Mead, the world's oldest fermented beverage, is crafted from a blend of honey, yeast, and water. According to the AMMA (American Mead Makers Association), mead can also incorporate hops, fruit, spices, grain, or other flavors, but honey must remain the primary fermentable sugar by weight. With its deep-rooted history and versatile nature, mead is stepping out of the shadows of Norse Viking legends and medieval banquet halls and is poised to become a trending barroom staple. Its appearance in popular fantasy and historical fiction TV shows sparked a public interest in this once-forgotten beverage, and craft meaderies are popping up across the country, offering a diverse range of mead styles and flavors. This resurgence has also inspired bartenders and mixologists to incorporate mead into innovative cocktails, expanding its appeal to a wider audience.
What Does Mead Taste Like?
Often referred to as "nectar of the gods", mead is known for its sweet and honey-like flavor, with floral, fruity, and herbal notes adding complexity. The taste can range from light and refreshing to rich and full-bodied, depending on factors such as the types of honey, yeast strains, and additional ingredients like fruits or spices. These factors also contribute to the mead's mouthfeel, ranging from light and crisp to rich and velvety. Some meads may have a higher alcohol content and warming sensation, while others are more mellow and easy-drinking. Overall, mead offers a diverse range of flavors that cater to different preferences, making it an intriguing choice for those seeking a distinctive and ancient libation.
Mead ABV
Mead's alcohol by volume (ABV) can vary widely, ranging from as low as 3.5% to a robust 23%. Hydromels, also known as “session meads” or “seltzer style meads,” are on the lighter end of the spectrum, offering a well-balanced flavor profile often enhanced with fruits. On the opposite end are sack meads, also known as “standard meads,” which boast higher alcohol content, luxurious sweetness, and a rich honey essence for a truly indulgent experience.
Is Mead Gluten Free?
Mead, a fermented beverage made from honey, water, and yeast, is naturally gluten-free, making it a suitable choice for individuals with gluten sensitivities or celiac disease. This characteristic, combined with its perceived health benefits from the honey and artisanal allure, contributes to mead's appeal to health-conscious consumers seeking a unique and flavorful alternative to traditional alcoholic beverages. However, it is essential to note that braggot mead, which combines honey and malted barley, is an exception as it contains gluten due to the barley content.
Types of Mead
While the traditional recipe for mead consists of just honey, water, and yeast, meaderies create different styles by adding optional ingredients. For example, the addition of fruits such as berries or citrus produces meads known as melomels. Some brewers choose to add hops to their mead, creating a unique blend of flavors that is reminiscent of beer. We explain the six broadest categories of mead below:
- Traditional Mead (Show Mead): Traditional mead, also known as show mead, is the purest expression of mead. It is made with a simple blend of honey, water, and yeast, resulting in a beverage with an alcohol by volume (ABV) ranging from 7.5% to 14%.
- Sack Mead (Great Mead): Sack mead, often referred to as great mead, packs a higher alcohol kick compared to traditional mead. With an ABV ranging from 14% to 18%, this type of mead is known for its robust flavor profile and increased potency.
- Hydromel (Session Mead): Hydromel, also known as session mead, is a lighter option with an ABV ranging from 3.5% to 7.5%. This makes it a popular choice for patrons desiring a refreshing and easy-drinking mead.
- Melomel Mead: Melomel mead is a fruit-flavored variety that combines the sweetness of honey with the vibrant flavors of fruits such as berries, citrus, or tropical fruits. This type of mead offers a refreshing twist on the traditional recipe.
- Metheglin Mead: Metheglin mead is a spiced variation that incorporates a blend of spices and herbs to enhance the flavor profile. Common spices used in metheglin mead include cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg, adding complexity to the drink.
- Pyment Mead: Pyment mead is a unique blend of mead and grapes, combining the sweetness of honey with the rich flavors of grapes. This fusion creates a mead with a distinctive taste and aroma that appeals to wine enthusiasts.
Popular Melomel and Metheglin Mead Varieties
Fruit and spice-infused meads (melomel and metheglin) are popular types of mead. With so many different potential flavor varieties, these are the most common meads within these categories:
- Tej: An Ethiopian-style mead, Tej is brewed with gesho, a buckthorn plant variety, which adds a unique and slightly bitter flavor to the beverage. This offers a distinctive taste that sets it apart from other varieties.
- Viking Blood Mead: Made with cherries, Viking blood mead puts a fruity, slightly tart twist on the traditional honey-based beverage. The addition of cherries creates a mead with a vibrant red hue and a refreshing taste.
