honey in Croatia

[MattHollingsworth]

Hello everyone. First post here. I've been homebrewing beer for 14 years and am going to make some mead soon. Already read Schramm's book and a ton of info online, here and at homebrewtalk.com and elsewhere. So, I think I have a decent grasp of the process.

Anyway, looking at locally available honey, I don't see all of it listed here or elsewhere, so wanted to ask what people think. I will likely start off with a few traditional dry meads to try out some honeys and will backsweeten if they end up too dry.

First one will likely use acacia honey. Acacia honey here is very nice and it will be very fresh from the apiary in a couple of weeks. I see the description here as resembling dried pineapple.

Then in the summer, I'll be able to get some fresh linden honey. Linden's huge here and I love that honey. Seems it'd make a lovely mead.

Another honey that's very common here is chestnut honey. I don't eat much of that. I don't see any information online about chestnut honey. Any word on using it for mead?

And, lastly for the moment anyway, a local producer will have honeydew honey sometime later this year. In Schramm's book he says it's inferior to real honey. What's the word? The process sounds interesting. Any good for mead?

Anyway, if anyone has direct experience with these honeys, any info would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers!

 

[TheAlchemist]

Welcome to Got Mead, Matt!

Linden blossom! Dreamy! Literally. Linden blossom dried and used as a tisan is a mild sedative.

 

[Medsen Fey]

Welcome to GotMead MattHollingsworth!

If you search for "chestnut honey" using the quotation marks in the search tool, it will bring you several threads including a couple in the Patron's area. It is one of Oskaar's favorite honey varieties.

 

[MattHollingsworth]

Welcome to Got Mead, Matt!

Linden blossom! Dreamy! Literally. Linden blossom dried and used as a tisan is a mild sedative.

;-) Good to know. The honey's tasty. My favorite of the local stuff I've had.

Welcome to GotMead MattHollingsworth!

If you search for "chestnut honey" using the quotation marks in the search tool, it will bring you several threads including a couple in the Patron's area. It is one of Oskaar's favorite honey varieties.

Same Medsen from Homebrewtalk.com, I take it? Hello! And thanks for the heads up. I tried searching this site with Google and only came up with a Chestnut Oolong mead or somesuch. I'll try the search tool here.

 

[Chevette Girl]

Linden blossom! Dreamy! Literally. Linden blossom dried and used as a tisan is a mild sedative.

Yes, welcome to the addiction!
... I'm jealous about the linden honey ...

 

[fatbloke]

Closest I've used is "Italian Chestnut honey" (not much about ATM as apparently last years harvest was rubbish).

Quite a darkish red/brown in colour. about 6 or 7 out of 10 for strength of flavour, which slight earthy notes to the taste.

Yes I liked it. I only made a gallon batch though, so not really enough to judge. When it becomes available again, I'll be buying more......

regards

fatbloke (same here, like Medsen).....

 

[Oskaar]

Hej Mate, kako si?

I hope life is treating you well in Samobor. BTW, I like the avatar with Plitvicka Jezera in the background!

So you should be in prime turf there as close as you are to Zagreb and then to Slovenija where they are crazy for honey as well. I'd definitely recommend that you start with the Acacia (False Locust) honey, I think they call it Bagrem there. Also the sweet chestnut, forest honey (not honeydew) and alpine wildflower are all good honeys to used for meadmaking. The alpine wildflower is great for melomels (sour cherry and plum are my two favorites with that wildflower).

Since you're close to the border you might consider heading over to see what's available as well. You can make a drive to the coast (Primosten) for some different kinds of honey you can find for sale on the riva like sage, rosemary and lavender.

Around your area there should be false indigo (bagremac), lime tree (which crystallizes quickly, called lipa), and chestnut (kesten, which will be blooming in June). There are a bunch of other honeys out there that should be great in your mead. Check them out and let us know what you find.

Cheers,

Oskaar

 

[MattHollingsworth]

Hej Mate, kako si?

I hope life is treating you well in Samobor. BTW, I like the avatar with Plitvicka Jezera in the background!

