The Timeless Allure of Mead: A Legacy in a Glass
What is the world’s oldest fermented beverage? If beer or wine crossed your mind, think again. Mead, the often-overlooked elixir made from honey, water, and sometimes fruits or spices, boasts a history stretching back over nine millennia. While images of Vikings with horns of mead spring to mind, this sweet beverage holds a deeply woven past, touching cultures from ancient China to Mayan temples.
Modern meaderies are embracing these roots and crafting bold new interpretations, transforming mead into a contemporary favorite for curious palates. As enthusiastic as bees gathering nectar, these brewers are buzzing with creativity, innovating with flavors and ingredients to elevate mead amongst modern audiences. The growing range of top-rated meads begs the question: what’s all the excitement about?
The Ancient Roots of Mead
Discoveries in Jiahu, a Neolithic site in China, reveal mead as one of the oldest beverages known to humanity. Pottery from around 7000 BCE shows traces of a fermented drink that predates Middle Eastern wine by 500 years. This seminal find, analyzed by Dr. Patrick McGovern and his team, reshapes our understanding of mead’s rich historical origins.
Mead has thrived across various civilizations, from African tribes to Celtic legends. Jeff Herbert, co-founder of Superstition Meadery in Prescott, AZ, notes that wherever you trace your ancestry, connections to mead persist. “Bees have been making honey long before grains or grapes,” adds Joe Leigh of Zymarium Meadery, suggesting mead’s origins may even predate the wheel itself.
Understanding Mead Today
In the simplest of terms, mead is honey wine. Adam Lynch, owner of Standard Meadery, underscores the ongoing need to educate newcomers who ask, “What’s mead?” With over five hundred creations, Superstition Meadery’s Jeff Herbert often explains how mead’s core ingredient, honey, distinguishes it from grape wine and grain beer.
This dedication to educating consumers is a testament to mead’s unique character and versatility. Even at Illinois-based Standard Meadery, there is a consistent effort to enlighten first-timers about this age-old beverage turned modern delight.
The Sweet Science of Honey
Honey, the cornerstone of mead, offers a diversity reminiscent of wine grapes. Local variations contribute distinct flavors, influenced by nature’s conditions—just as terroir affects wines. At Zymarium, honey arrives unfiltered and unheated, preserving its full aromatic profile and seasonal nuance.
Superstition favors Arizona wildflower and mesquite honeys, while Standard Meadery tracks down varietals like orange blossom honey, forging unique meads with each new harvest. Ginger Leigh from Zymarium Meadery affirms this, noting that mead’s dynamic flavors mirror the ever-changing conditions in the honey production process.
Bottle to Glass: The Craft of Mead Making
Mead begins its life in a blend of honey, water, and yeast, transforming through fermentation. “Imagine one gallon of honey with four gallons of water for traditional mead,” says Herbert. Without adding heat, Zymarium ensures the honey remains pristine. Similar to wort in beer, honey’s transformation into “must” marks the start of fermentation.
Yeast selection, typically involving robust wine strains, dictates the mead’s character, whether it’s a sessionable delight or a more complex offering. Superstition’s Herbert notes the crossover with brewing in managing fermentation temperatures and pH, while Zymarium utilizes wine yeast due to its compatibility with mead’s composition.
A Symphony of Flavors
Adding fruit to mead introduces another layer of complexity, echoing the artisanal energies found in craft beer. Whether it’s tropical fruits adding a juicy note or berries fermenting into rich melodies, each mead captures a symphony of tastes.
Zymarium’s approach involves direct fruit integration, producing meads without the dilution of water, letting pure fruit juice and honey harmonize. Superstition underscores how post-fermentation additions can tailor flavor profiles, akin to late-hop additions in craft brewing.
Exploring the Meads of Today
Embrace the versatility of mead. At BreweriesNearMe.us, we’re dedicated to spotlighting these honey-wine marvels, alongside our beloved breweries. Visit Arizona’s renowned Superstition or explore Zymarium in Orlando for delightful tasting flights.
Whether you prefer a still, rich mead akin to dessert wines or you’re intrigued by vivacious, session-style alternatives, the journey into mead is as varied and rewarding as your palate desires.
Meads: A Journey to Savor
From ancient roots to avant-garde experimentation, mead’s narrative is unceasingly fascinating. BreweriesNearMe.us champions both traditional meaderies and bold newcomers redefining what mead can offer. As honey melds with myriad flavors, each mead tells a story worth savoring.
Stay on the forefront of this delicious renaissance and explore meads that might just rival your brewery favorites. Mead holds an ancient magic, and its best chapters are yet to be written.
Exciting Meads Worth Trying
Symbiosis – Coconut Dreamsicle – Standard Meadery
Villa Park, IL
Session Mead – Experience the coconut-infused delight of Symbiosis. This creamy, dreamy mead boasts top ratings on Untappd, making it a must-try for anyone eager to explore the session side of meads.
Florida Lychee – Zymarium Meadery
Orlando, FL
Session Mead – Step into Zymarium’s magical world with Florida Lychee, a tropical marvel that catapulted to fame through viral acclaim and festival fanfare, now a flagship for flavor-lovers.
Scarlet Magick – Zymarium Meadery
Orlando, FL
Melomel Mead – Embrace nuanced flavors with Scarlet Magick, a concoction of hibiscus and panela sugar inspired by vibrant local tastes, showcases mead’s rich fusion of culture and innovation.
Crystal Sail – Superstition Meadery
Prescott, AZ
Session Mead – A tropical triumph, Crystal Sail invites you to sip on mango sensations, best enjoyed on a sunlit beach, or wherever summer feels right with a mead in hand.
Marion – Superstition Meadery
Prescott, AZ
Melomel Mead – Drawing on Arizona’s flora, Marion melds berries and wildflower honey, earning accolades and a special place in the hearts of mead enthusiasts worldwide.
For Grace – Standard Meadery
Villa Park, IL
Melomel Mead – Celebrate with For Grace, a decadent mead featuring black currants and vanilla, reserved exclusively for commemorative sips and your special moments.
Miel de Garde – B. Nektar Meadery
Ferndale, MI
Traditional Mead – Featuring orange blossom honey aged in oak, Miel de Garde from B. Nektar embodies elegance and smooth simplicity, a noteworthy nod to traditional craftsmanship.
Black Agnes – Schramm’s Mead
Ferndale, MI
Melomel Mead – Let Black Agnes, with its bold currents and premium honey, open your senses as it did for notable mead enthusiasts, dictating a new standard for indulgence.
Sunflowers – Schramm’s Mead
Ferndale, MI
Traditional Mead – Sunflowers captures the local essence of honey with aromatic complexity, an attribute that has catapulted this traditional mead to glowing acclaim across tasting circles.
