hist-brewing: heather honey?

[NeophyteSG at aol.com]

In a message dated 5/24/00 7:50:20 AM Pacific Daylight Time, 
kirsty.pollock at mpuk.com writes:

> wow! You can buy it just about anywhere over here. I never knew you couldn't
>  get it in the US - I take it heather doesn't grow there??
>  
>  KP
>  

Heather grows here but not in the vast, wild abundance that it does in 
Europe.  I imagine that heather honey is for you much like clover is for us 
<sigh>.  As someone interested in European period ales and meads, I envy your 
easy access to it.  Someone mentioned Castlemark Honey as a source, but last 
time I checked the price for a US gallon of heather honey was around $75US 
not including shipping.  That's about twice the cost of most others and a bit 
spendy for a 3-4# honey/gallon mead.  

Still ... I'm about to start a heather series (ale, mead, braggot and wine) 
to explore the characteristics imparted by it in brewing.  I confess a great 
deal of romanticism in my brewing.  For me, each period brew is like a time 
machine ... "so that's what [fill in the brew and date] tasted like."  
Sometimes it's tasty, others not so tasty (by my preferences), but at least, 
for those brief moments that I sip, it gives me a sense of "being there."  
Part of the nuance for me is getting as close as I can with the ingredients.  
In truth, I might not *truly* be able to discern the difference in taste 
between fresh herbs and dried, heather honey or clover, heather or heather 
honey from the US, the UK or Scotland itself, etc.  But *I know*.

I believe the heather I've purchased is from the US but I'm not sure.  I may 
have to suck it up and go the Castlemark route for this series but Ouch!  I 
don't know where Castlemark gets it, but at least it's *heather* honey (one 
step closer).  If they import it that may be the reason for the price.  I 
don't know what $75US exchanges to where you are but I'd be curious what it 
would cost to purchase about a gallon (3.78L, 4L, UK gallon, whatever's 
convenient) there and ship it overseas ... for me, Portland, OR.

Warm Regards,
Shawn

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