Elderberry melomel, and new batches

[goose_entity]

So, I recently bottled the elderberry melomel I pitched the yeast into in July 2006. Finishing gravity was 1.010 - best guess to ABV is between 17% and 19%. No perceptible taste of honey, just a nice, rich melomel which matches nicely with red meat.

New batches:
pitched the yeast into a 3 gal batch of orange blossom honey mead a couple of weeks ago. Just pitched the yeast into

ACERGLYN
2lbs maple syrup
2lbs clover honey
water to 1 gal
Lalvin KLV116 yeast
yeast food
OG 1.120


MELOMEL
1lb frozen strawberries
approx 2.5lbs clover honey
water to 1 gal
Lalvin KLV116 yeast
yeast food
1 drop pectic enzymes
OG 1.070

I am going to try out doing the acerglyn as a 3 week mead - after 3 weeks I'll decant it into another carboy and refrigerate it for a few days before bottling. Hey - with Costco doing clover honey for $7 for 5lbs, and grade A maple syrup for about $17 for 64fl oz, what the heck - I'll give it a try ;D

 

[wayneb]

I've heard that the supplier for Costco clover honey imports from China, and that some Chinese suppliers are cutting their honey with corn syrup. I don't know if this is true (and I'd certainly like some independent confirmation or refutation), but for the time being I've stopped using Costco clover honey in any of my meads.

 

[goose_entity]

according to the package, it's US Grade A packed in the USA. For what that's worth.

 

[wayneb]

Hmmm... the key words there are "packed in the USA." Doesn't say where it was produced, huh? Nothing in the USDA Honey Grading Standards requires that the product be produced in the US.

 

[beeboy]

Packaged in the US means just that, the honey is imported in bulk containers like 55 gallon drums and shipped to the final packer who bottles it for retail sales. The big importers are China and Argentina who have both been caught doctoring the honey with corn syrup over the last few years. The Sam's club honey used to list the different countries of origin but the new import regulations have stopped making it manditory. The good news is that the government has increased the import tarif for honey from China and Argentina to prevent imports from undercutting US pricing. China has gotten in enough trouble over the last few years with doctored honey and most recently the problem with the poisoned wheat glutten that was used in pet food. After all the problems with items imported from China I would like to think that the government is double checking everything coming into the country. Of course I'm an optimist. :-\

 

[Oskaar]

A quick test is to take a teaspoon of honey and drizzle it into a tumbler of water. It should go straight to the bottom in a glob and collect in a mound.

If it starts to dissolve when it hits the water and doesn't collect at the bottom it may be cut with something.

Hope that helps,

Oskaar

 

[beninak]

The Costco here sells Silverbow brand honey, which says 100% product of USA on the labels. Maybe not the highest quality, but at least it seems to be pure American honey.

On the other hand, I've only completed 2 batches so far: a rye braggot made with the Silverbow clover honey, and a traditional semisweet mead made from pricier Orange Blossom honey from Glory Bee. It probably has more to do with my methodology, but for what its worth everyone seems to like the Silverbow braggot better!

 

[Oskaar]

Be sure to taste test that honey. There was a company that used to supply Costco name Barkmans that packaged their honey at such a high temperature that it actually heated the plastic jug to a point of causing it to impart a burnt plastic flavor to the honey. If that's what you've got, it won't come out.

Cheers,

Oskaar

 

[wayneb]

Silverbow is actually a different company from Barkmans, and if your Costco sells silverbow that's a pretty good honey to work with, and it is definitely 100% American produced. Here's their website, if anyone's interested: http://www.silverbowhoney.com/ Silverbow is in Washington State; Barkman's is in Kansas.

Costco actually has several different regional suppliers; the last time I looked at my local Costco in Colorado, they had some "no name" (at least I didn't recognize the name) supplier, with those dreaded "Packed in USA" words on the label. Glad to see that at least in one part of the country Costco has heard the concerns about Chinese honey and is coming around (or, at least they got a good deal from Silverbow)!

 

[goose_entity]

A quick test is to take a teaspoon of honey and drizzle it into a tumbler of water. It should go straight to the bottom in a glob and collect in a mound.
Oskaar

hit the bottom and sulked there :laughing7: