[theriverhawk]

This morning, I grabbed my last case of honey from last year's batch and brought it upstairs. (Luckily, I'm taking this year's honey this coming weekend!!) I noticed that each jar had some bubbles in it. I opened the first jar and whooooffff...it sounded like a small can of tennis balls as the air gently came out. Hmmm...that's odd. I opened another. Same thing! Each jar in this case made this exact same pressurized noise. Does this mean that this case has started fermenting? It's a dark, tulip poplar honey so it hasn't turned to sugar yet. I've never experienced this before and never had honey ferment.

 

[mike haney]

you may have bottled it too hot and the air cooled and contracted. if it tastes ok, thats most likely the case. good luck,mike

 

[daknoodle]

Time for some mead?? hehe

Actually I agree with Mike, sounds like hot and cold air changes.

 

[BeeCurious]

I opened the first jar and whooooffff...it sounded like a small can of tennis balls as the air gently came out.

The air came out... there was no vacuum.

 

[theriverhawk]

Yes, it was NOT a vacuum. It was pressure coming out. I actually just went out and opened a jar again. In a matter of hours, there was already a little air pressure built up. This is bizarre. Never seen it or heard it. I scooped off the layer of thick bubbles and the honey tasted fine. I even tasted the bubble-ish goo. It would spread very well on a biscuit!!

 

[The Honey Householder]

Is it raw honey, if so it sounds like it's starting to work.:lookout: That happien this time of the year with last years honey.

 

[theriverhawk]

Yes, it's raw. Extracted, filtered through a medium and fine filter and then put straight into jars. So what are you saying by "it's starting to work"?

 

[be lote]

there is wild yeast everywhere what keeps honey from workin is to
much suger for yeast to get a foothold. for some reason your honey suger content was low enough for the yeast is to start workin an give you a byproducts of alcohol an cabon dioxide . carbon dioxide builds up when you wine/mead/mash starts workin. it will explode a glass jug if they aint ventalated. you can heat it hot an kill the yeast.

them canin jug aint air tite unless you heat em. anybody make wine
an put it in mason jug for tryin to age a year is liabile to have some that changed

 

[theriverhawk]

I am baffled by this...here are a couple of pics. I warmed up the honey and this is what happened. A 1-2 inch deep layer of thick bubbles! What the??? I warmed it on a low heat, so getting it too hot is out of the question.

 

[mike haney]

can you compare the taste with some other (raw) un-foamy honey? i cant see where this can be anything but fermentation- or spoiling. if not too much of a hardship, i'd feed it back to the bees. you can get REAL sick from spoiled food. be careful,mike

 

[kbee]

Yes,I agree that this is a good example of fermentation. Did you check the moisture content when you extracted? Did you extract some frames that were not fully capped? The moisture should be less than 18% and 17 would be better.

 

[theriverhawk]

Ok...of all the years beekeeping with my father and nowadays on my own, we've never had this happen.

So, can I feed this back to the bees?

 

[honeybeekeeper]

Yes thats exactly what i would do!!