Varieties of Mead

Traditional Mead: A fermented honey beverage made from approximately two and one-half pounds of honey diluted with one gallon of water only.

Hydromel: Weak, or watered mead

Sack Mead: Mead that is made sweeter by the addition of twenty to twenty-five percent more honey; a sauterne-like beverage.

Metheglin Spiced mead: originally spiced with a combination of herbs (gruit) but later hops became more popular.

Sack Metheglin Sweet spiced mead: traditionally similar to vermouth.

Melomel or Mulsum Mead: made with fruit juice.

Cyser: A melomel made with apple juice or cider similar to a sherry wine.

Pyment or Clarre: A melomel made with grape juice; sometimes referred to as honey-sweetened grape wine.

Mead History

Mead is one of the world’s oldest fermented beverages. Ancient myths and writings throughout the world contain references to alcoholic beverages that were drunk by both people and gods alike. Mead was a part of the rituals of the Celts, Anglo-Saxons and Vikings. It was believed to have magical, healing powers even capable of increasing fertility. The word honeymoon is derived from the practice of the newlyweds drinking mead for one month (a moon) after the wedding. If the meade was "proper," a son would be born nine months later. As civilizations and agricultural resources grew, beverages such as wine made from grapes or other fruits, and ale made from barely and wheat replaced mead in many areas of the world. In Northern Europe, where grapes were difficult to grow, mead remained popular until grape wine was imported from southern regions. The roots of the variations of mead we have today can be found in the cultures and agriculture of old. The practice of adding bitter herbs (gruit) to mead began in the Middle Ages. Mixing grape and other fruit wines with mead can be traced to Roman times. Eventually, agricultural crops such as grapes, grains and hops, became the preferred ingredients for alcoholic beverages such as wine, beer and ales.