Long before beer and grape wine became common in many parts of the world, people were fermenting honey. The result is mead, sometimes called honey wine. It's enjoying a revival today, with craft meaderies opening around the world. Here's an introduction to this ancient drink.
What is mead?
At its simplest, mead is an alcoholic beverage made by fermenting honey with water and yeast. Yeast consumes the sugars in honey and converts them into alcohol and carbon dioxide. Depending on how it's made, mead can be:
- Dry, semi-sweet, or sweet
- Still or sparkling
- Light or strong, often somewhere around 8% to 20% alcohol by volume
Because honey is the main source of sugar, the honey's floral source has a big influence on the final flavor.
A very old drink
Mead is often described as one of the oldest alcoholic beverages in human history. Archaeologists studying pottery from Jiahu, an ancient site in China dating to around 7000 BCE, found chemical residues suggesting a fermented drink made from rice, honey, and fruit.
Mead and honey drinks show up across many cultures:
- In Norse mythology, the "mead of poetry" was said to grant wisdom and the gift of verse.
- In ancient Greece, writers mentioned honey-based fermented drinks.
- In Ethiopia, tej, a honey wine traditionally flavored with the leaves of the gesho plant, remains popular today.
- In medieval Europe, mead was a common drink before grape wine and beer became more widespread in some regions.
You may have heard that the word "honeymoon" comes from newlyweds drinking mead for a month after their wedding. It's a charming story, but historians consider the origin uncertain.
How mead is made
The basic process is straightforward:
- Mix honey and water to create a sweet liquid called "must."
- Add yeast and sometimes nutrients to help fermentation.
- Ferment for weeks to months as the yeast turns sugar into alcohol.
- Age the mead to develop smoother, more complex flavors. Some meads age for years.
- Bottle, sometimes with added honey to sweeten or carbonation for sparkle.
Types of mead
Mead makers use different names for different styles:
- Traditional mead: Just honey, water, and yeast.
- Melomel: Made with fruit.
- Cyser: Made with apples or apple juice.
- Pyment: Made with grapes.
- Metheglin: Flavored with spices or herbs.
- Braggot: A blend of mead and beer, made with malt.
How to enjoy mead
- Serve it chilled or at cellar temperature, depending on style. Lighter, sparkling meads are refreshing cold, while rich, sweet meads can be sipped slightly cooler than room temperature.
- Pair it with food. Dry meads go well with roasted chicken or seafood, while sweeter meads pair beautifully with cheese and desserts.
- Explore styles. Mead can range from bone-dry to dessert-sweet.
As with any alcoholic beverage, enjoy mead responsibly, only if you're of legal drinking age, and never while pregnant or when driving.
The modern mead revival
Interest in mead has grown in recent years, with craft meaderies experimenting with local honeys, fruits, spices, and barrel aging. For many drinkers, mead offers a unique way to taste the character of different honeys.
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These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
