Mead (IPA: /ˈmiːd/) is a fermented alcoholic beverage made of honey, water, and yeast. Fermentation in Food processing typically refers to the conversion of Sugar to Alcohol using Yeast under Anaerobic conditions Honey is a sweet and Viscous fluid produced by Honey bees (and some other species and derived from the nectar of Flowers According to the Water is a common Chemical substance that is essential for the survival of all known forms of Life. Yeasts are a growth form of eukaryotic Microorganisms classified in the kingdom Fungi, with about 1500 Species currently described Meadhing (ˈmɛ. ðɪŋ) is the practice of brewing honey. Mead is also colloquially known as "honey wine". Wine is an Alcoholic beverage made from the fermentation of Grape juice A brewery that deals specifically in mead is called either a meadery or a mazery. A meadery is a winery that produces honey wines or Meads Particularly in Cornwall, a meadery can also refer to a Tourist -attraction type

A mead that also contains spices (like cloves, cinnamon or nutmeg) or herbs (such as oregano, hops, or even lavender or chamomile) is called metheglin (IPA: /mɨˈθɛglɪn/). A spice is a dried Seed, Fruit, Root, Bark or vegetative substance used in Nutritionally insignificant quantities as a Food additive This article is about the Spice; for other meanings see Clove (disambiguation. Cinnamon ( Cinnamomum verum, synonym C zeylanicum) is a small Evergreen Tree 10–15 metres (32 The nutmegs Myristica are a Genus of Evergreen Trees indigenous to tropical southeast Asia and Australasia A(n herb (ˈhɝb or /ˈɝb/ see pronunciation differences) is a plant that is valued for qualities such as medicinal properties flavor scent or the like Oregano or ( Origanum vulgare) is a species of Origanum, native to Europe, the Mediterranean region and southern and central Asia Hops are the female Flower cones of the hop plant ( Humulus lupulus) The Lavenders Lavandula are a Genus of about 25–30 species of Flowering plants in the mint family Lamiaceae, native to the Mediterranean The English usage is derived from the Old English medu, from Proto-Germanic meduz. Proto-Germanic, or Common Germanic, is the hypothetical common ancestor ( Proto-language) of all the Germanic languages such as modern English Slavic miod / med, which means "honey" and Baltic *midus, which means "mead", derive from the same Proto-Indo-European root (cf Welsh medd, Old Irish mid Sanskrit madhu). The Slavic languages (also called Slavonic languages) a group of closely related Languages of the Slavic peoples and a subgroup of Indo-European languages The Baltic languages are a group of related languages belonging to the Indo-European language family and spoken mainly in areas extending east and southeast of the Baltic Welsh ( cy Cymraeg or cy y Gymraeg, kəmˈrɑːɨɡ and {{IPA|[ə ɡəmˈrɑːɨɡ]}}, is a member of the Brythonic branch of Celtic Old Irish is the name given to the oldest form of the Irish language, or rather the Goidelic languages, for which extensive written texts are possessed Sanskrit (sa संस्कृता वाक् saṃskṛtā vāk, for short sa संस्कृतम् saṃskṛtam) is a historical

A mead that contains fruit (such as strawberry, blackcurrant or even rose hips) is called melomel and was also used as a means of food preservation, keeping summer produce for the winter. Garden strawberries are a common variety of strawberry cultivated worldwide The Blackcurrant ( Ribes nigrum) is a species of Ribes Berry native to central and northern Europe and northern Asia. The rose hip and rose haw, is the pomaceous Fruit of the Rose plant that typically is red-to-orange but might be dark purple-to-black Food preservation is the process of treating and handling Food in a way that preserves its edibility and nutrition value A mead that contains specifically grape juice is called pyment.

