Mead, drink of vikings, comes out of the Dark Ages

hosted ^ | Dec 29 | ALLEN G. BREED

[Lurker]

Be sure you use the champagne yeast and punted bottles. Regular wine bottles won’t take the pressure and will explode. Trust me on this one.

[Hotmetal]

I think mead made with fruit added is called melomel.

[Hotmetal]

Sorry missed it the first time read too fast.

[Lurker]

No problem. Happy New Year!

[Redcloak]

This has got me wanting to brew a cyser (Mead made with apple juice), but She-Who-Must-be-Obeyed would probably string me up if another bubbling carboy showed up around the house.

[SIDENET]

LOL.

[TheBigIf]

Might have to order some of this.

[Hardastarboard]

I think you're out of control!!

Happy New Year to you as well, Mr. Lurker.

[madamemayhem]

Okay. You look like a person who knows this stuff quite well. I do not like dry wines of any kind nor do I like beer. Mead (I am told) is basically a strong wine made from honey, is that correct? How does one know which mead is sweet and which is dry, without tasting them? I have tried to find out about this since we wanted to make mulled mead for the holidays a few years ago. Just could not get a good answer about the sweet vs. dry question.

[hoagy62]

Revenooers paid him a visit?

Nah...just didn't want to do it anymore. Too much else to do.

[Lurker]

Meads can be either sweet or dry depending on how they’re made but they all start with the same basic ingredients. Honey, water, and yeast. How sweet they are depends on how much of the sugar is converted to alcohol during fermentation.

Believe it or not it’s the yeast that determines that. Some yeast strains can’t live above 5% alcohol or so. Others can continue their work until 10% or higher.

The only way to find one you like is to try a few. Sorry, wish I could give you a brand recommendation. Theres quite a bit of information on the web, too.

Good luck.

[SunkenCiv]

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[ElkGroveDan]

Mead is a vile beverage. Sounds quaint, tastes like vomit.

Children say the same thing about whiskey.

[ElkGroveDan]

I've been brewing mead for years. Properly done the stuff is wonderful and boy does it pack a kick.

I'd like to try it but like any food or beverage I think a person would need to have the plainest variety to begin with so they can learn the basic taste. All this junk in the article above, spices, herbs, fruit cocktails etc. I would think alters the experience. Sort of like introducing someone to pizza and making them one with pineapple. It tastes good, but that's not the classic pizza taste.

So my question to you as an expert is, which kind of mead would be most like they drank in days of old?

[Mmogamer]

Had mead brewed by some SCA friends, was good stuff..tasted a lot like butterscotch. I prefer cider to beer, tastes better imho.

[TheOldLady]

I make soap.

[Joe 6-pack]

Technically not mead, but I remember this old friend fondly from my drinking days. There is absolutely nothing that will warm you up quicker on a cold winter's day...

[Lurker]

I’m no expert on the anthropological history of mead. But if I had to hazard a guess I’d say it was probably on the sweet side due to wild yeasts doing the fermenting. They tend to die off at relatively low alcohol levels leaving higher levels of sugar in the finished product.

But that is strictly a guess. I’d also guess that pretty quickly our ancestors figured out how to manipulate the flavors to their liking.

I’d recommend that you find a quality purveyor and tell him you’d like to try a couple. You’ll spend a few bucks but you’ll likely discover something you’ll enjoy.

Sorry but that’s the best advice I can give.

[jla]

You can purchase mead in Ireland. I had to cut it with orange juice before drinking. It is not sweet.

[JerseyHighlander]

I have to agree with you on the ingredients part... unless they are importing the honey from China.

Problem with Chinese honey is the amounts of contaminates, carcinogens and heavy metals in the honey is obscenely high if the honey is produced in industrial areas...

However the price for bulk honey from China can be 70% less than East Coast USA bulk honey when bought in large contracts.