When you hear the word “mead,” it might evoke images of lavish banquets from “Game of Thrones'' or transport your mind to an era of knights and Chaucerian tales. Yet, regardless of these associations, the resurgence of mead is something to be excited about. In a time of artisanal beverages and historical dramas like “Vikings,” it was only a matter of time before mead made its way back into goblets everywhere.
In a landscape where consumers seem to be seeking novelty with every visit to a store, mead has emerged as a compelling “new” choice. Notably, figures like Dylan Sprouse and his mead venture, All Wise, have played a significant role, capturing the attention of not only established mead drinkers but the Gen Z audience, garnering attention in prominent media outlets like Vogue and Forbes.
With nearly every wine and spirits store across the United States now offering mead, it's no wonder that a wave of mead entrepreneurs is emerging in the arena. We aim to highlight the many reasons people have been sampling this 'nectar of the gods' and outline the process of making mead for those considering stepping into this world themselves.
PS: This is a juicy article packed with everything you need to know about mead. It's likely to be a reference you'll want in the future, so I'd recommend saving it for later use.
Understanding Mead
Mead Through the Ages
Mead, often called “honey wine,” stands as the oldest alcoholic beverage known to man, crafted through the fermentation of honey, water, and yeast. Its historical footprint covers every inhabited continent, discovered in archaeological digs across the globe.
The earliest evidence can be traced back 9000 years in China’s Henan Province.
Mead held a prominent place in Scandinavian history and Norse mythology during the Viking Age (775 ADE - 1050) and surged in popularity during the Middle Ages (476 ADE - 1300) when it was mass-produced throughout Europe.
Gluten-Free Alcoholic Beverage
For many, it is an exciting alternative to alcoholic options like beer, notably for its gluten-free nature and diverse range of alcohol by volume (ABV).
While some may prefer a lower ABV option, others enjoy a more potent option, all of which are catered to in the variance of 6-20%.
Medicinal
A major draw-in of mead is its heavy use of honey. Honey has so many natural benefits from ingestion that carry over into the mead. Since most meads are not heated beyond 110 degrees Fahrenheit, the magical benefits of the honey - encompassing anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antioxidant properties, alongside its ability to quicken wound healing and soften seasonal allergy and cold symptoms - remain intact.
Types
There are many different styles of mead depending on the ingredients and processes used.
These varieties include:
Acerglyn (add maple syrup)
Braggot (almost like a draft mead, similar to beer as it uses grains and hops)
Bochet (caramelized honey)
Capsicumel (uses Chile peppers)
Cyser (add apples)
Sack (higher honey ratio, raises ABV to around 14-20%)
Hydromel (session mead, usually mixed with fresh fruit, lower ABV 3.5-7.5%)
Melomel (any mead made with fruit)
Traditional/show (“the standard,” just honey, water, and yeast)
Sparkling (add extra sugar/honey before bottling or force carbonation)
Making Your First Mead
Find Quality Honey
When it comes to making mead, acquiring the ingredients is the first step. Luckily, there are only three basic ingredients: honey, yeast, and water.
Mead requires an abundance of honey, which can get expensive. For someone starting out, this is simply a trip to your local grocery store, but if you want to commit to making mead, especially on a large scale, it would be wise to establish reliable sources for quality honey and negotiate bulk discounts and possible long term contracts.
More on how to find quality honey suppliers below!
Sap House Meadery works with a forager to source interesting, hyper-local ingredients for experimental meads and uses a lot of local honey, maple syrup, and fruit. Selecting the right yeast strain for your flavor profile is also important, Lalvin D-47 is the most common choice for mead makers, but you can experiment with others to find your best fit.
Equipment
In terms of equipment, there are a lot of variances depending on the scale of your intended production, but the basic starter equipment includes:
Stainless steel stockpot
Thermometer
Hydrometer
Plastic fermenter
Glass carboy
Fermentation lock and stopper
Racking cane and tubing
Bleach or sanitizer
A lot of meaderies and homebrewing/wine-making stores sell these in kits or individually. For a homebrewer just wanting to experiment, you can probably get started for less than fifty dollars, whereas startup costs for medium to large meaderies can get into the tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Basic Steps
When it comes to making your mead, there are six basic steps:
Sanitize your equipment
Heat the must (mixture of honey and water)
Chill the must
Rehydrate the yeast
Pitch the yeast
Oxygenate the must
Once you have sealed your glass carboy with an airlock that allows the carbon dioxide to escape while preventing external contaminants from entering, place your container in a cool, dark area with a stable temperature (usually between 60 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit).