So you should be in prime turf there as close as you are to Zagreb and then to Slovenija where they are crazy for honey as well. I'd definitely recommend that you start with the Acacia (False Locust) honey, I think they call it Bagrem there. Also the sweet chestnut, forest honey (not honeydew) and alpine wildflower are all good honeys to used for meadmaking. The alpine wildflower is great for melomels (sour cherry and plum are my two favorites with that wildflower).

Since you're close to the border you might consider heading over to see what's available as well. You can make a drive to the coast (Primosten) for some different kinds of honey you can find for sale on the riva like sage, rosemary and lavender.

Around your area there should be false indigo (bagremac), lime tree (which crystallizes quickly, called lipa), and chestnut (kesten, which will be blooming in June). There are a bunch of other honeys out there that should be great in your mead. Check them out and let us know what you find.

Cheers,

Oskaar

Aha! So you've been here I see! Dobro sam! I kako si ti? That's actually Krka in the background of the picture though, which is the *other* waterfall spot in Croatia, but over closer to Split.

I definitely want to find lavender honey too, but don't know if I will this year or not. We have a baby now (almost 3 months old), so I can't take off on long drives like I used to be able to.

Lipa will be one of the main ones I want to try. I see it's also called lime in the UK but in America it's called linden. That's my favorite of the local honeys, for eating anyway. The month of June here is named after those trees, "Lipanj". They smell amazing during June. It's also the name for a smaller money, like cents in the States, here they're "lipa".

We'll end up on the coast this summer sometime, though I don't know exactly when yet. So I'll keep an eye out for specialty honies.

You seem to have traveled around the area. Were you here on vacation?

Thanks for the pointers! Živio! And hello Fatbloke!

 

[MattHollingsworth]

A question, Oskaar:

Why did you specify Primošten? Do you know a good source of honey there? I've been there a couple of times but never saw any honey. Maybe Pčelarstvo Gracin? Looks like maybe a honey store there.

 

[Oskaar]

Žive Mate!


After I posted I saw the line of floats in the background and figured it was Krka since you can swim around right there in the water in front of the falls. I have family and friends in Dalmacija (Vis, Split, Hvar and Veliki Zaton) and get over there when I can spend a few weeks and go native. Usually spend most of my time on Vis and Hvar with friends and family.


I mentioned Primošten because there is a honey farmer who used to have a sign out on the Riva (see attached photo) last time I was there. Might be worth checking out, or calling around the area for honey farmers and such.


Hopefully the guy is still around and has some lavender honey you can try.


The Linden there in Eastern Europe is different in flavor than the stuff here in the USA thankfully. The mead I've had from the Linden honey here is brutal and just wrenches the palate. We generally put it as the last glass in the judging flights because it really can be mouth-numbing.



Anyhow, hope that helps! BTW, are you working there in Hrvatska?



Oskaar

 

[MattHollingsworth]

Cool to run into someone who actually knows Croatia. Most Americans haven't been here. I'm American, BTW. No family roots here or anything, I just moved here for the hell of it. I work here, but not for a Croatian company. I freelance for Marvel Comics as a color artist, as I have for 20 years. And I do that through the internet, so can live anywhere. I moved here in late 2006. I was in LA and hated living there so just up and moved to Croatia after visiting a friend for a month.

Anyway, that place Pčelarstvo Gracin is in the middle of the old part of Primošten. I don't remember seeing them there when I was there, but my wife called them for me (I'm okay in Croatian but not super fluent so it's easier if she calls). They have rosemary honey now and will have lavender in July and sage I think in the summer as well. We'll end up in Tribunj (just a little north of Šibenik, right next to Vodice if you know the area) sometime this summer so we'll swing by and pick up some honey there.

I also found a honey guy at the Saturday market here in Samobor yesterday. He has honey made from rape flowers. Bought a jar to try and it's pretty tasty. Said he'll have this year's harvest in a couple of weeks, so I'll likely try that too. Ever tried it?

