For Meads, Pasturized or UnPasturized?

Other Fermentables
1

I plan on making 3 gallons of the “Joe’s Ancient Orange Mead” and it calls for honey.

Do I want pasturized or unpasterized for mead?   The recipe does not call for adding any campden tablets, or any other type ingredients.

Thanks all.

P.S.  My guess is unpasterized (that you mix with warm water to “pasturize it” yourself) as on the Norther Brewer website, under Meads its has two unpasturized honeys listed.

2

Yeah unpasteurized is going to give you more flavour. You don’t really need to pasteurize it yourself either. as long as you pitch enough yeast it will take over perfectly well. You could use camden but I don’t think it is necessary.

I wouldn’t buy the honey from morebeer though. you are going to pay a lot more that way. Either do a little research and see if you can find a local bee keeper or go to your local healthfood/co-op or failing that supermarket and just buy honey. They will say if it is raw, unflitered pasteurized etc.

3

Thanks!

I’ve seen several killer bee nests here in Houston, maybe I should sent my friend to go gently collect honey from their nests… :smiley:

4

they are good honey producers! that’s how they got here, normal honey bee crossed with an aggresive african variety. didn’t work quite as well as hoped.

5

Try here, they should be able to help you find and buy local honey.
http://www.houstonbeekeepers.org/