Meade - Honey Wines

Mead or Honey Wine is one of the oldest alcohol containing drinks known to man.  Mead can actually be naturally occurring and was probably discovered by early man as honey would drip from bee hives and collect in pools of rain water.  Wild yeast would consume the sugar and produce a mildly alcoholic drink.  During early historic times many cultures make reference to fermented honey beverages especially during times of celebration.  Almost every early civilization has lore and myths associated with the consumption of Mead.  As these civilizations grew, honey became less plentiful.  A substitute source of fermentable sugar was needed to fill the thirsty demand for wine.  It is probably not by chance that wine made from several varieties of grape tastes very much like Honey Mead.
Types of Mead Dry - Dry Meade is made of honey and water only and may be similar to a Chardonnay or Chablis Heroic - Heroic Meade is stronger than traditional Mead or Wine made from grapes and can reach 18% alcohol with the use of Champagne Yeast. Sweet - Sweet Meade often contains less alcohol than dry Mead and tends to have a stronger honey flavor and character and may be compared to a Reisling. Cyser - Cyser is a combination of honey and apple cider.  This is the strong drink of Biblical times.  Both the honey and the cider will ferment to a clean dry wine which makes a great sparkling wine when primed with corn sugar or honey when bottled. Pyment - Pyment blends honey, grape juice and water.  These may be the closest to a traditional grape wine, or they may be made using Concord grapes which are generally less desireable for wine making. Melomel - Melomel is made from honey, water and any fruit other than grapes or apples.  Such as apricot, blackberry, blueberry, cranberry, grapefruit, peach, plum, strawberry, raspberry or pear. Metheglin - Metheglin starts with traditional Mead but has herbs and/or spices added.  Examples of this type are bergamot (sometimes called Earl Grey), lavender, nutmeg, vanilla, jasmine, clove and ginger. Hippocrass - Hippocrasse is a combination of Pyment and spices. Braggot - Braggot marks the invention of Ale.  Brewed from honey, malted barley and sometimes hops.  Honey Ales typically contain less honey and more hops than you would expect from a traditional Braggot.

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