- Bochet Mead: Made by caramelizing or boiling honey before fermentation, bochet mead has a rich and intense flavor profile. The caramelization process adds depth and complexity to the mead, creating a unique drinking experience.
- Cyser Mead: This mead is a fusion of apples and honey, similar to hard cider but with the added complexity of mead fermentation. Cyser mead offers a balance of sweetness from the apples and richness from the honey.
- Black Mead: Black currants impart a deep, rich color and a bold, juicy flavor to black mead. The combination of honey and black currants creates a mead with a sweet and tangy taste.
- Braggot Mead: A hybrid beverage, braggot mead combines mead with grains, typically beer. This blend creates a mead with a malty character and a beer-like finish, offering a savory twist on traditional mead.
- Capsicumel Mead: Pepper infusion adds a spicy kick to the traditional honey-based beverage. The combination of honey sweetness and pepper heat creates a swicy drinking experience, making capsicumel mead perfect for fans of hot honey.
Honey Wine vs Mead
The term "honey wine" is often used interchangeably with mead, leading to some confusion. Fundamentally, mead is a fermented beverage that shares similarities with wine; however, it is crafted using honey as the primary fermentable instead of grapes and typically boasts a higher alcohol content compared to most grape wines. Simply adding honey to grape-based wine does not make it mead unless at least 50% of the fermentables come from honey. To be considered a traditional mead, it must be fermented using 100% honey. Unfortunately, some mass-market producers create a drink by starting with a white wine base, then adding sugar and honey flavoring, and labeling it as mead. This practice results in a cheap imitation rather than an authentic mead. Be wary of bottles labeled as "honey wine" as these can sometimes refer to grape wine sweetened with honey, which differs from pure mead.
How to Drink Mead
When enjoying mead, it is best to use a tulip-shaped glass or a wine glass. They help concentrate the aromas, so you can fully appreciate the drink's complexity. The recommended serving size for mead is typically around 4 to 6 ounces. However, some stronger meads may be best enjoyed in smaller quantities, similar to serving brandy, so adjust the serving size based on the mead's alcohol content and intensity.
Mead is best served at a slightly chilled temperature, similar to white wine. This helps to enhance its flavors without overpowering the palate. The sweet and complex flavors of mead complement a wide range of dishes. Consider pairing a traditional honey mead with cheese and charcuterie, or opt for a fruit-infused mead to accompany a light salad or seafood dish. There is a reason Renaissance Fairs serve mead with turkey legs: dry or off-dry meads complement rich turkey dishes beautifully, so consider swapping out your traditional Thanksgiving wine list with a mead pairing menu. Experiment with different pairings to find the perfect combination that suits your taste preferences.
Best Honey for Mead
When making mead, the type of honey used plays a crucial role in determining the flavor profile of the final product. The best honey for mead is typically raw and unfiltered, as these varieties retain more of the natural flavors and aromas that can enhance the mead-making process. Varietal honeys, such as clover, wildflower, or orange blossom, are popular choices for mead due to their distinct flavors that can add complexity to the brew. Additionally, selecting high-quality, locally sourced honey can further elevate the taste of the mead, imbuing the final product with the unique terroir of your region.
Where Is Mead From?
Mead's cultural significance spans across diverse civilizations. Historical records and ancient cave paintings found outside Valencia, Spain, depict early humans relishing this unique drink. The popularity of mead is evident in various literary works and historical accounts. It is prominently featured in the Nordic epic Beowulf and was widely enjoyed in medieval Europe. Celts, Anglo-Saxons, Vikings, and medieval monks all enjoyed this drink, which was traditionally served at feasts, weddings, and ceremonies. Mead was not just a beverage but a symbol of celebration, wisdom, and ritual in these cultures. This historical context explains why modern encounters with mead often occur at Renaissance festivals, where attendees can experience a taste of the past. However, China has the earliest evidence of fermented honey-based beverages, including those made with rice and fruits, dating back to around 7,000 BCE in northern China. This makes Chinese mead a strong contender for the title of the world's oldest alcoholic drink.
Fair gentlemen and women, thank you for joining your squire round the old banquet hall while I regaled you with the ancient ballad of mead: the world's oldest boozy beverage. As the popularity of craft beverages continues to rise, mead is emerging beyond the castle walls and becoming a prominent player on the world stage. As more plebeians play at being courtesans, they're seeking artisanal and locally produced beverages like the long beloved mead amongst the ruling class. If they're eating cake across the channel, let the commoners drink mead in merry old England. Keep an eye out for innovative meaderies in your village and new flavor combinations as the mead industry continues to grow. Merry meet, merry part, and merry meet again.
