fermented honey and mead

[Acebird]

In the past I have use perfectly good filtered honey to make my mead.  I have heard others making mead out of fermented honey.  How does it change the  recipe?  If the honey has fermented than it has already consumed the sugar to ferment so is the fermented honey any good for mead if the sugar is gone?

[Beeboy01]

Most of the wild yeasts found in raw honey have a low alcohol tolerance and only consume a small amount of the available sugars before they shutdown fermentation. That along with the fact that yeasts have a hard time surviving and reproducing in an extremely high sugar environment because of the osmotic gradients causes only a small amount of fermentation to occur in honey that has over a 18.5% water content, it's not an ideal environment for maximum yeast growth and sugar metabolism. 
  I have used "fermented" honey as well as filtered honey for mead making and have found that using a hydrometer to adjust the specific gravity of the must is all that is really needed to get to the target alcohol level of the yeast. Sometimes the fermented honey will give the mead a different flavor due to the wild yeasts in the must if you don't boil first. 

[Acebird]

Normally I don't boil the must.  I boil the water, pull it off the heat, let it stop boiling and then add the honey.  This is suppose to kill the yeast but not blow off the flavor.  I think I will try it as I always have and if it turns out like punk I will do something different like boil the must.  Thanks for your reply.

[Beeboy01]

I don't boil the must either, it removes all the delicate seasonal flavors found in the honey and ultimately the mead. I mix with real hot water just to get the honey dissolved quickly and toss the yeast when cool. Sounds like you have a good handle on mead making, have fun and good luck.
     

[Sniper338]

What in the world?


5 gal ferminter-
Boil water, add lots of honey, disolve it in the water....  go on whats this recipe?

Any grains?

How much honey?

[Hops Brewster]

Wild fermented honey is not always fermented because of yeast, it is sometimes bacterial fermentation.  That is why I will always use campden tablets to stop the wild fermentation before I pitch my wine yeast.  This gives me more control over exactly what little buggies are turning my honey into booze, and therefore a measure of control over the flavor and alcohol content.

@Sniper; there is no grain in mead, only honey, water, yeast and yeast nutrient.  Usually about 3 1/2 to 4 lb yeast per gallon of water.

When you add grain, it becomes 'braggot' or a honey beer.  If you add fruit it becomes 'melomel', a honey wine, except for if you use apple cider, it is called 'ciser', a honey-apple wine.

[iddee]

""Usually about 3 1/2 to 4 lb yeast per gallon of water.""

I think you mean honey, don't you?      

[BeeMaster2]

Walley,
That is what I was going to say. 
Jim

[Hops Brewster]

""Usually about 3 1/2 to 4 lb yeast per gallon of water.""

I think you mean honey, don't you?      

Good catch! 

[Sniper338]

Lol i was thinking that sounds like some nasty crap or bread making with that much yeast!!!

Yall just had me wondering about a honey ferminted whiskey

[Acebird]

My recipe calls for 5 quarts of honey to 4.5 gallons of water.  That is 3 lbs to the gallon if you figure 2.7 lbs per quart.