Wildflower honey or Clover honey for mead?
  • C_BC_B
    Posts: 88,446
    I found a wicked good local source for honey. This is what they described to me as the two options...

    Light amber honey, wildflower flavors for $101 per 5 gallons
    Ultra light amber honey, clover flavors for $111 per 5 gallons

    What makes the difference between the two in the finished product?
    "On it. I hate software." ~Cpt Snarklepants
  • frydogbrewsfrydogbrews
    Posts: 44,679 Accepted Answer
    first, those prices are great. i get 5 gallons for 150 bucks and think its well priced!

    as to your question....the darker the honey, the more minerallyness and more unfermentables. wildflower honey CAN make great mead, but it can also make crappy mead, i'd say 50/50 shot. there is nothing to hide the funky flavors in the darker honey within the mead.

    that said, darker honey is choice for brewing beer. the stronger flavors stand up against the malt much better and assert itself. normally, honey never really leaves a flavor in beer.....unless its darker honey.

    i have never heard of any instance of mad flavors from darker honey in a beer. there is simply too much going on in beer to taste the nuanced funkiness that you might taste in mead from a darker honey.