Tried the mead what a buzz!!! I was in a bit of a spell:)

[virginiawolf]

Is there something different about the alcohol made from the honey? It was like I was in a bit of a spell. It really felt different. I had a little sample of the mead last Christmas eve but I finally really drank some. 2 cups and it hit me right quick. Really unique. Does it go into your bloodstream quicker? I'm curious to hear if there's any facts on alcohol made from honey or peoples mead buzz experiences. I found it remarkable. Attached is a pic of my first year bees from this summer. Bees are amazing.

[/IMG]

 

[bob1852]

When you drink ~15+% ABV mead, the same way you drink ~5% ABV beer.....the results are what you'd expect

Trust me - I know from experience!

 

[virginiawolf]

Yeah.. funny you said 15% thats exactly what it is. I am used to the beer not anything much stronger than like 8 or 9 %. All this time fermenting it and I really didn't give the 15% alcohol fact that much acknowledgement. Wow it's profound. It's a unique buzz too.

 

[Matrix4b]

I warn people not to drink my mead like beer. That it is about twice as potent as your normal comercial beer.

Also, I think that being made from honey your body metabolizes it quicker. I knew someone that could chug hard alcohol of around 35-40% ABV% with no ill effects but when they tried a bottle of comercial honey the same way they were instantly trashed. They had never had mead before and were under the impression that it would not affect them that fast or completely given their tolerance for hard alcohol.

I mean it is made from Honey. Your body loves honey and metabolizes it better than normal processed sugars.

 

[virginiawolf]

Hi Matrix4b, Yes my body does like honey. Since we brewed the mead and i got interested in bees the past 2 times i had like cold/allergy symptoms i just drank honey and it cured me. This coming summer i'm going to try the pollen everyday as well. I can tell the honey alcohol is different for sure.
I'm amazed by the mead honestly. It's incredible. The wait for the mead is so worth it. I find it quite magical. Sort of can't put my finger on the feeling after drinking it "Unique".
I'm so glad I got into brewing. Big beer fan. I didn't expect the mead to be so mindblowing. I had some last night with a friend than some home brew. It's magic.
Where has mead been my whole life? Better a little late than never thats for sure.
"I like Mead" "Thank You Bees" Virginia Wolf

 

[tweake]

don't eat to much pollen, it can get to toxic levels.
i was talking to someone recently whose husband had pollen everyday, intil he collapsed from having to much.

 

[virginiawolf]

Thanks for the warning. I heard about the pollen from my beekeeping instructor. He sells it. Gets it from his hives in pollen traps. His wife said he doesn't take any medicine just a handfull of pollen every day. The guys healthy as horse. I read up on it and there was an article saying bee pollen was a perfect food etc and it provides all sorts of health benefits. I heard if you take some local bee pollen every day a month prior to and during allergy season it will help your body adjust and prevent allergies. I've never heard anything bad yet about the pollen. I know too much of anything can be dangerous though. I wonder if you could have a reaction to the various components in the pollen like the pollen collected from certain plants and trees could have toxic properties for humans but not the Bees. Was he taking pollen from local beekeeper or mass produced bottled stuff? Also some beekeepers put pesticides in their hives. Wonder if the pollen got contaminated? I took pollen a few times a week last year no problems but it was late in the season to know if it would prevent allergies. Was planning to try some every day this year like a morning vitamin. My instructor doesn't use the pesticides so I'm safe there. He beleives in healthy bees through good bee stock no chemicals. As far other reasons. I'm curious now. Thanks for the heads up! Maybe someone can explain why pollen could cause a bad reaction. I'll look it up now see what I can find online. Virginia Wolf

Ok so it's like taking too many vitamins can be too much Also People sometimes have a bad reaction so you have to test it on yourself and then gradually build up your intake
One ounce of bee pollen (4 tablespoonfuls) is equivalent to three cooked meals in terms of nutrient content.
Benefits seem great

Heres some info from this link http://www.alternativescentral.com/beepollen.htm

A dosage of from 15 to 20 grams (one-half ounce) will usually meet the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for adults. Approximately 30 to 32 grams are necessary in order to anabolically strengthen and tone a person, whereas anywhere from 15 to 20 grams are essential for the proper maintenance of good health in active adults.

Children from 3 to 5 years of age require 12 grams of pollen, while those from 6 to 12 years need 16 grams daily.

The daily dose can be increased up to 35 grams (1 ounce equals 28 grams), considering the differences in age, weight and overall state of health. This dosage will also provide greater preventative maintenance against a lack of essential amino acids.

