Mead is the oldest known fermented beverage. Unlike today where it is made in a controlled environment it began as an act of nature and was spontaneously feremented by airborne wild yeast spores.
Mead is also where we get the term honeymoon from. It was widely believed in old times that after marriage the couple should drink mead each night for one full moon cycle so that they may be blessed with fertility and have children. Over the years this evolved into the term as we know it today.
Meads come in several different forms but they all have the same basic element and that is they are all made with honey. Honey comes in many varities but tt all depends on what is in blossom in close proximity to the hive.
Meads may be dry, semi-sweet, or sweet and this is just a measure of how much residual sugars are left over after fermentation. As well a mead may be still, petillant, or sparkling. This is a reference to the lack of carbonation in the case of still or having been carbonated as in sparkling (pettillant is somewhere in between).
Alcoholic strength is denoted as hydromel: 3.5 – 7.5% standard: 7.5 – 14% and sack: 14 – 18%. So you can see that there is some difference with the strengths. This is entirely up to the person making the mead.
In addition to just a "regular" mead being composed of honey and water there are subcategories as well. Melomels or fruit meads have an obvious addition of fruit at some point in the fermentation. The addition will add aroma, flavor and/or color to the finished product. Cyser would be with the addition of apples, pyment would be with grapes and the list goes on. The additionof fruits is limited only by the imagination.
You may also find that some meads have been spiced with items such as cinnamon or chile's or even having the addition of smoked wood to them. The addition should be one that blends well with both the honey and the sweetness of the mead.
Mead that is made with a partial addition of malted barley is known as a braggot. These are rather interesting hybrids and very few brewers/vintners make this one (I would be one!). Generally with this style the majority of the fermentables come from the honey and can be made with almost any beer style.
Overall meads tend to be in the alcoholic range of most table wines and while the vintner can add almost anything to the mead to add flavor or aroma, I have found that they usually just use honey and find a variety to meet their needs. Like orange blossom or cranberry, but they may even blend several types of honey as well.
Unlike beer, making meads takes time and patience. While beer can be ready in as little as 3 weeks, meads can take anywhere from a few months to years to be done. With the warmer fermentation and higher alcohol contents they must be nurtured and conditioned properly to taste so good.
Meads are an excellent choice for something out of the ordinary and after tasting one you might be suprised that you have found something new to love. It has not had as big a time in the sun as say craft brewing and there are very few meaderies in operation in the US (compared to breweries), but they are out there. Below is a list of some of the better ones that I have come across. You might also check into the local liquor stores as every know and then you get lucky. The most popular one that I have seen out there is called Chaucers, it is a sweet mead and I have found it across the US. These sites will also have some more information on the varities as well as some things that I have missed. Like brewing beer, making mead can be done at home.
If anyone has any questions I will do my best to answer them. If I cannot find the answer I will get my wife to as she is one of the judges at several of the regional/national events that are hosted each year for meads.
http://www.redstonemeadery.com/
http://www.heidrunmeadery.com/
http://www.munrohoney.com/
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