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I may be able to source enough raw honey to make a batch of mead from it. Are there any special concerns that I need to be aware of? If I don't boil it, should I use camden tablets to control any wild yeast and/or bacteria?

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2 Answers

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Most micro organisms will not grow in honey due to it's low water activity rating of 0.6. Bacteria needs at least 0.91 and fungi needs .7 water activity to grow. The water activity of distilled water is exactly 1. Most honey should be fine for making mead without heating. You do need to be aware that if it starts to separate the water activity has changed due to outside moisture and it may be able to support bacteria. I have made many meads and have never heated or used campden tablets without any infections. As long as your fermentation is strong and healthy you shouldn't have any problems with bacteria from raw honey.

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Honey is anti-septic due to his hydroscopic nature and high sugar content. Honey was used to treat wounds and preserve food for centuries. There is no danger in using it. – TinCoyote Dec 21 '10 at 21:27
up vote 4 down vote

In the words of Dwight Schrute, "That's debatable. There are basically two schools of thought..."

Some people swear that honey should never be heated, and others maintain that heating or chemical pasteurization is necessary. Regardless of your stance, it's undeniable that heating honey destroys it's aroma and flavor, so it's best to minimize the amount of heat added. Heating up to 37°C (98.6° F) causes loss of nearly 200 components, some of which are antibacterial. Heating up to 40°C (104° F) destroys invertase, an important enzyme. At 50°C (122° F), the honey sugars caramelize.

If you do heat, you can follow this pasteurization table:

Temperature    Time (min)
123°F / 51°C             470
130°F / 55°C             170
135°F / 57°C             60
140°F / 60°C             22
145°F / 63°C             7.5

Do not heat pure honey, as it is difficult to keep it evenly mixed and at a uniform temperature. Instead, mix it with warm water.

If you choose not to heat, you can add metabisulfate (Campden) if you're still nervous about wild yeast or bacteria in the honey. However, many homebrewers don't pasteurize or add Campden to their honey, particularly when making meads and braggots. Because honey is hydrophilic, most bugs can't grow in it, so the risk of contamination is low.

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Downvoted. Sorry, your answer is...not wrong, but off-base considering honey simply isn't susceptible to infections unless you contaminate it. – TinCoyote Dec 21 '10 at 21:28
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Again, as Dwight would say, "False." The odds are slim with pure honey, but it's entirely possible for plenty of bugs to grow in must. Boiling is a preventative step. I wouldn't do it, because it's detrimental to the flavor, but not only does it mitigate risk, it's listed as a step in most mead recipes. – Brandon Dec 22 '10 at 4:24
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TinCoyote: honey may be resistant to infections, but that changes the second you add water to it, which is what happens when you make mead. And there could be dormant organisms in the honey that could come back active as soon as the environment changes. That said, I wouldn't boil my must either, but its wrong to assume that MEAD is immune to infection simply because HONEY is. – Graham Apr 18 '11 at 17:48

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