Fermentation times can vary widely - from a few weeks to several months - depending on your desired sweetness and ABV.
After primary fermentation, transfer the mead into a second carboy, leaving behind any sediment or leaves at the bottom, this step is for clarifying the mead.
Aging the mead can then be done for a few months to several years, further enhancing the flavors and maturing the drink.
Once the mead is clarified and aged to your preference, bottle your mead! Like wine, mead often improves with age, but many variations can be enjoyed relatively soon after fermentation.
Quality Control & Testing
Quality control and testing throughout the process is also very important for ensuring a product that meets the standards of your consumers and yourself.
Quality Control
When it comes to ensuring consistency with your mead, there are a few important things to remember.
✔ ️ Keep all of your equipment extremely clean and sanitized through the entire process. Any contamination could lead to off-flavors or spoilage.
✔ Ensure your honey is free of any additives and use fresh and clean water to avoid any changes in taste.
✔ ️ Maintain a stable and controlled fermentation environment to prevent off-flavors and ensure a healthy fermentation process.
✔ ️ Regularly monitor the fermentation process, checking the specific gravity or using other measurement tools to monitor the progress of the fermentation. There may be adjustments needed such as nutrient additions or aeration.
Quality Testing
✔ Measuring specific gravity with a hydrometer at various stages of fermentation to help track the sugar content and fermentation progress,
✔ Regular tasting throughout fermentation and aging allows for sensory evaluation.
✔ Check the clarity of the mead during racking stages and before bottling to ensure a visually appealing product.
✔ Monitoring pH levels throughout fermentation aids in controlling acidity, which can impact flavor and microbial stability.
Market Research & Planning
Once you've mastered the art of crafting meads in your own kitchen, the inevitable question arises: “what's next?”
Maybe it's the satisfaction of sharing your products with a broader community, the thrill of seeing your name on a commercially available bottle, or the desire to contribute to the growing mead renaissance on a larger scale.
Keeping Up With the Trends
The resurgence of mead’s popularity mirrors a broader trend within the craft beverage industry. Consumers value quality, creativity, and a story behind the product, all of which go hand in hand with mead.
This target audience includes a wide array of individuals that are passionate about:
history, craftsmanship, and unique tasting experiences.
There is an appreciation for the drink’s deep historical roots and the environmentally conscious traditions and cultural narratives they hold.
Not only does mead-making encourage the beekeeping industry’s preservation, but it also promotes the preservation of natural landscapes that pollinators use to create honey and maintain plant species growth. Mead’s ingredients also don’t require massive fields of grain for their production and help reduce the reliance on mono-cropping. These positive environmental impacts coincide with consumer’s desires to make more sustainable purchases and ventures.
Research first
A valuable resource for new and established mead makers is the American Mead Makers Association. They provide recipes and information for businesses within the United States, as well as home-based mead makers. Each year, they host a MeadCon with classes, tastings, vendors, and Q&As on all things mead-related.
Marketing and Branding
Four Fast Tips:
A nod to history: Whether you include a nod to ancient symbols used in Nordic mythology or choose to go a more modern route, it is necessary that you create a memorable and recognizable brand.
Educational Content/Experiences: A lot of people don’t know about mead and its history which offers a perfect opportunity to educate consumers through tastings, workshops, or online content. With this, engaging in the local community through events like farmers’ markets or festivals is another great way to create brand visibility and build relationships.
Collaborations: a huge way to reach a new audience. An example of this was Groennfell’s partnership with Stormforged Studios to make the mead, Rosebrew, based off of the television series, Tavern Brawl.
Ready to Take a Sip?
This is just the beginning of your mead journey. Mead is more than just a drink; it's an experience. So, step out of the ordinary, raise a glass to history, and discover the unique world of this ancient beverage. The nectar of the gods awaits!
Some inspiring meaderies to check out!
Find Honey Suppliers
A free resource you can use to find your mead ingredients (or more specifically honey) is Pick Your Packer. Just use the search function, type your ingredients, and select any facilities that come up in the results.
From there, you can send a request for a quote instantly, without having to create an account or go through a paywall. You’re welcome in advance!
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