Does honey expand?

[Erichalfbee]

Do you recall whether you measured water content?

I’ve had a whole batch of soft set go like that and it was tested at 18%
I put the jars in the freezer and ate and cooked with the honey through the following months

 

[jeff33]

Do you recall whether you measured water content?

I measure water content before extraction on open frames only, no point when frames are capped.

 

[JamezF]

Is there a market for "Fizzy Honey", do you think? You'd even be able to call it that, because it's a "specific quality indicator" or whatever the phrase is. Or perhaps more likely, a specific lack-of-quality indicator.

James

 

[Sutty]

Is there a market for "Fizzy Honey", do you think? You'd even be able to call it that, because it's a "specific quality indicator" or whatever the phrase is. Or perhaps more likely, a specific lack-of-quality indicator.

James

Fizzy mead might be better

 

[bontbee]

I measure water content before extraction on open frames only, no point when frames are capped.

For info, the fact that frames are capped doesn't always mean that the honey is proper. I uncapped some frames a few years ago, following a very heavy flow, and the honey poured out. It tested at 22%.

 

[Murox]

For info, the fact that frames are capped doesn't always mean that the honey is proper. I uncapped some frames a few years ago, following a very heavy flow, and the honey poured out. It tested at 22%.

well we learn each day, I have always thought/been taught they only capped once it reached around 17.5%

 

[enrico]

well we learn each day, I have always thought/been taught they only capped once it reached around 17.5%

No, but we don't know if they are able to measure the yeasts that make it ferment. If they know the yeasts are not going to ferment then maybe they are clever enough to allow the water content to be higher.....who knows!

 

[bontbee]

well we learn each day, I have always thought/been taught they only capped once it reached around 17.5%

I'm afraid i often have honey at 18%+ and I only extract frames that are more or less completely capped as I have the horrors of fermentation. I have had as low as 16% - but rarely.

 

[Antipodes]

well we learn each day, I have always thought/been taught they only capped once it reached around 17.5%

Definitely not. They'll cap it at 19 percent or even higher here. I find it's more likely in the outermost frames and on a good flow in high humidity areas. When uncapping, (as per Bontbee above) that stuff just runs out of the frames....,quite a bit before it gets to the extractor. Quite annoying.