Honey Quality

[MountainManWannabe]

I wanted to try my hand at making mead. The recipe I have calls for 10 lbs of clover honey. My local health food store sells honey in quart jars from a local beekeeper for about $18 apiece. They weigh 2.5 lbs so I figure using these will cost $80. That's before I've bought the yeast and all the other ingredients I'll need.

I like the idea of supporting the little guy and the local economy and all that, but I couldn't help but notice that Wal Mart sells 5 lb containers of clover honey for about $12.

Will I be disappointed with my final product if I cheap out and buy from Walley World?

 

[chip82]

Maybe go talk to the local beekeeper and see if you can buy directly form them. We get our honey by allowing beekeepers to keep bees on our farm grounds.

 

[MedsenFey]

Better honey makes better mead - without question! If you get get fresh honey that has not been heat treated or filtered, you can sniff it side-by-side with the Wal-Mart honey and you'll probably be able to tell the difference easily as the fresh honey will be much more aromatic. That translates over into the mead as well.

I'm not saying there is anything wrong will bulk processed honey, and in some recipes that I make with loads of fruit or spices, those additives drown out the honey and using a honey that is somewhat bland is not a problem. There can be something wrong with bulk honey that is imported from China (or other parts) that has been cut with high fructose corn syrup, or treated with antibiotics. If you trust Wal-Mart to screen those out, then you can use their honey without worry.

Edit - I will say that $18 for less than a quart is way over-priced. You can get great fresh honey for as little as $2.50 per pound if you check with local beekeepers in many areas. And in your area, cranberry honey is excellent.

 

[ZooBrew]

Ditto Medsenfey. I've made Mead from 'store-bought' honey and it's ok for your first go at it.

IMO, on a 'dollar' basis, by the gallon, I figure that $15 is the absolute top end price of the 3lbs of honey reguired (it had better be very unique for me to spring for that). And a while back I did very hesitantly for 3lbs/$15 of Star-Thistle honey; is the best Mead I've ever made. I would have bought more of that batch in a heart-beat had I known.

 

[racin_ny]

I ran an add on Craigslist and picked up local unfiltered, unpasteurized honey for $2.38 a pound

Ditto Medsenfey. I've made Mead from 'store-bought' honey and it's ok for your first go at it.

IMO, on a 'dollar' basis, by the gallon, I figure that $15 is the absolute top end price of the 3lbs of honey reguired (it had better be very unique for me to spring for that). And a while back I did very hesitantly for 3lbs/$15 of Star-Thistle honey; is the best Mead I've ever made. I would have bought more of that batch in a heart-beat had I known.

 

[fusa]

I've also had luck using Craigslist. Just posted an ad in the wanted section and a local bee keeping club posted my request on their email list. Within a day I had several offers, one as low as $10/quart. Now I can get better quality honey for much cheaper than the local stores sell them for. I tried making a bochet a couple of weeks ago using Food Lion brand honey, and it will no longer ferment, no matter what I do.

 

[fatbloke]

Totally concur with Medsens comment!

Though it is fair to point out that you don't necessarily need to buy the good stuff if you're gonna make a melomel or cyser or metheglin, because the fruit/spice flavours will be more at the front so you don't need to be so worried about how good the honey is.....