Fermented Honey

[Mad Wizard]

So I got 50% discount on a five gallon bucket of raw honey from my local beekeeper because it had alreay started to ferment. Will THis effect my mead in anyway?

 

[homebrewer_99]

How old is it? It must have been poorly stored if it's fermenting uncontollably (as in by accident, not on purpose).

As in most fermentation ... place it in the fridge to stop the process before it goes too far. Then again, if they knew it already started for ferment how long has it been doing it?

How much did you pay for your 5 gals? I pay $100.00 ($20/gal)

 

[Mad Wizard]

He said about a week or two. I don't really know for sure.

 

[Mad Wizard]

Oh yeah, i paid $50 and he let me keep the 6.5 gal bucket!

 

[homebrewer_99]

That's a great deal. I would have done the same thing.

 

[skou]

Honey fermenting? Isn't the sugar content too high to allow fermentation? Honey is supposed to be a good preservative, for this very reason.

On this, I'd probably bring the wort (or must) to a boil, to eliminate any possible contamination. Usually, I'd say 165 degrees is enough.

steve

 

[veggiess]

Honey fermenting? Isn't the sugar content too high to allow fermentation? Honey is supposed to be a good preservative, for this very reason.

On this, I'd probably bring the wort (or must) to a boil, to eliminate any possible contamination. Usually, I'd say 165 degrees is enough.

steve

What do you think mead is??

 

[Denny's Evil Concoctions]

High sugar content impedes finishing fermentation not all fermentation. And with honey it would be more likely the lack of nutrient than the yeasts fault since most mead is made with wine yeasts.

 

[skou]

What do you think mead is??

Mead is fermented honey, with at least 75% water ADDED.

Like I said, I thought honey was a pretty good preservative.

steve

 

[sconnie]

from the name of this post i thought it would be about making mead without water...

 

[Caplan]

I thought honey was a pretty good preservative.

It's the sugars in it that do that. The sugar levels that the bees form it to are something like 18%, a level that does preserve it. However over time and dependent of storage conditions the moisture content can increase and lead to the natural wild yeasts that are present having chance to ferment it. They tend to turn it sour. I reckon tasting the honey before using it is a good idea if you're unsure as to the age of it but 'soured' honey must be a pretty rare thing.