Do not begin using bee pollen with a dose larger than 1 tablespoonful, twice a day. After one week, gradually increase the dosage from 1 tablespoonful up to 4 tablespoonfuls (1 tablespoonful equals approximately one-fourth ounce). One ounce of bee pollen (4 tablespoonfuls) is equivalent to three cooked meals in terms of nutrient content.

While this small dosage acts as a mild hypotensive, it also possesses stimulant properties and may upset your gastro-intestinal system if taken in large quantities during the initial stages (due to its powerful cleansing effects).

Bee pollen should be consumed in its pure form at least 30 minutes before meals, especially if it is being used for the purpose of losing excess weight. It can also be mixed with honey, thereby producing a candy substitute if made into cakes and dried under direct sunlight. Pollen also becomes a healthy substitute for mother's milk when combined with nut milks, such as almond milk. It can also be blended into fruit or vegetable dressing, or you can dissolve pollen in your favorite herb tea, fruit or vegetable juice (e.g., pineapple and tomato juice blend well together). Pollen may also be sprinkled onto ice cream, granola, sandwiches or salads, or take a banana and dip it directly into the pollen. You may also wish to dissolve 1 teaspoonful of pollen and 1 teaspoonful of honey in a cup of hot water and drink before breakfast.

Pollen may be consumed in its natural pellet form, or it may be pulverized by the use of a blender or coffee grinder in order to incorporate it into butter, jam, or a mixture of butter and honey.

Bee Pollen should never be purchased in powder, tablet or capsule form, as any commercial pulverizing process of pollen is usually accompanied by a certain amount of adulteration. Pollen will usually ferment within 24 hours if it is moist and not refrigerated.

Heat will normally decrease the health value of bee pollen, as is the case with nearly all foods.

 

[jturb]

I have kind of noticed the same thing, mead gives me a totally different buzz than all other alcohols that I have come across. It is almost a bubbly (best word I can think of) buzz, very enjoyable :cross:.

 

[tweake]

not sure if some pollens are toxic to humans or not especially if its off a toxic plant.

the guy i mentioned might have a build up of certain trace elements and got to a toxic level. ie the body couldn't process such large amount fast enough. they are meant to be be a supplement not your total diet
as with trace elements, less is more. don't over do it.

last word of cation, don't get it in your face. it can be nasty, even people without pollen allergy's will react to it as i found out the hard way.

 

[virginiawolf]

Hi jturb, Thanks for the confirmation I realize it's higher alcohol than I'm used to so thats part of it.. But like you're saying I found it different. Bubbly Buzz is a great way to describe it. It's like the magic of the bees buzz is inside of it Seriously. I felt like warmth from it. I felt transformed by it. MatrixB was saying your body metabolizes it quicker cause of the honey Powerful stuff I guess whatever the yeast doesn't ferment is Delicious Healthy Honey still. Probably we're getting a healthy honey buzz along with the alcohol. I'm going to go get some right now

 

[virginiawolf]

Thanks Tweake, You make a great point. I was only planning on taking a little bit of pollen each day but It's the little unsuspecting things that seem harmless sometimes that end up being dangerous. I appreciate you sharing your wisdom on the subject. I'm glad I read more about it. When you read all the benefits I could see where someone would think more is better and over do it. Do you drink meade?

 

[tweake]

only just starting brewing the other week, hopefully i will be able to get good enough to make a really nice mead. i get stung for a living so i'm no stranger to honey

 

[Matrix4b]

You don't really need to have pollen to get the benifits of the allergy reduction or loss. Basically, Unfiltered Honey will have the same benifits. A friend of mine has seasonal alergies. He took a teaspoon of honey once a day for two weeks. It cured his alergies and he did it 2 years in a row and he was permamently cured. Scientists think that the cure for the common cold and other cures. If it can only be gotten.

One theory as to why it solves the seasonal alergy problem is that the bees collect all of the allergens. So you de-sensitize yourself to it over time.

 

[virginiawolf]

Oh Neat. It's my first year with the bees this year.
We made mead for first time nov 09 and a swarm of honeybees came into my basement. I was wigged out but didnt get stung. I figured it was the neighbors bees so I asked him and his wife about them. They reccomended I take the beekeeping course so I did and now have the bees. I've been stung 3x so far really always because I wasn't careful enough. The hives were really poplulated at the end of the season so It was a way more intense experience checking the hives just before winter. So you're a bee farmer Pest control? Why do you get stung?
When I started brewing 3 years ago I had no Idea how into it I would end up. I've learned alot of stuff since I started about brewing but also weather bees equipment etc. It's such a vast thing. What are you brewing first? What got you to finally brew? You can definitely make mead. I used my beer equipment to do a 5 and then a 10 gallon batch but people do smaller batches. Although I've read on quick turn around meads We aged ours. Thats the The thing thats tough is it takes a long time to age it. I can make beer with in a month Its carbonated on tap and everything. with the mead I had to check the airlocks periodically cause they would evaporate. I aged the first batch like a year and 2 months so far it's blueberry meade. The second batch has been like 6 months it's a strawberry meade. Its already pretty delicious Like I was saying in the beginning of this I had never had mead. I didn't know what to compare it to. Its a very unique flavor and the buzz is different. Bees are incredible
Virginia Wolf

 

[tweake]

You don't really need to have pollen to get the benifits of the allergy reduction or loss. Basically, Unfiltered Honey will have the same benifits. .........

One theory as to why it solves the seasonal alergy problem is that the bees collect all of the allergens. So you de-sensitize yourself to it over time.

exactly. you get all the pollen and other bacteria that is in honey. you get de-sensitized over time. however these days the wax separators do a really good job and strip just about everything out. its only the really fine pollen that get left behind.
unfiltered is the best. however just watch you don't eat a bee sting like i did the other day. unfiltered honey has everything in it including bee parts.

virginiawolf- i'm a full time beekeeper. it takes a long of time to get used to being stung. i can't even count how many stings i get per day ! but you can wear gear that will resist most of the stings. i will wear lighter gear or take gloves off etc as its easier to work with.
i have a couple of basic meads on the go at the mo with some freebie rubbish honey i got given. i will play with that before starting something decent.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f30/hi-newbie-nz-214246/

 

[virginiawolf]

Hi Matrix 4b, Ok I'm finding that anything relating to bees seems beneficial. What I read about the pollen sounds great. I'm a big beleiver in the benefits of the honey as well. It just tastes healthy. I figure since the honey has antibacterial properties like the hops these things would benefit the body. etc. I was reading
Mead of Inspiration
MEAD OF INSPIRATION. Background: This rite is based on both the Celtic and Nordic tradition of brewing mead. Both mythologies use mead as an elixir of inspiration.

www.magma.ca/~yeti/m_inspir.htm - Cached

 

[bob1852]

I love mead! I love to pour a glass during a full moon and go outside and just hang out in the dark and look at the moon while drinking it!

tweake - are you from North or South Island?? I really want to visit NZ someday!

 

[virginiawolf]

When I got stung the one time I didnt get the stinger out quick and by 24 hours later it was real swollen. Since then I've been really careful with the gloves and veil and jacket etc. I don't like anything about bee stings. Just the 2 hives I have has given me quite an appreciation for the labor involved in beekeeping. I helped the instructor with one of his hives that had like 8 hive bodies on it etc. Then another 8 stack we were inspecting the frames in the class. It was 100 degrees out and with the bee suit I was broasting. Thats a tough job. Can you post some pics on here so we can see the hives/bees? As far as unfiltered honey ... So your getting the pollen through the honey I see so its really about the levels of pollen. The honey just has less pollen especially if its filtered. Hmnn.

Wow! AZ IPA you posted 11,934

Next full moon I'll be out there too with some mead
Virginia Wolf

 

[tweake]

..... It just tastes healthy. I figure since the honey has antibacterial properties like the hops these things would benefit the body. etc.

honey is very good and has natural antibacterial properties. especially active Manuka. however how you use it is just as important. putting it into your coffee or turning it into alcohol pretty much gets rid of most of the health benefits.
still going to be better than cheap spirits but not as good as straight honey.

tweake - are you from North or South Island?? I really want to visit NZ someday!

up in the winterless north
if you get a chance come on down you won't regret it

 

[bob1852]

up in the winterless north
if you get a chance come on down you won't regret it

Would love to. Been to Hong Kong many times (my birthplace actually), but that's a ~15 hour flight from San Francisco.

How the hell do you get to NZ from the Western US??

Straight from California to Aukland?

 

[tweake]

......It was 100 degrees out and with the bee suit I was broasting. Thats a tough job.

o yeah thats getting real hot. biggest problem with heat here is the humidity. i was in 89f degrees but 110% humidity.....i was dodging heat showers! got hot enough to almost get heat stroke.

