Have you ever wondered what ancient emperors, Irish peasants, Vikings and Greek philosophers had in common? They all liked to drink mead.
Mead is one of the first alcoholic beverages and has been around for thousands of years. It is a delicate beverage with a sweet taste, including a strong honey flavor.
Although mead is not as popular as it was centuries ago, it is making a comeback. This resurgence is largely due to the first attempts at making mead by home brewers and commercial distilleries, as well as the introduction of some delicious new flavors.
If you’re curious about mead, you’ve come to the right place. This guide will share all the information you need to know about mead, including its ingredients and flavors.
Mead, also known as “mead”, “Ambrosia” or “God’s manna”, is a fermented alcoholic beverage composed of honey, water and yeast. Other ingredients can be added to change the taste, but the main source of fermentable sugar is always honey.
People have been making mead since at least 7000 BC. We know this because scientists have discovered that the fermentation process of honey, rice and related compounds in the wine making vessels makes mead one of the world’s oldest alcoholic beverages.
Historians have also found written records of mead dating back to 1700 BC in ancient Greece, the Roman Empire, India, the Roman Empire, and the Viking Age (793-1066 AD). This suggests that drinking mead was a popular activity in many cultures.
The original process of making mead was very simple. Honey and warm water were mixed in a clay or wooden container. The yeast in the air and any yeast contained in the honey ferment the honey solution, adding carbon dioxide and alcohol. Other ingredients can be added to provide more yeast or sugar for brewing.
Mead takes a long time to ferment, especially in the natural environment depending on the yeast. The initial fermentation time is 28-56 days. After this time, it is usually put into a secondary fermentation and then used for 6 to 9 months.
Some meads are fermented for even longer periods of time. For example, the Russians made a mixture of honey and water or juice to make a type of mead called Myod. They would ferment it very slowly and anaerobically in airtight containers for 12-50 years. It can make a very complex and powerful mead, which is understandably very expensive.
Modern mead makers usually do secondary fermentation in oak barrels, where sherry or bourbon used to be stored in oak bottles. This adds to the flavor of the mead.
Mead requires only three ingredients: water, organic honey, and yeast. Honey is the main source of fermentable sugars. However, it can also include a variety of other herbs, spices, fruits and hops to add flavor.
Whiskey and beer, on the other hand, use grains as the primary source of fermentable sugars, while wine uses grapes as the primary source of fermentable sugars.
The ingredients of mead have changed over the centuries. Different cultures use spices, fruits, grains and hops that are readily available to them. This is why mead makers sometimes add rice to their mead, while the Irish choose malted barley or wheat.
Some countries have special names for mead, which is made from certain ingredients. For example, in Wales and Ireland, mead containing spices (such as cinnamon or nutmeg) or herbs (such as chamomile or lavender) is called mead.
Strawberries, blackberries, raspberries or other berries are called beets, and grasses fermented with grape juice are called pies
In Finland, people produce a mead called “sima”, which uses brown sugar instead of honey. The Ethiopians made tej from the leaves and bark of a hop-like plant called gesho, a bittering agent.
By now you probably know that there are dozens of types of mead, which makes tasting mead very exciting because it can tell you a lot about the local brewing traditions.
Most meads are between 3.5% and 18% ABV, as the natural yeast used to produce it has a hard time reaching this level. However, some distilled meadows are thicker, just as whiskey is thicker than beer.
Absolute mead is very high in alcohol, so a few glasses can quickly go over the limit. However, don’t expect a few shots of Scotch or bourbon to have the same effect. These are much stronger than regular mead.
Most meads are higher than the average strength of American beers (about 4% ABV). However, it is relatively easy to find mead meads with a lower ABV.
There are two reasons why mead is so expensive. The first reason is that it requires organic honey, as this honey still contains the yeast process, and organic honey can trigger fermentation. Most commercial honeys are pasteurized to kill the yeast and prevent the honey from crystallizing/granulating.
Another reason is that mead is not as popular as beer or whiskey. As a result, few large distilleries produce large quantities of mead and benefit from economies of scale.
Most meads are sweet and have a distinctly honey-like flavor, which is why they are called “honey”. However, some meadows become very sour due to the addition of herbs, spices or fruits.
You can find very dry, carbonated meads that taste like dry white wine. Brewers can add almost any ingredient, which means there is a wide variety of flavors and aromas to choose from. This is one of the reasons why drinking mead is so much fun.
To give you an idea of the varieties available, some of the most popular commercial meads include: peach and passion fruit, ginger, vanilla, apple and cinnamon, orange and grapefruit, and Zinfandel grape. There are plenty of options to try.