 

[fatbloke]

-----%<-----
I also found a honey guy at the Saturday market here in Samobor yesterday. He has honey made from rape flowers. Bought a jar to try and it's pretty tasty. Said he'll have this year's harvest in a couple of weeks, so I'll likely try that too. Ever tried it?

Oil Seed Rape (OSR) has become a big "cash crop" round here in the last 10 to 15 years.

I understand that OSR honey is very good, but the local bee keepers all moan like hell as apparently, it does crystalise very quickly. I understand that some of the local bee keepers have even had it crystalise in the combs.

Hopefully I'll be able to get some of that this year........

regards

fatbloke

 

[MattHollingsworth]

Oil Seed Rape (OSR) has become a big "cash crop" round here in the last 10 to 15 years.

I understand that OSR honey is very good, but the local bee keepers all moan like hell as apparently, it does crystalise very quickly. I understand that some of the local bee keepers have even had it crystalise in the combs.

Hopefully I'll be able to get some of that this year........

regards

fatbloke

Yeah, the jar I bought was crystalized. And the beekeeper who sold it to me said not to bother heating it to make it liquid as it will just crystalize again (he meant for eating). I'll be buying enough for mead when he gets this year's batch in in a couple of weeks or so.

Thanks for the word on it. Couldn't find any references to mead made with it.

 

[AToE]

This is the rapeseed that's the same as what we call canola over here I assume? I've heard the exact same complaint about canola honey, crystalizes very fast (unless it's creamed).

It's very good honey, not really bursting with much other than regular honey flavour, but that flavour is really clean and crisp, dispite being a fairly strong tasting honey.

I'm not great at descriptions.

 

[Oskaar]

I haven't had any of the OSR based mead but have tried the honey and thought it was pretty nice. Sounds similar to mesquite honey as it crystallizes very quickly. I don't bother heating or trying to get it back into liquid form and generally just use some warmer water and WTC outta it with my lees stirrer to dissolve any chunkies left.

That's funny, I've been through Vodice on the way up the coast to Pula for a concert (Oliver of course) and I have friends who have a place on Prvic Luka and know a bunch of folks from Sibinik here in Pedro (San Pedro). The ferry system there is great but prices have really gone up lately. Nothing like the Dalmacijan coast and the seafood (brodet, yum) to get the heart pumping!

I know in Zagreb there is a mead culture still alive and kicking but don't know the particulars. You know how Croatians are. Its like crazy trying to get them to produce enough to export. Once they have what they're going to eat/drink/consume/use made anything past that is like pulling fingernails to get produced. Very self sufficient people, sometimes too much so.

Anyhow, dude, sounds like a hoot!

Cheers,

Oskaar

 

[wildoates]

If you're a Marvel Comics dude you'll fit in here just fine, Matt...and I agree that just about anywhere would be better than LA...no offense to Oskaar and the rest who live down there, but there's just TOO many people for this girl. Even the Sacramento metro area is getting to be too much for me.

Too bad honey is so heavy and expensive to ship--when I was visiting my son in Norge last year I wanted to bring some with me, but couldn't. Woe!

 

[Chevette Girl]

My husband has family in Slovenia, it's making me want to visit the area even more (I believe you're on the other side of some mountains, but still closer than I am to Toronto)...

 

[MattHollingsworth]

I haven't had any of the OSR based mead but have tried the honey and thought it was pretty nice. Sounds similar to mesquite honey as it crystallizes very quickly. I don't bother heating or trying to get it back into liquid form and generally just use some warmer water and WTC outta it with my lees stirrer to dissolve any chunkies left.

That's funny, I've been through Vodice on the way up the coast to Pula for a concert (Oliver of course) and I have friends who have a place on Prvic Luka and know a bunch of folks from Sibinik here in Pedro (San Pedro). The ferry system there is great but prices have really gone up lately. Nothing like the Dalmacijan coast and the seafood (brodet, yum) to get the heart pumping!

