Mead is an alcoholic beverage made by fermenting honey with yeast, and water. You may have heard it called “honey wine”, because it is a similar process but it is entirely its own form of drink. Like wine and beer, there are many “styles” of mead, each with a wide range of potential flavors and gravities. Tonight we will be exploring four.

 

Mead is believed to be the oldest alcoholic beverage. In fact, it may have even originated organically in nature. The honey from wild bees may have been fermented with wild yeast and rain water. It even believed that the word "mead" is short for "meadow" - which is where the bees were found.

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Mead was revered as "the nectar of the gods" in many ancient societies. And due to its long history throughout civilizations, mead is actually deeply engrained in our culture in ways you wouldn't realize. Ever hear of a "honeymoon?" That's a great example: a month's worth, or a"moon's worth" of mead ("honey wine") was given to newly wed couples to help ensure a fruitful union. 

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There are many things we can add to meads and techniques we can use to make them, so there are a wide variety of styles and flavors. Tonight we will explore 4 contrasting ones: A cyser, a traditional, a session mead/hydromel, and a bochet.