Are you getting heavy, Honey?

[StillsNMash]

While not a question to ask a significant other, I am curious about the recipe's I've found containing honey and would appreciate a bit of clarification.

Recipe's I've seen call for poundage of honey. Now, what I know from local beekeepers is that honey is measured differently than standard ounces or net weight. Since honey is heavier than water, hooney's ounce weight is 1.5 times a standard ounce.

https://www.berlinpackaging.com/calcula ... t%20ounces.

So my question is when a recipe calls for 3 pounds of honey, are they calling for 48 ounces of honey which is actually 72 standard ounces, or are they calling for 32 ounces of honey to make 3 standard pounds? Biggest issue is price.

-Stills

[ShineonCrazyDiamond]

Honey is 12 lbs to the gallon. There's no conversion beyond that. If a recipe calls for ounces of honey, you need to figure out if they mean fluid ounces or not. Generally, honey is requested in recipes as weight, not fluid, or it is requested by the measuring device (i.e., tablespoon, teaspoon, etc.). In the end, if a recipe calls for a cup of honey, it doesn't matter what it weighs. And if it calls for 6 lbs of honey (96 ounces [notice not fl. ounces]), it doesn't matter how much volume it takes up.

[Yonder]

+1. Just what he said.

[bilgriss]

+1 SCD, although I have seen recipes with water scaled to match the addition of "1 gallon of honey" etc.

[StillsNMash]

+1 SCD, although I have seen recipes with water scaled to match the addition of "1 gallon of honey" etc.

So, since one gallon of honey equals 12 pounds, you would have to weigh out 12 pounds of water, in a vessel that would contain 12 pounds of weighed water, no matter how many fluid ounces that would be, not necessarily 128, in order to match the amount of honey.

Seem legit? Thanks.

-Stills.

[ShineonCrazyDiamond]

Why are you trying to compare honey to water?

[still_stirrin]

...So, since one gallon of honey equals 12 pounds, you would have to weigh out 12 pounds of water, in a vessel that would contain 12 pounds of weighed water, no matter how many fluid ounces that would be, not necessarily 128, in order to match the amount of honey.

Seem legit? Thanks.

-Stills.

Honey is HEAVIER than water. Drop your hydrometer into it (I know you can’t, but prove it to yourself).

Water weighs about 8.5 lb/gallon. But honey is 12 lb/gallon (and sometimes a little heavier). So, your hydrometer would have to read 12/8.5 = 1.411 or more to measure it. But of course, most brewing hydrometers don’t measure density greater than 1.120, or so.

But what matters with honey, when brewing, is the “sugar” content, or brix. A gallon of honey (roughly 12 lb) should have enough sugar for a 5 gallon ferment. And that’s a long way from a 1:1 ratio. If you aim for a 1:1 ratio, your O.G. is gonna be too high and the yeast will struggle (at best).
ss

[StillsNMash]

Why are you trying to compare honey to water?

Not honey to water, but honey weight to water weight. They are different as people have pointed out clearly. The volume of 12 pounds of honey is much different than the volume of 12 pounds of water.

I got this now I think.

Thanks guys for all your candor.

-Stills.