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#1 weave

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Posted 07 June 2009 - 01:04 PM

I am toying with the idea of making a simple mead. It would be my first attempt.I was at a flea market today and a vendor had 14lb jars of honey for $2.50/lb. Is this a decent price? I realize there is probably variations in price by location, but I was wondering if this sounded like a decent deal? If not, where do you get yours?He has 3 varieties right now, last years "Summer Blosssom" which he described as a generic clover honey. It was fairly mild in flavor. He also had a "Spring Berry" variety. It is darker, fruity, and more intensely flavored than the Summer Blossom. I bought 3lbs of it for general household use. The 3rd variety is Buckwheeat. Too intense for my tastes. I cannot imagine it would make a mead that I would appreciate. Any thoughts on how the Spring Berry variety may work in a simple mead?

#2 The Brew Dude

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Posted 07 June 2009 - 01:10 PM

I was at a flea market today and a vendor had 14lb jars of honey for $2.50/lb. Is this a decent price?He has 3 varieties right now, last years "Summer Blosssom" which he described as a generic clover honey. It was fairly mild in flavor. He also had a "Spring Berry" variety. It is darker, fruity, and more intensely flavored than the Summer Blossom. I bought 3lbs of it for general household use. The 3rd variety is Buckwheeat. Too intense for my tastes. I cannot imagine it would make a mead that I would appreciate. Any thoughts on how the Spring Berry variety may work in a simple mead?

That's actually a decent prices. Lower prices typically can be had in larger bulk (5G drum), but that's too much for many folks.I'm not a fan of buckwheat mead. I'd say the the other two are good candidates. Make a small batch to try them out!

#3 ScottS

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Posted 08 June 2009 - 05:27 AM

The guy I buy from charges $1.50/lb for 5 gals or $2/lb for a 1/2 gal. I don't know how much for smaller quantities.The stuff I produce sounds like the summer blossom. Mine is a mixture of clover and alfalfa primarily. Great stuff for all purposes.The stuff I buy sounds like the spring berry, as this guy is a commercial beekeeper that services a lot of the berry farms in the area. It makes excellent mead.

#4 strangebrewer

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Posted 08 June 2009 - 06:24 AM

I don't know what's going on around here but honey prices have skyrocketed. Anything under $3 per pound is a good deal from what I am seeing and that is for local wildflower!Any of the other Denver Area folks want to chime in on the secret to finding less expensive honey? I had a number of mead projects lined up but at $30+ per batch for honey I'm not going to be able to afford it.

#5 The Brew Dude

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Posted 08 June 2009 - 06:51 AM

Anything lower and you have to pay shipping, so it evens out in most cases. :rolf:You might check Miller's honey. I've used them before. Right now OB is $2.02/lb and ships from California.

#6 strangebrewer

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Posted 08 June 2009 - 07:15 AM

Anything lower and you have to pay shipping, so it evens out in most cases. :rolf:You might check Miller's honey. I've used them before. Right now OB is $2.02/lb and ships from California.

Looks like I can get 5 gallons of wildflower shipped from Miller and it comes out to $2.06 per pound after shipping. I really don't like the idea of buying a product from over a thousand miles away that I can get locally but at 1/3 the cost it's a tough argument.

#7 The Brew Dude

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Posted 08 June 2009 - 07:37 AM

Looks like I can get 5 gallons of wildflower shipped from Miller and it comes out to $2.06 per pound after shipping. I really don't like the idea of buying a product from over a thousand miles away that I can get locally but at 1/3 the cost it's a tough argument.

Indeed. :rolf:

#8 weave

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Posted 08 June 2009 - 04:04 PM

Sounds like my flea market honey find isn't off base with his pricing. I think I will go with the spring berry varietal.I'll post how things go when I get started.

#9 wengared

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Posted 08 June 2009 - 04:18 PM

If you're willing to buy in real bulk (as in 25 gallons or more), I have a local supplier who will sell the different varietals that he packs each year (they vary, but he almost always has Orange Blossom and Clover/Alfalfa mix) for $2/lb. But the secret is really no secret -- order enough to cover almost any local purveyor's shipping/handling/packing costs, and they'll treat you well.In fact I am currently in the process of coordinating a bulk buy of raspberry blossom over on the Gotmead site for this season, and as of this afternoon we're signed up to get 40 gallons of it for various folks around the front range at a price of $2/gallon, plus $5.75 for each new empty 5 gallon pail. Anyone wanting to get in on this, please PM me - either here or on Gotmead. But hurry, since I need to get back to the guy if we're going to increase the order, probably by tomorrow or Wednesday at the latest. Also, I can't front the whole cost in advance so I'm asking for a Paypal payment (or promise to drop off a check for me at my office in Golden by Friday, if you want to do that instead) if you want to be in on the buy.

did you misprint $2.00/gallon? or did you mean per pound? son is coming back here to missouri in july from littleton, he can transport.

#10 The Brew Dude

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Posted 08 June 2009 - 07:04 PM

Anyone wanting to get in on this, please PM me - either here or on Gotmead. But hurry, since I need to get back to the guy if we're going to increase the order, probably by tomorrow or Wednesday at the latest.

PM sent.

#11 Wayne B

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Posted 08 June 2009 - 07:43 PM

did you misprint $2.00/gallon? or did you mean per pound? son is coming back here to missouri in july from littleton, he can transport.

