Adding honey to the fermenter?

[Ó Flannagáin]

So I ordered a 3 pound bucket of honey and I need to add a pound to my christmas brew. Should I put it in a cup or so of water to dissolve then add or just pour it right in the fermenter?

[Ryanh1801]

So I ordered a 3 pound bucket of honey and I need to add a pound to my christmas brew. Should I put it in a cup or so of water to dissolve then add or just pour it right in the fermenter?

I would definitely boil it, but thats just me.

[MrMarbleHead]

Boiling would be what i do too, but I haven't ever added honey to a fermenter, just to the boil. I would think that you would want to clean it up (sanitize) it in some way. but I don't know much.

[ThorsSon]

For what it is worth, I never heat my honey at all, much less boil it. There is a lot of debate among mead-makers about boiling or not boiling, but most that I know of do not boil (or don't anymore).

Honey is naturally pretty sterile (this is why you can put it on a cut to prevent infection), and heating honey destroys some of the aromas and esters that you may be wanting to get by using honey. A lot of people do boil their honey and are happy with the results, but most of the people I know that have tried both, end up going with the no-boil method.

In regard to dissolving it in water, I wouldn't I'd just mix it in during aeration... Unless you are talking about adding it after fermentation has already began,and aeration is out of the question, then dissolving it in water may be you only option.

[Ó Flannagáin]

Yea, it's been fermenting for a month already. I'll dissolve in water.

I think honey is just as naturally anti-biotic as hops are, I"m pretty sure boiling is not necessary.

[mdd134]

Yeah I would not boil it. Honey is a hypertonic solution that is why most bacteria will grow in it. A hypertonic solution is highly concentrated so when a cell is placed in the solution the water will move from the cell to the solution destroying the cell. This is why people used to use sugar cure and salt cure before refrigeration.

Talking about honey really makes me want to do a mead soon. How much honey do I need for a 5gal batch of mead ThorsSon?

[ThorsSon]

Yeah I would not boil it. Honey is a hypertonic solution that is why most bacteria will grow in it. A hypertonic solution is highly concentrated so when a cell is placed in the solution the water will move from the cell to the solution destroying the cell. This is why people used to use sugar cure and salt cure before refrigeration.

Talking about honey really makes me want to do a mead soon. How much honey do I need for a 5gal batch of mead ThorsSon?

12-15lbs is the standard amount for a 5 gal batch.