Making Magic - The brewing of Mead

The following article has been compiled from a variety of sources and is intended to give an insight into the

history and making of mead.

Mead has been around for thousands of years. As the only source of sweet carbohydrate honey one of first things

to be fermented into an alcoholic beverage

Mead is mentioned in The Bible, The Rig-Veda,The Aenid and Beowulf

Mead is sacred to Bacchus – The Roman God of Wine

The Norse God -Thor was challenged to drink from a bottomless mead horn

(The stories don’t mention the army of Dwarves forging horseshoes in his head the following morning)

Chaucers miller drank Mead

Mead was much more common in ancient and middle ages.

In Northern Europe,once regular crops of barley were grown, it was replaced by ale which was much cheaper to produce.

In the warmer south of Europe wine was made from the plentiful grapes.

Mead made all over the world but particularly in the north where it was difficult to grow grapes.

Made by Australian Aborigines

Made throughout Africa,

Ceremonial liquor in pre Columban America

Honey has traditionally had life-giving powers and is also claimed to be an aphrodisiac

Aenas wounds were doused with mead (Aeneid)

It was the reward for fallen Norse Warriors was Valhalla where time was spent in mead drinking and battle.

A honeymoon was initially a month (moon) when the young couple drank mead in order to be fruitful

Early meads were simply honey and water, left in the open for wild yeasts to cause the fermentation.

Spices or fruits were often added for variety

Types of Mead

Traditional Honey, water and yeast only 2.5 - 3 lbs honey/gallon

Sack Mead 3.5 lbs/gallon

Small Mead Less honey, tended to be made by the peasantry

Metheglin 'Welsh Mead' added herbs and spices. The recipes were closely guarded secrets usually by members of the clergy.

Braggot (Bracket Beer) made with honey/mead made with barley malt (more honey than malt)

Pyment Honey and Grape Juice

Hippocras Pyment with spices

Cyser Honey and Apple juice. This evolved into hard cider and was likely the 'strong drink' referred to in the bible.

Can vary from a cider like to sherry like taste.

Melomel (Mulsum) Honey and fruit other than apple.

Morat Mulberry melomel

Black Mead Blackcurrant melomel

Red Mead Redcurrant melomel

Rhodomel Mead with rose petals

Oxymel mead and wine vinegar

Capsicumel mead with chillies

Mead Brandy Distilled mead

Honey has also been added to other alcoholic drinks to sweeten them such as Drambuie

Mead is found all around the world

Medu Germany

Midus Lithuania

Med Bulgaria, Ukraine

Miod Poland

Mjod Denmark, Norway

Mjod Sweden

Modu Estonia

Meodu Olde English

Myddyglyn Welsh

Tej Old Ethiopian

Sima Finland

Hydromel France

Idromele Italy

Ydromeli Greece

Aguamiel Spain

Medovina Czechoslovakia

Medovukha Russia

Spiced ales and pyment were introduced in the 1st century by the Romans

As mediaeval agriculture developed Mead began to drop out of favour due to the rise in popularity

of ale and then beer.This was because the ingredients could be grown easier and cheaper than honey.

Herbs and spices were also expensive

Many of the recipes were kept secret usually by the clergy. Mead was considered so important that rules

of mead making were laid down by King Howell the Great in the 10th Century.

Keeping bees and collecting the honey was more difficult than producing barley malt

The reduction in forested areas for honey production further contributed to the loss of production

The Making of Magic – How to make your own Mead

The Honey

The quality of the mead will be in direct proportion to the quality of the honey

You will need approximately 3 lbs of honey to one gallon of water

Honey in its 'raw' state contains many 'impurities' such as wax, pollen, bee parts and general debris.

These need to be removed if you want a clear mead.

Bring the water to the boil and add the honey. Simmer until no more scum rises.

Do not boil as this drives off most of the finer flavours.

Honey does not contain much in the way of nutrients for the yeast and these must be added

to produce a strong fermentation.

To balance the mead some acidity is needed to adjust the pH and balance the sweetness.

This can be added once the 'must' has cooled and I use about ½ teaspoonful of citric acid.

It has been suggested that it is easier to get the ferment going if the acid is withheld until fermentation ceases.

Mead also needs some astringency and this is obtained by adding ½ a cup of cold strong Tea

Because you are dealing with a very high gravity ferment compared to wine or beer you do need a good yeast

and plenty of it to get the ferment going. Most sources suggest Maury yeast but it is worth experimenting.

Using a proper wine yeast that is alcohol tolerant produces a stronger drier mead.

Mead fermentation takes a long time because of the high gravity and it is worth while racking several times to

aerate the mixture and to avoid off flavours developing from dying yeast cells.

When making the fruit meads fermentation is much quicker and the result tends to be drier.

Once fermentation has ceased the mead should be filtered and bottled. The bottles should be kept in the

cool for several months to mature - it really does make a difference. 6 -12 months is advised.

Once matured the mead can be savoured and is normally consumed to the acclamation ‘Wassail’

which is old Norse/middle English for 'be healthy'

Do be aware that because mead tends to be on the sweet side and slides down without any trouble it is often

stronger that the average wine and the after effects can be surprising.

The following Mead recipes will help you get started. Click on the link below for details

Pats Prizewinner

Lacon Villa Apiaries Honey Wines

And Wassail!