The history of brewing and drinking mead is so ancient that the linguistic root for mead, medhu, is the same in all Indo-European languages.
Mead may well be the oldest form of alcohol known to the human race since the gathering of honey predates farming – and wine-making.
In fact, many cultures have one form or another of mead. Mead is often mentioned in the Bible and in the sacred books of India, and evidence of mead-making has been found in the Inca and Aztec cultures.
Because of its antiquity mead has taken on a kind of magical quality: For example, “honeymoon” comes from the old European tradition of couples drinking mead for a month after the wedding to ensure fertility, and the “celestial nectar”, the drink of the gods, is actually fermented honey-wine, that is, mead.
Mead, is in fact, closer to wine than beer. And the process is actually very similar to making a traditional grape wine.
The Types of Mead
Mead is classified by what is put into it – and not by the honey that it is made from.
Traditional Mead – Just honey, water and yeast.
Metheglin – Mead with added herbs and spices (such as cloves or cinnamon)
Melomel – Mead made with fruit. May contain spices as well.
Cyser – Melomel made with apples
Pyment – Melomel mead from grapes…or wine with honey added.
Hippocras – Pyment with spices
Braggot – Mead with malted grain
Sack – A name for stronger, sweeter meads made with more honey than usual.
Rhodomel – Mead with rose petals
Mead can also be dry or sweet, sparking (carbonated) or still (no bubbles).
The types of honey used varies and can add different characters to the mead. Raw, unprocessed honey is the best for mead (store bought honey is not a good choice for mead-making). The yeasts to ferment the “must” (or the honey/water mixture) are wine yeasts, and will determine if the final mead will be sweet or dry.
The Legalities of Mead-Making
It is legal to brew your own mead at home. The U.S. government classifies mead as “wine” and every adult (21 years of age, or older) is allowed to produce 100 gallons of wine – or mead – per year.
So a household with two adults can legally produce 200 gallons – more than enough nectar of the gods to consume – or give away -- without getting a license. So you can’t make more than that – or you can’t sell the mead without proper license or registration. You also can’t concentrate the alcohol or distill it.
How to Make Mead
Mead has only three ingredients: honey, yeast and water. Here's an easy mead recipe you can follow and make at home with no special equipment.
“Mellow Mead”
Adapted from the book, Full Moon Feast
Makes 2 quarts
- 2/3 cup raw, unfiltered honey
- 1 ½ cups filtered water, very warm (about 110 degrees F.)
- 6 cups room temperature filtered water
- ½ cup kefir grains – rinsed grains from making milk kefir, or water kefir grains
Directions:
- Pour honey into a clean, 2-quart mason jar. Pour the hot water over the honey to dissolve. Pour the rest of the filtered water into the jar.
- Add the kefir grains. Cover the jar and put in a warm place for 1 week. Strain into two 1-liter glass bottles with screw tops (such as ones used for mineral water). Screw lids on tightly and label and date the bottles and return to a warm place for another week. Make sure that the bottles are filled all the way to to top to prevent oxidation (which can cause spoilage). Add water if there is an air space at the top.
- Transfer to the refrigerator. Once they are cold you can drink them.
- Caution: Open the bottles carefully over a sink because they may have built up a lot of carbonation.
To reduce the chances of spoilage (bacteria, mold, etc.) make sure you do not drink it straight from the bottle, don't leave open bottles on the counter for hours -- recap immediately after pouring and put back in the refrigerator.
While there isn't a set timeframe for mead spoilage (you'll know if mead has gone bad if it has off tastes or odors), make sure you keep all opened bottles refrigerated and use within a week.
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