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Honey: How Dark Is Dark?

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OK, I just got about 40 pounds helping clean out and salvage equipment from a U-Brew/Brewpub. I have been reading Chuck's posts about dark honey containing nutrients. How dark is the Buckwheat honey you speak of? When I compare this stuff to Clover honey, its about twice as dark or darker, and darker than blackberry or wildflower that I have used in the past.

MY question: Do you think I'd have enough nutrients if I add 10 or more pound of Blackberries?

Thanks!
 
In my opinion, yes. With fruit and dark honey especially if it is buckwheat. But not all dark honey is high in ash so to be certain you would do best to identify the honey and search out the specifications for that typical type of honey. With blackberries I wouldn't even worry with a light honey as that 10lbs would make nutrients a non issue.
 
I have no way of asking the former ownersof the Brewpub what type of honey it is. Is there another way to tell (or at least make a good guess) what type it is?
 
Not that I know of. What recipe are you contemplating with your 3.25 gallon honey windfall?

Probably since I have heard no real refutation of chucks philosophy I'd recommend blending that honey, I made a peach melomel with Blackberry honey and canned store peaches in heavy syrup as an experiment, It was the first batch I added nutrients to, It was also the first batch I got a real harsh taste out of that needs to age out. According to things that have been posted I think there is a good chance the harshness is from an overabundance of nutrients. I admit that the heavy syrup from the peaches may have contributed.

If you are a real patient inquisitive sort, you might make a couple small batches in 1 gallon or 1/2 gallon cider jugs to test your honey. If you do I'd look at a straight mead with and without nutrients, and a cyser without nutrients. Also straight meads with 1/2 pound of that honey + other honeys blended in like wildflower and clover perhaps.

If this is buckwheat then expect the unblended straight meads to need LOTS of aging and to ferment VERY rapidly (from what I have Read, My first buckwheat honney arrives in late january if all goes according to plan).

Anyway all this experimenting will use less than 10 pounds of mystery honey leaving 30+ pounds for Later batches when you have a better Idea how you want to use that honey
 
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