 

[bob1852]

Wow! AZ IPA you posted 11,934

Next full moon I'll be out there too with some mead
Virginia Wolf

Don't confuse my post count with knowledge. There are lots of places here to post about a lot of stuff

But, I am a fan of mead. I have a cherry melamel bottled right not that is incredible. It's like magic on the lips!

I made a raspberry melamel a few years ago just for fun; and that's what got me into it. I kept tasting it and tasting it, and not liking it; but eventually it came out really good, and I was hooked!

I really like the chapters in Schramm's book talking about the history of mead - so that's why I enjoy drinking it outside under the moon!

 

[virginiawolf]

AZ IPA I never did a forum until this so To me its alot of posts
I'll have to look at this book Ken Schramm's Book Hyped In Slate
Rasberry Melamel sounds delicious. I planted some rasberrys 2 years ago I love rasberries

Tweake Wow I'm Glad I asked to see the pics of the hives Amazing
Glad you made it through that heat. That stack of hives is bigger than any I've seen in person 6 high I thought was high You're using hive bodys as a ladder thats hardcore. Those hivebodies get heavy man it's straight up hardwork looking through. Hopefully no stings for a while for you. I hope my hives do ok this first winter. They were looking ok as far as honey at end of summer but one hive was certainly more populated. Time will tell. Are those Hives close to that water view? It's nice environment there gorgeous. Virginia Wolf

 

[tweake]

that water view is just down the road from one of the bee sites. really nice spot. amazingly, with views like that, its still farm land.

main thing is to keep on top of any bugs and have enough food in there for them. if in doubt feed them. we usually run top feeders so really easy to take the lid off and feed them without breaking the hive open. just straight raw sugar (not soft brown) with a little bit of water works well. won't ferment like syrup does.

 

[Frodo]

It's funny you posted this question. I just tried my first mead a couple of days ago, after almost 3 months now in the carboy. It's 14%, dropped from 1.104 to 1.001. Wow I have to agree one glass and holy night I was feeling it.

BTW, NZ is quite amazing, and varied. From 11,000 ft mts with the ocean only a few miles away on the west coast of the south island, volcanic bubblings in Rotorua on the north island, and Tane Mahuta. The fjords in SW south island are unbelievable. Definitely worth checking out AZ_IPA.

 

[fatbloke]

Just read this thread..... Interesting......

Couple of points. Pollen in an unmodified state, is probably as toxic as the plants it's collected from. For instance, I wouldn't have any issues with "wild flower" honey, but I certainly wouldn't use anything from a wild flower like "foxglove" unless it was in a product prescribed by a dispensing chemist/pharmacologist.

I might be wrong, but I'd have thought it prudent to treat pollen from such plants as being as dangerous as the plant itself - without having any professional knowledge on the matter (besides, it just depends on where you happen to live as to what toxic plants might be around and where such pollen might have been collected).

Honey, is after all, modified....... it's "bee puke"!

As for Ken Schramm's book ? Yes, it's produced to be aimed more toward the US market and American mead makers, but that's not to say that it's a mine of valuable information. Ken knows his stuff and his book seems to be very well researched. Worth every penny.

You can always search for his posts, they usually make for very good reading.

regards

fatbloke

 

[virginiawolf]

[/IMG]Cool info Thanks for everyones responses so far This is keeping me at my pc
Frodo I laughed the way you put that Holy Night! I was really surprised too that's why I asked about the honey alcohol. Its led to all sorts of good posts.
I'm looking at maybe rethinking how I bottled the mead. Perhaps I'll switch it into some little 187 ml bottles they take beer caps or corks. Then I can indulge in it more practically in smaller amounts.

Fatbloke I don't know how credible this link is but it speaks of dangerous pollen from certain plants. I suppose the pollen I have is mutt pollen where it came from there's no one specific crop. I guess it could be a safety concern. The guy that sells it is my bee instructor Doubt he has a license or anything. Like I was saying he seems to be in excellent shape. He sells honey pollen and bee queens and nucs. It's a country style situation. So far the local pollen I've had in my fridge hasn't hurt me It's fruity tasting. I'm glad that I'm thinking more on the safety of pollen etc though. I'll still take it but with more consideration on qty. and source. Eventually I'll get some pollen from my own hives and honey.

Tweake, Do you trap any pollen and sell it or take it? Do you beekeep to sell honey or the bees themselves? Do you transport the bees to be used for pollination? Do you beekeep for yourself or are you working for someone with their bees? If I had bees in your location I think I'd be loving it. It's such a nice place. It is nice it hasn't been over run with modernization. If that's where you live like that's your yard that is awesome! It looks like a picture for a vacation advertisement, I work in a factory setting so your work space seems like a paradise aside from the stings and the heat.

I didn't notice my bees responding to my hop garden. The hop cones get a yellow pollen like dust on them around harvest time but I suppose since they're all females there's no pollen. Wonder about bees and hops though.. Another subject I'll have to look up but I'm sure it's on this forum somewhere.

http://www.ehow.com/facts_5565383_there-flowers-poisonous-bees.html

 

[tweake]

have a look at the swing lid beer bottles or the 100ml spirit bottles with glass stoppers.

we are a small family business. only a very small setup and not heavily commercialised.
we tend to be more old school hobbyist styled rather than mass production commercial. we do pollination, mainly avacado's.
i don't think there is anyone in NZ that comes close to the mass production style other countries do. its been said that 90% of commercial beekeepers are ex hobbyists or born into it. bees before $$$

we do have pollen traps but i have not used them for a very long time. need to have hives close by as they need visiting constantly otherwise the pollen can go rotten. its also very hard on the bees and i would rather have the better hive than a few extra $$$ from pollen.
cleaning pollen is a major pain. a lot of other insects love it so that has to be cleaned out and dried. very time consuming.

its certainly a nice place to work

 

[virginiawolf]

Cool deal! You sound like a real deal beekeeper like my teacher. Very inspirational.
This first year one of the hive covers was off a little and a bunch of the bees in that hive drown in the top feeder. I put bricks on top since. Before winter I put a few frames of honey from the stronger colony in that hive cause it was weaker but the queen was still laying so I guess time will tell. The Bee class had several guests teachers and the one guy said I guess he pours granulated sugar on top to make sure the bees have enough food. I couldnt really get a fix on that cause other teacher said the bees might just carry it out of hive etc. For winter if the bees get low on honey should I put just white granulated sugar ? Is that what you mean by raw sugar? Others said fondant I didn't worry about it cause I was ok with honey on frames but I'd gladly give em some just incase sugar. This winter feeding scenario I've looked at and see various ideas on that. Fondant Sugar etc? I'm justhoping they do ok with what they have but have some concern. I didnt see any mites or other issues luckily. They're russian bees supposedly somewhat mite resistant.

I have been slow in picking the bottle choice. Some said for mead use champagne bottles. Some said swingtops can go bad after a few years. I have some swingtops for my beer I usually just keg. Sometimes I fill swing tops off the keg to bring places and share. I currently have some of the mead in swing tops but the bulk I put into 1 gallon jugs with sanitized screw on caps. Apparently that will only be good short term. I figured I'd cork for the first time on this mead since I really don't know I could keep some super longterm in which case I would want to know I corked it right not regret an insufficient cap/cork job. I could see my self using a combination corker capper long term periodically. On another post people suggested the bottles that can be corked or capped or just use beer bottles etc. I'll keep investigating it. Yeah I might get some pollen as a curiousity but certainly not any major theft. I really have the bees for the experience. I'm lucky to have them in my life I feel like they chose me when they came to the basement. Thanks for your time. I'm going I'll check back later

 

[tweake]

disclaimer: i don't know your area so take any advice with a grain of salt

white sugar is ok, but non-processed sugar is cheaper. i think its only brown sugar (fine soft dark brown sugar) that you can't use and it would cost a lot anyway.

winter time is not a bad time for the bees honey stores. if the hive is running low over winter then your doing something seriously wrong. bees don't eat much over winter as they have very few bees.
spring is the danger time. hive population is booming and weather is often to cold/wet for bees to get out or flowers to produce nectar. so lots of bees but no new food coming in means they eat the stores really fast. they can eat a whole box of honey withen a week. ie a wet stormy week in spring can mean your bees starve to death.

so the hive should have all its stores before winter. if a hive doesn't you can pull a box off one hive and give it to it. just be aware that you transfer disease with the honey.
thats why its better to feed sugar.

if its really cold there you might have to watch that they are not to far away from the food. if the cluster up in the cold, the trip up to the top feeder may be to cold for them and they won't feed out of it.
better to cut the hive size down, get them to work the sugar before winter and pack it down around the brood. also a smaller hive is easier for the bees to heat.

hope that helps a bit.