sourwood honey

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bernardsmith

Got Mead? Patron
GotMead Patron
Sep 1, 2013
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Saratoga Springs , NY
I have a source for a small quantity of sourwood honey. I have never tasted this before and wonder if it would make a good simple mead with no added flavors or whether it might benefit from added fruit or spices. Thoughts?
 
Sourwood is a very nice honey, and local for me, I would use it with mild flavors, so as to let it peek through. I prefer to use wildflower or clover with stronger flavors.
 
@ fatbloke

FYI

The Sourwood tree (Oxydendrum arboreum) is found throughout most of the eastern U.S., but mostly in the lower chain of the Appalachian Mountains.

From Wikipedia:
Thin and complex, tasting almost like clover honey initially, with a characteristic faint sour aftertaste.
 
40 oz of raw sourwood honey costs a small mortgage

I got myself 40 oz of raw sourwood - (just over 1 kilo) so enough to make about 1 gallon. The container suggests that there is about 960 g of sugar, so by calculation that should give me a starting SG of about 1.090-095. My plan is to ferment this honey with no fruit or other additives. But I have a chocolate mead (using black locust) that I want to start tonight so the sourwood will need to wait until next week...