Mulled mead is a popular winter holiday drink, where mead is flavored with spices (and sometimes various fruits) and warmed, traditionally by having a hot poker plunged into it. Mulled wine, variations of which are popular around the world is Wine, usually red combined with spices and typically served warm

Contents 1 History 2 Spread 3 In literature 4 Varieties 4.1 Mead variants 5 Religious usage 5.1 Germanic paganism and neopaganism 5.2 Ethiopia 6 Festivals 7 See also 8 References 9 Further reading 10 External links

History

The first known description of mead is in the hymns of the Rigveda,^[1] one of the sacred books of the historical Vedic religion and (later) Hinduism dated around 1700–1100 BC. The Rigveda ( Sanskrit sa ऋग्वेद ṛgveda, a compound of ṛc "praise verse" and veda "knowledge" This article discusses the historical religious practices in the Vedic time period see Hinduism and Indian religions for details Hinduism is a religious tradition that originated in the Indian subcontinent. During the "Golden Age" of Ancient Greece, mead was said to be the preferred drink. The term Golden age is best known from Greek mythology and legend but can also be found in other ancient cultures (see below The term ancient Greece refers to the period of Greek history lasting from the Greek Dark Ages ca ^[2] Aristotle (384–322 BC) discussed mead in his Meteorologica and elsewhere, while Pliny the Elder (AD 23–79) called mead militites in his Naturalis Historia and differentiated wine sweetened with honey or "honey-wine" from mead. Aristotle (Greek Aristotélēs) (384 BC – 322 BC was a Greek philosopher a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. Events By place Greece Lysias, the Athenian orator on the occasion of the Olympiad, rebukes the Greeks for allowing Events By place Macedonian Empire In Babylon, the struggle for the succession to Alexander the Great develops Meteorology (or "Meteorologica" is a text by Aristotle which contains his theories about the earth sciences Gaius or Caius Plinius Secundus, ( AD 23 – August 25, AD 79 better known as Pliny the Elder, was an ancient Author This article is about the year AD 23 For other uses see 23 (number, 23 (numerology, or 23 (disambiguation. Year 79 was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Julian calendar. Naturalis Historia ( Latin for "Natural History" is an Encyclopedia written Circa AD 77 by Pliny the Elder. ^[3]

Around AD 550, the Brythonic speaking bard Taliesin wrote the Kanu y med or "Song of Mead. Events By place Byzantine Empire January 16 — Gothic War (535–552: The Ostrogoths, under King Totila The Gododdin (goˈdoðin were a Brythonic people of north-eastern Britain (modern north-east England and south-east Scotland) in the sub-Roman Etymology The word is a Loanword from descendant languages of Proto-Celtic *bardos, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gwerh2 Taliesin (c 534 – c 599 (spelled as Taliessin in Alfred Lord Tennyson 's Idylls of the King and in some subsequent works was a Brythonic "^[4] The legendary drinking, feasting and boasting of warriors in the mead hall Heorot in the Anglo-Saxon epic poem Beowulf is echoed in the mead hall Dyn Eidyn now modern day Edinburgh in the epic poem Y Gododdin, both dated around AD 700. ancient Scandinavia a Mead hall or Feasting hall was initially simply a large building with a single room ‎ Heorot (pronounced /hay oh roht/ heɪ əʊ rəʊt is a Mead hall described in the Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf as "the foremost of Anglo-Saxon paganism refers to the Migration Period religion practiced by the English in 5th to 7th century England. Beowulf is an Old English Heroic epic poem of anonymous authorship dating as recorded in the Nowell Codex manuscript from between Edinburgh ( ˈɛdɪnb(ərə Dùn Èideann) is the Capital of Scotland and is its second largest city after Glasgow. Y Gododdin (pronounced /ə gɔ'dɔðɪn/ is a medieval Welsh poem consisting of a series of elegies to the men of the Brythonic kingdom of Events By Place North America The Mount Edziza volcanic complex erupts in northern British Columbia, Canada. Mead is still drunk in the modern Celtic nations, Welsh for mead is Medd, and Leanne Meala in Scottish Gaelic. Welsh ( cy Cymraeg or cy y Gymraeg, kəmˈrɑːɨɡ and {{IPA|[ə ɡəmˈrɑːɨɡ]}}, is a member of the Brythonic branch of Celtic Scottish Gaelic ( Gàidhlig) is a member of the Goidelic branch of Celtic languages.

