whole bucket.

Another q- once it’s been crystallized and liquified, will it crystallize quicker?

If you do not use it fast enough it will crystallize again. I never really noticed how quickly that occurred after the first liquidfy. You can liquidfy as many times as you want. However, if you keep going through the cycle of crystallize/liquidfy, eventually you will lose some flavor and aroma of the honey.

If you believe you may not use the five pound bucket of honey quick enough, once it is liquidfy the first time, pour the honey into smaller canning jars (the size of your recipes usage). That way if the honey crystallizes again, you are only liquidfying what you need rather than the whole remaining bucket amount again.

For instance, my typical honey usage ranges 2-3 pounds for a 10 gallon batch. I end up buying three pound jars and have never had them crystallize. If I bought larger honey amounts (5-10 pounds), I would pour the honey into quart size canning jars. That way I will only liquidfy what I need if the honey crystallizes.

Just be patient when warming the honey. Time is your friend.

 

[specialkayme]

Thanks all. I was trying to take the lazy way out but I’ll go ahead and liquify the whole bucket.

Another q- once it’s been crystallized and liquified, will it crystallize quicker?

No. In fact, depending on the temp you expose the honey to in order to liquify it, it may crystalize slower, or not at all next time, although that isn't a desired results.