For the first twenty or so batches that I threw together, I used the same honey (a wildflower blend from several local apiaries) and my gravity readings were almost equal to what the mead calculator calculated;this was based on honey having a sugar content of 79%. As I started varying the type of honey used, I started to get varying gravity readings with the same amount of honey used from earlier batches, i.e. same amount of honey as before was giving me a lower gravity. Of course, I checked my hydrometer and it was still accurate.
Well, the family and I have moved all the way across the country, and now, I'm dealing with completely different sources for honey. My readings have been WAY different. The most recent new sample of honey only showed as having about 55% sugars...Yikes! Basically, I ended up having to put more than a pound more of honey into a one gallon batch.
Now, the question:
How do you guys figure out the amount of honey that you are going to purchase when these types of variables can account for large differences in amounts depending on honey sources? Is anyone testing this stuff before they drop $200+ bucks for 60lbs of honey? If so, how?
I've asked a few local apiarists, and they only had very vague notions of the honey content of their honey.
These large differences can make what seems like a good deal on honey, really not a good dea at all.
Well, the family and I have moved all the way across the country, and now, I'm dealing with completely different sources for honey. My readings have been WAY different. The most recent new sample of honey only showed as having about 55% sugars...Yikes! Basically, I ended up having to put more than a pound more of honey into a one gallon batch.
Now, the question:
How do you guys figure out the amount of honey that you are going to purchase when these types of variables can account for large differences in amounts depending on honey sources? Is anyone testing this stuff before they drop $200+ bucks for 60lbs of honey? If so, how?
I've asked a few local apiarists, and they only had very vague notions of the honey content of their honey.
These large differences can make what seems like a good deal on honey, really not a good dea at all.