I know in Zagreb there is a mead culture still alive and kicking but don't know the particulars. You know how Croatians are. Its like crazy trying to get them to produce enough to export. Once they have what they're going to eat/drink/consume/use made anything past that is like pulling fingernails to get produced. Very self sufficient people, sometimes too much so.

Anyhow, dude, sounds like a hoot!

Cheers,

Oskaar

Aha! Prvić! I've been there too. We tend to end up in Tribunj each year. Wanted to wander further this year, but considering travel time and the baby, we decided to just go to Tribunj again.

Maybe I'll try to look up the mead folks here sometime. But no big rush. I'm in a homebrew (beer) group here already and it's hard enough to make the time to meet up with those guys once a month as it is.

As for self sufficiency, yeah, Croats do a good job at the family level of making cheese, wine, rakija, etc. But on the country level, they do a horrible job. Nearly everything here is imported. This country does a horrible job of creating jobs, creating industry, etc. They're still used to being a communist country and just aren't very good capitalists yet. The government doesn't have any common sense here. Anyway, I love the people.

If you're a Marvel Comics dude you'll fit in here just fine, Matt...and I agree that just about anywhere would be better than LA...no offense to Oskaar and the rest who live down there, but there's just TOO many people for this girl. Even the Sacramento metro area is getting to be too much for me.

Too bad honey is so heavy and expensive to ship--when I was visiting my son in Norge last year I wanted to bring some with me, but couldn't. Woe!

Ah, but Oskaar isn't in LA, he's south of there. In my opinion, LA's problem isn't that it's crowded. It's that there are too many "industry" people there, or industry wannabees. I worked in films for two years while there, so can't *really* complain as i was one of them. But after I finished with that, decided it was time to leave.

My husband has family in Slovenia, it's making me want to visit the area even more (I believe you're on the other side of some mountains, but still closer than I am to Toronto)...

I can literally see Slovenija from here. It's only a few miles away and not on the other side of mountains. Samobor is right next to the border. Slovenija's a lovely country too. Lots of hop fields there too. In Croatia, you see wine grapes everywhere. Once you cross the border into Slovenija, you see hops everywhere. Ljubljana, the capital, is a beautiful little city. The center area's very nice.

 

[TheAlchemist]

My husband has family in Slovenia, it's making me want to visit the area even more (I believe you're on the other side of some mountains, but still closer than I am to Toronto)...

Um...is it time to get a Passport yet?

 

[Oskaar]

...snip...
Maybe I'll try to look up the mead folks here sometime. But no big rush. I'm in a homebrew (beer) group here already and it's hard enough to make the time to meet up with those guys once a month as it is

OK, keep in touch so we can get some entries in the Mazer Cup from Croatia next year. The Poles and Slovaks are kicking ass and they need some Eastern European brethren to bolster their ranks!

As for self sufficiency, yeah, Croats do a good job at the family level of making cheese, wine, rakija, etc. But on the country level, they do a horrible job. Nearly everything here is imported. This country does a horrible job of creating jobs, creating industry, etc. They're still used to being a communist country and just aren't very good capitalists yet. The government doesn't have any common sense here. Anyway, I love the people.

Yeah, don't get me started. They need to start looking to the diaspora for folks with a broader range of social, fiscal and political exposure and experience. The had no motivation to produce anything for so long they are lagging way behind. The only industry I see right now gaining by leaps and bounds is the Wine Industry and they are making a huge push. We have actual Zinfandel vines here now at UC Davis and they should be coming out of quarantine so that they can be planted in the USA as well. So there is a lot of the commie mindset that needs to get the "F" outta Dodge!

...snip...I can literally see Slovenija from here. It's only a few miles away and not on the other side of mountains. Samobor is right next to the border. Slovenija's a lovely country too. Lots of hop fields there too. In Croatia, you see wine grapes everywhere. Once you cross the border into Slovenija, you see hops everywhere. Ljubljana, the capital, is a beautiful little city. The center area's very nice.

They loves them some Polka musik there in Slovenija! LOL

Cheers,

Oskaar

Seriously though, I'll PM you about getting the word out to the brew clubs there.