Mead was the historical beverage par excellence and commonly brewed by the Germanic tribes in Northern Europe. The Germanic peoples are a historical group of Indo-European -speaking peoples originating in Northern Europe and identified by their use of the Germanic Northern Europe is a term for the northern part of Europe. The United Nations defines Northern Europe as (Finland However, heavy taxation and regulations on the ingredients of alcoholic beverages such as the Reinheitsgebot or Purity Laws led to commercially made mead becoming a more obscure beverage up until recently. The (literally "purity order" sometimes called the "German Beer Purity Law" or the "Bavarian Purity Law" in English is a regulation concerning the production of ^[5] Some monasteries kept up the old traditions of mead-making as a by-product of beekeeping, especially in areas where grapes could not be grown. This article concerns the buildings occupied by monastics. For the life inside monasteries and its historical roots see Monasticism. Beekeeping (or apiculture, from Latin apis, Bee) is the maintenance of Honey bee colonies commonly in Hives For the Tokyo University supercomputer see Gravity Pipe. GRAPE, or GRA phics P rogramming E nvironment is

In many parts of Europe it was traditional to supply a newly married couple with enough mead for a month, ensuring happiness and fertility. Though some believe it is from this practice we get honeymoon^[6][7], this etymology is not accepted by linguists. ^[8]

"English Mead" is Britain's oldest brand drink.

Spread

Mead was also popular in Central Europe and in the Baltic states. Central Europe is the Region lying between the variously and vaguely defined areas of Eastern and The Baltic states (Balti riigid Baltijas valstis Baltijos valstybės or Baltic countries are three countries in Northern Europe, all members of the In Polish, mead is called miód pitny (IPA: [m^jut pitnɨ]), meaning "drinkable honey". Polish ( język polski, polszczyzna) is the Official language of Poland. In Russia, mead remained popular as medovukha and sbiten long after its decline in popularity in the West. Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending Medovukha (Медовуха is a Russian Honey -based alcoholic beverage very similar to Mead. Sbiten, also sbiten' ( Russian: сбитень also збитень is a hot winter Russian traditional drink. Sbiten is often mentioned in the works of 19th-century Russian writers, including Gogol, Dostoevsky and Tolstoy. The 19th century of the Common Era began on January 1, 1801 and ended on December 31, 1900, according to the Gregorian calendar Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol (Никола́й Васи́льевич Го́голь Nikolai Vasilevich Gogol;; Микола Васильович Гоголь Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky (Фёдор Миха́йлович Достое́вский, sometimes transliterated Dostoyevsky, Dostoievsky, Leo Tolstoy, or Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy ( –) (Лев Никола́евич Толсто́й, was a Russian Writer widely regarded

In Finland, a sweet mead called Sima (cognate with zymurgy), is still an essential seasonal brew connected with the Finnish Vappu (May Day) festival. Finland, officially the Republic of Finland ( is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. Cognates in Linguistics are words that have a common origin They may occur within a language such as shirt and skirt as two English words descended from Brewing is the production of Alcoholic beverage and Alcohol fuel through fermentation. Walpurgis Night is a traditional religious holiday (celebrated by Pagans Roman Catholics and Satanists ref> About the Church of Satan alike celebrated May Day occurs on May 1 and refers to any of several Public holidays In many countries May Day is synonymous with International Workers' Day, or Labour It is usually spiced by adding both the pulp and rind of a lemon. The lemon ( Citrus × limon) is a hybrid in cultivated wild plants During secondary fermentation, raisins are added to control the amount of sugars and to act as an indicator of readiness for consumption; they will rise to the top of the bottle when the drink is ready. Raisins are dried Grapes They are produced in many regions of the world such as the United States, Australia, Chile,

