diff --git a/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/search/highlight/HighlightPhase.java b/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/search/highlight/HighlightPhase.java
index 8908147f1d0..0db8088edb3 100644
--- a/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/search/highlight/HighlightPhase.java
+++ b/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/search/highlight/HighlightPhase.java
@@ -57,9 +57,10 @@ import static org.elasticsearch.common.collect.Maps.*;
  */
 public class HighlightPhase implements SearchHitPhase {
 
-    private Encoder encoder;
-    private FragListBuilder fraglistbuilder;
-    private FragmentsBuilder fragmentbuiler;
+    public static class Encoders {
+        public static Encoder DEFAULT = new DefaultEncoder();
+        public static Encoder HTML = new SimpleHTMLEncoder();
+    }
 
     @Override public Map<String, ? extends SearchParseElement> parseElements() {
         return ImmutableMap.of("highlight", new HighlighterParseElement());
@@ -75,10 +76,12 @@ public class HighlightPhase implements SearchHitPhase {
 
             Map<String, HighlightField> highlightFields = newHashMap();
             for (SearchContextHighlight.Field field : context.highlight().fields()) {
-                if (field.encoder().equals("html"))
-                    encoder = new SimpleHTMLEncoder();
-                else
-                    encoder = new DefaultEncoder();
+                Encoder encoder;
+                if (field.encoder().equals("html")) {
+                    encoder = Encoders.HTML;
+                } else {
+                    encoder = Encoders.DEFAULT;
+                }
                 FieldMapper mapper = documentMapper.mappers().smartNameFieldMapper(field.field());
                 if (mapper == null) {
                     MapperService.SmartNameFieldMappers fullMapper = context.mapperService().smartName(field.field());
@@ -118,7 +121,6 @@ public class HighlightPhase implements SearchHitPhase {
                     Formatter formatter = new SimpleHTMLFormatter(field.preTags()[0], field.postTags()[0]);
 
 
-
                     Highlighter highlighter = new Highlighter(formatter, encoder, queryScorer);
                     highlighter.setTextFragmenter(fragmenter);
 
@@ -188,7 +190,37 @@ public class HighlightPhase implements SearchHitPhase {
                         highlightFields.put(highlightField.name(), highlightField);
                     }
                 } else {
-                    FastVectorHighlighter highlighter = buildHighlighter(context, mapper, field);
+                    FragListBuilder fragListBuilder;
+                    FragmentsBuilder fragmentsBuilder;
+                    if (field.numberOfFragments() == 0) {
+                        fragListBuilder = new SingleFragListBuilder();
+
+                        if (mapper.stored()) {
+                            fragmentsBuilder = new SimpleFragmentsBuilder(field.preTags(), field.postTags());
+                        } else {
+                            fragmentsBuilder = new SourceSimpleFragmentsBuilder(mapper, context, field.preTags(), field.postTags());
+                        }
+                    } else {
+                        if (field.fragmentOffset() == -1)
+                            fragListBuilder = new SimpleFragListBuilder();
+                        else
+                            fragListBuilder = new MarginFragListBuilder(field.fragmentOffset());
+
+                        if (field.scoreOrdered()) {
+                            if (mapper.stored()) {
+                                fragmentsBuilder = new ScoreOrderFragmentsBuilder(field.preTags(), field.postTags());
+                            } else {
+                                fragmentsBuilder = new SourceScoreOrderFragmentsBuilder(mapper, context, field.preTags(), field.postTags());
+                            }
+                        } else {
+                            if (mapper.stored()) {
+                                fragmentsBuilder = new SimpleFragmentsBuilder(field.preTags(), field.postTags());
+                            } else {
+                                fragmentsBuilder = new SourceSimpleFragmentsBuilder(mapper, context, field.preTags(), field.postTags());
+                            }
+                        }
+                    }
+                    FastVectorHighlighter highlighter = new FastVectorHighlighter(true, false, fragListBuilder, fragmentsBuilder);
                     FieldQuery fieldQuery = buildFieldQuery(highlighter, context.query(), hitContext.reader(), field);
 
                     String[] fragments;
@@ -196,7 +228,7 @@ public class HighlightPhase implements SearchHitPhase {
                         // a HACK to make highlighter do highlighting, even though its using the single frag list builder
                         int numberOfFragments = field.numberOfFragments() == 0 ? 1 : field.numberOfFragments();
                         fragments = highlighter.getBestFragments(fieldQuery, hitContext.reader(), hitContext.docId(), mapper.names().indexName(), field.fragmentCharSize(), numberOfFragments,
-                                this.fraglistbuilder, this.fragmentbuiler, field.preTags(), field.postTags(), encoder);
+                                fragListBuilder, fragmentsBuilder, field.preTags(), field.postTags(), encoder);
                     } catch (IOException e) {
                         throw new FetchPhaseExecutionException(context, "Failed to highlight field [" + field.field() + "]", e);
                     }
@@ -219,41 +251,4 @@ public class HighlightPhase implements SearchHitPhase {
         CustomFieldQuery.highlightFilters.set(field.highlightFilter());
         return new CustomFieldQuery(query, highlighter);
     }
-
-    private FastVectorHighlighter buildHighlighter(SearchContext searchContext, FieldMapper fieldMapper, SearchContextHighlight.Field field) {
-        FragListBuilder fragListBuilder;
-        FragmentsBuilder fragmentsBuilder;
-        if (field.numberOfFragments() == 0) {
-            fragListBuilder = new SingleFragListBuilder();
-
-            if (fieldMapper.stored()) {
-                fragmentsBuilder = new SimpleFragmentsBuilder(field.preTags(), field.postTags());
-            } else {
-                fragmentsBuilder = new SourceSimpleFragmentsBuilder(fieldMapper, searchContext, field.preTags(), field.postTags());
-            }
-        } else {
-            if (field.fragmentOffset() == -1)
-                fragListBuilder = new SimpleFragListBuilder();
-            else
-                fragListBuilder = new MarginFragListBuilder(field.fragmentOffset());
-
-            if (field.scoreOrdered()) {
-                if (fieldMapper.stored()) {
-                    fragmentsBuilder = new ScoreOrderFragmentsBuilder(field.preTags(), field.postTags());
-                } else {
-                    fragmentsBuilder = new SourceScoreOrderFragmentsBuilder(fieldMapper, searchContext, field.preTags(), field.postTags());
-                }
-            } else {
-                if (fieldMapper.stored()) {
-                    fragmentsBuilder = new SimpleFragmentsBuilder(field.preTags(), field.postTags());
-                } else {
-                    fragmentsBuilder = new SourceSimpleFragmentsBuilder(fieldMapper, searchContext, field.preTags(), field.postTags());
-                }
-            }
-        }
-        this.fraglistbuilder = fragListBuilder;
-        this.fragmentbuiler = fragmentsBuilder;
-        return new FastVectorHighlighter(true, false, fragListBuilder, fragmentsBuilder);
-    }
-
 }