Yup - I did. Noted, and edited! Thanks for catching that. :)Here's what the whole post should have said (earlier one is removed to avoid confusion):If you're willing to buy in real bulk (as in 25 gallons or more), I have a local supplier who will sell the different varietals that he packs each year (they vary, but he almost always has Orange Blossom and Clover/Alfalfa mix) for $2/lb. But the secret is really no secret -- order enough to cover almost any local purveyor's shipping/handling/packing costs, and they'll treat you well.In fact I am currently in the process of coordinating a bulk buy of raspberry blossom over on the Gotmead site for this season, and as of this afternoon we're signed up to get 40 gallons of it for various folks around the front range at a price of $2/lb, plus $5.75 for each new empty 5 gallon pail. Anyone wanting to get in on this, please PM me - either here or on Gotmead. But hurry, since I need to get back to the guy if we're going to increase the order, probably by tomorrow or Wednesday at the latest. Also, I can't front the whole cost in advance so I'm asking for a Paypal payment (or promise to drop off a check for me at my office in Golden by Friday, if you want to do that instead) if you want to be in on the buy.

Edited by Wayne B, 08 June 2009 - 07:45 PM.


#12 Wayne B

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Posted 09 June 2009 - 07:56 AM

did you misprint $2.00/gallon? or did you mean per pound? son is coming back here to missouri in july from littleton, he can transport.

BTW - where in MO are you? I'll be taking my sons out to Clever (near Springfield) in a couple of weeks to meet up with a school friend who moved out there last year, and there'd probably be room in the van for a 5 gallon bucket, if you'd be interested. That way you wouldn't have to bother your son. :)

#13 wengared

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Posted 09 June 2009 - 02:08 PM

BTW - where in MO are you? I'll be taking my sons out to Clever (near Springfield) in a couple of weeks to meet up with a school friend who moved out there last year, and there'd probably be room in the van for a 5 gallon bucket, if you'd be interested. That way you wouldn't have to bother your son. :cheers:

other side of the state about 70 miles southwest of st louis, thanks for the thought. and now he don't know if he can get off work long enough to come back, ( a state employee can't get time off. oh well)

#14 wengared

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Posted 09 June 2009 - 02:17 PM

Wayne, if you haven't already a good stop on the way would be here https://www.wyldewoodcellars.com/ exit 333 on I70 they only deal in fruit wines, but now have an elderberry concentrate, which might work well in a mead, I talked to their vinter (?) John,and got the recipe for their spiced elderberry wine, made up 6 gallons last fall and have been working on it all winter.

#15 Wayne B

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Posted 09 June 2009 - 02:46 PM

Wayne, if you haven't already a good stop on the way would be here https://www.wyldewoodcellars.com/ exit 333 on I70 they only deal in fruit wines, but now have an elderberry concentrate, which might work well in a mead, I talked to their vinter (?) John,and got the recipe for their spiced elderberry wine, made up 6 gallons last fall and have been working on it all winter.

Thanks for the tip! I've actually passed signs for their place several times in the past few years (I've regularly driven to/from Ohio in years past via I-70), but I haven't stopped before. I guess now I don't have any good excuses not to!

Edited by Wayne B, 09 June 2009 - 02:49 PM.


#16 wengared

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Posted 09 June 2009 - 02:55 PM

I just remembered xmas day of 2006 we hiked out to the presidential ruins on Mt. Falcon, in 12 inches of snow, by the time we got back to the truck my legs were so tired i couldn't drive for a while so opened a bottle of the spiced elderberry to rejuvenate our selves. made the drive down the lariat trail interesting.

#17 ANUSTART

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Posted 09 June 2009 - 02:58 PM

I don't know what's going on around here but honey prices have skyrocketed. Anything under $3 per pound is a good deal from what I am seeing and that is for local wildflower!Any of the other Denver Area folks want to chime in on the secret to finding less expensive honey? I had a number of mead projects lined up but at $30+ per batch for honey I'm not going to be able to afford it.

Looking at my old CC statement... I paid $8.55 for 3 lbs at the Madhava store near lyons on 3/23. It was way cheaper than grocery stores, but still in the barely below $3 category. It was wildflower.

#18 ANUSTART

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Posted 09 June 2009 - 03:00 PM

I just remembered xmas day of 2006 we hiked out to the presidential ruins on Mt. Falcon, in 12 inches of snow, by the time we got back to the truck my legs were so tired i couldn't drive for a while so opened a bottle of the spiced elderberry to rejuvenate our selves. made the drive down the lariat trail interesting.

hehe "presidential ruins" makes it sound so cool! In reality its where the mountain bikers stop to piss before heading down. I've been up there many times.

#19 wengared

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Posted 09 June 2009 - 03:13 PM

hehe "presidential ruins" makes it sound so cool! In reality its where the mountain bikers stop to piss before heading down. I've been up there many times.

I was wondering why there were so many yellow signatures in the snow :cheers:you never went out to the point where the ruins are?

Edited by wengared, 09 June 2009 - 03:13 PM.


#20 wengared

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Posted 09 June 2009 - 03:19 PM

Looking at my old CC statement... I paid $8.55 for 3 lbs at the Madhava store near lyons on 3/23. It was way cheaper than grocery stores, but still in the barely below $3 category. It was wildflower.

is cc costco? walmart here sells wildflower honey for $7.50 for 3 lbs. last time i was in sams in st.louis 5 lb was $8. ? for 5 lbs., that was a year ago.


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