Has anyone eve used raw honey? I mean raw, right out of the hive raw? In other words, raw as in the last to touch the honey would have been the bee raw.
Raw Honey
- Thread starter JDWebb
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Yeah, the stuff I use is labeled unfiltered, but we're talkin' from the comb to the fermenter. Is that what you use?
Because the honey I get is "cleaned," or I guess strained, no bee parts, abdomens, legs, wing pieces, etc.. not heated other than to pump it from the barrel to the containers.
"Strained" for most beekeepers in my area means "run through a mesh filter". The filter on my extractor is very fine, but macroscopic (it's only going to remove wax, propolis, and bee bits, not pollen). That's about as raw as you'll get when you buy honey from a beekeeper who sells honey on a semi-serious scale. Bee bits in your honey is not generally a desirable trait at market.
I make mead from my wax cappings wash, which is closer to what you're inquiring about. It doesn't make a noticeable difference in the final product, other than being harder to clarify sometimes.
I can think of one way to get honey "last touched by the bee" raw; get comb honey and crush it in your primary with a potato masher, and then add your water. That's probably a very pricey way to make a mead, though.
JD, the fellows I buy honey from are country folk. They might run it through a strainer, but that is all they do before putting it in quart or pint jars.
R
Ron Peterson Jr.
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I read the vikings just put the whole hive in... bees and all. Safer that way.:laughing7::laughing7::laughing7:
But in all seriousness, my source heats it to 120 so it flows through the filter. He did ask me if I wanted it unfiltered, though - I declined.
But in all seriousness, my source heats it to 120 so it flows through the filter. He did ask me if I wanted it unfiltered, though - I declined.
The last 5 gal. bucket I bought (arrowleaf) had over 1/2" of debris, including bee parts, on top. The beekeeper ran it through mesh for me as I didn't want to deal with the debris. The only heat applied was by the decapping knife.
The raw wildflower honey I buy at the store here locally has bee parts in it occasionally but really not much debris overall.
The raw wildflower honey I buy at the store here locally has bee parts in it occasionally but really not much debris overall.
Yes. I have 10 gallons of modified JAOM cooking right now. A tangerine and a Meyer lemon, both 5 gallon batches both made with raw, unfiltered honey including wax, bees, grubs and other assorted bee parts. My wife tasted the tangerine at about 30 days in and says it's the best one I've ever made. At 60 days, it was already getting the Jolly Rancher quality I love...tangerine JAOM tends to have a tart/sour character to it...but not negative.. very fruity candy (hence the Jolly Rancher reference) is what I mean and zero bitter finish. I hope day 100/110 turns out to be one of even more improvement. The top of the carboy is full of small yellow beads of wax. The bees and other proteins are on the bottom along with all the fruit at this point.
The Meyer lemon batch is too young, at only about 2 weeks so I haven't sampled yet.
I also made a gallon of cyser, that was great and a gallon of BOMM that also didn't last very much longer than 60 days. I'm getting another 5 gallons when the beek tells me he's ready. Going to give a gallon to Medsen to see what he can create from this stuff!
Why take it out of the comb, just crush comb and all together and make a whole hive mead, bee foot tracks, propollis, bee bread and a few drone brood straight from the hive. WVMJ
I will let jim know. That will certainly be an interesting batch.
Sent from my TARDIS at the restaurant at the end of the universe while eating Phil.
