where do buy honey?

[TheBrewingMedic]

THIS. I get it for 11$-12$ here in MD for 5lbs. I hate when honey is super clear but I just deal with it. Saving up for a 60lb pail from dutch gold, like the idea of their wildflower honey from Brazil.

I've never tried their wildflower honey but the orange blossom tastes amazing, Ive been putting a pretty decent dent of a 60# bucket I got awhile ago

 

[knotquiteawake]

I was at Costco yesterday and they had clover honey at $12.99 for 5 lbs. Still seemed like a good price

Have any of you guys used the Costco honey in a batch? Did it turn out ok? Seems that all the local honey distributors out here charge about the same amount for Honey, $48/12lbs (1 gallon). Also all of the local honey guys just mix the honey, they are not single sourced (clover, orange, etc).

So I figured if I'm going to be experimenting with mead I might as well use the cheap stuff first and then when I get a handle on it spend $$$ for the raw local honey.

 

[tom_gamer]

Have any of you guys used the Costco honey in a batch? Did it turn out ok? Seems that all the local honey distributors out here charge about the same amount for Honey, $48/12lbs (1 gallon). Also all of the local honey guys just mix the honey, they are not single sourced (clover, orange, etc).

So I figured if I'm going to be experimenting with mead I might as well use the cheap stuff first and then when I get a handle on it spend $$$ for the raw local honey.

I have not. I got a decent stock pile of mead right now so Im staying with beer (its a lot cheaper to brew and take a lot less time). I will definitely buy some next time around. So worst case you'll have to wait a few month.

 

[huesmann]

I've used Costco honey. It makes decent mead. If you think you're going to be making a lot of mead it might be worth your while to just buy a 5-gallon bucket from Dutch Gold; the price per lb is even lower than the Costco stuff.

 

[knotquiteawake]

Yeah, in looking at the pricing it seems that my local honey suppliers can't compete. At the 1 gallon rate its just over $4/lb ($49 for 12lbs plus tax plus shipping). At the 5 gallon rate its $3.16lb ($175 for 60 lbs plus tax, free shipping). Buying from Dutch Gold it looks like after shipping I would only be paying 2.76/lb. I doubt Costco is going to be able to beat that. Which then also puts the price of a 5 gallon batch (assuming 12lbs of honey in a batch like the blueberry mead I want to make takes) at $33 instead of $50. So I'm saving money right? Wife can't argue with SAVING money. Heck, $33 is cheaper than most batches of partial mash beers I've made in the past.



Looks like I'd have to wait until next paycheck though. Just got our first water/trash/sewage bill... $214. Ouch. All kinds of extra fees for the initial deposit and hookups for moving into the house where everything was off. Lamesauce. Still better than liviing in a crappy apartment though.

 

[knotquiteawake]

I ended up hitting up Costco lastnight. 5lbs of honey was $12.65 each so I picked up 3 bottles and now I have enough to make my first batch of mead. Depending on how it goes I'll save up to buy a 5 gallon bucket for next time.

 

[TheBrewingMedic]

In most cases the Dutch Gold honey is very good, I've recently finished off a 5gal pail of their orange blossom it tasted great on its own and I've been very happy with the mead I've made with it.

That being said, if you have a local bee keeper that has an amazing single source varietal, even at the higher cost its worth it if you want to make nice show or traditional that is going to highlight the honey itself.

Buying bulk wildflower or clover and even orange blossom is great for melomels and metheglins, but if you have the opportunity to get ahold of a local raw honey of any kind it's worth it no matter the variety even if you only get enough for a 1 gallon batch.

 

[huesmann]

I dunno...I wouldn't pay a premium for local clover or wildflower honey, just because it was local.

 

[056r]

Find a local apiary and inquire as to their bulk honey prices. Most will be glad to sell you any amount you want esp if you bring your own container.

 

[Bigbeavk]

Might as well dbl post this
I got some orange blossom honey from Smitty Bee and really liked it. I think it's out of season now. Here's a link for their Wildflower Honey. With shipping it's a little over $3.30 a lb for the 30lb bucket.
http://www.smittybeehoney.com/secure-smittybeehoney/Scripts/prodView.asp?idProduct=164
I know plenty of people that use Dutch Gold as well. So shop around and figure out what you like best.

 

[macmaniac72]

Try Dennis Arp -Mountaintop Honey.

 

[macmaniac72]

Hit send too soon. Mountaintop is in arizona. Just got 60# raw orange blossom for $190 incld shipping. Worth every penny for mead making. Raw and unheated. Nobody could get me that locally.

 

[rabbitmistress]

Azure Standard sells honey in 1 & 5 gallon sizes. They have clover $30/1gal & $135/5gal, wildflower/berry $39/1gal & $174/5gal, and orange blossom $38/1gal & $178/5gal, quoted prices are as shipped to Seattle. The company is this kinda co-op dropshipment kinda thing. It's great if you live off one of their routes. You place an order 1x per month and pick it up at someone's house. Min order per person $50-55, per drop site $550. There are drop sites to Seattle, Portland, Houston, et cetera. I ordered the clover honey (raw) to make melomels. The honey tastes good, can't say anything on the meads as I just started them.