Ethiopian mead is called tej (IPA: [ˈtʼədʒ]) and is usually home-made. NOTE This intro is the result of careful NPOV work Please do not make potentially controversial edits to it without first discussing on the talk page Tej ( Amharic: ጠጅ ˈtʼədʒ is a Mead or honey wine brewed and consumed in Ethiopia. It is flavored with the powdered leaves and bark of gesho, a hops-like bittering agent which is a species of buckthorn. The hop ( Humulus) is a small genus of Flowering plants native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. Taste (or more formally gustation) is a form of direct Chemoreception and is one of the traditional five Senses For the genus Hippophae, see Sea-buckthorn. The Buckthorns ( Rhamnus) are a genus (or two genera if Frangula A sweeter, less-alcoholic version called berz, aged for a shorter time, is also made. The traditional vessel for drinking tej is a rounded vase-shaped container called a berele.

Mead known as iQhilika is traditionally prepared by the amaXhosa of South Africa. See also Xhosa language The Xhosa (ǁʰɔsɑ( people are speakers of Bantu languages living in south-east South Africa, and in the last two The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa

In literature

Mead features prominently in several of the works of Neil Gaiman. Neil Richard Gaiman (ˈgeɪmən (born November 10, 1960) is an English author of Science fiction and Fantasy short stories and Early in the novel American Gods, the protagonist drinks a particularly unpleasant round of mead (colorfully described as tasting of "drunken diabetic's piss") with his new employer Mr. Wednesday to seal their contract. American Gods is a Novel by Neil Gaiman. The novel is a blend of Americana, Fantasy, and various strands of ancient and modern Diabetes mellitus (ˌdaɪəˈbiːtiːz or /ˌdaɪəˈbiːtəs/ /məˈlaɪtəs/ or /ˈmɛlətəs/ often referred to simply as diabetes ( Ancient Greek: grc Odin (ˈoʊdɪn from Old Norse Óðinn) is considered the chief god in Norse paganism. It is also a favourite drink of the title character of Gaiman's celebrated Sandman series. The Sandman is a Comic book series written by Neil Gaiman and published in the United States by the DC Comics imprint Vertigo In the novel The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken Bonnie and Sylvia are offered metheglin to hearten them for the walk. The Wolves of Willoughby Chase is a children's novel by Joan Aiken, first published in 1963. Joan Delano Aiken ( September 4 1924 &ndash January 4 2004) was an English Novelist.

Mead is also featured in Beowulf, where the main character fights the evil Grendel at the mead-hall. Beowulf is an Old English Heroic epic poem of anonymous authorship dating as recorded in the Nowell Codex manuscript from between Grendel is one of three Antagonists along with Grendel's mother and the Dragon, in the Anglo-Saxon epic poem Beowulf

• Norse mythology: Mead of Poetry
• Greek mythology

Mead is also the favorite beverage of the skin-changer Beorn in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit. Norse mythology comprises the indigenous pre-Christian religion, beliefs and Legends of the Scandinavian peoples including those who settled on Iceland Mead of Poetry (Old Norse skáldskapar mjaðar) also known as Mead of Suttungr ( Suttungmjaðar) in Norse mythology is a mythical beverage that Greek mythology is the body of stories belonging to the ancient Greeks concerning their gods and Heroes the nature of the world and the origins and significance The Hobbit or There and Back Again is an award-winning fantasy

Varieties

Mead can have a wide range of flavors, depending on the source of the honey, additives called "adjuncts" or "gruit" (including fruit and spices), yeast employed during fermentation, and aging procedure. Gruit (sometimes grut) is an old-fashioned Herb mixture used for bittering and flavoring Beer, popular before the extensive use of hops. Mead can be difficult to find commercially, though some producers have been successful marketing it. Consumers must bear in mind that some producers have marketed white wine with added honey as mead, often spelling it "meade". This is closer in style to a Hypocras. Hypocras (various spellings include ypocras, hippocras and hipocras) is a drink made from Wine, possibly heated and mixed with spices most Blended varieties of mead can be known by either style represented. For instance, a mead made with cinnamon and apples can be referred to as a cinnamon cyser or as an apple metheglin.

Some meads retain some measure of the sweetness of the original honey, and some can even be considered as dessert wines. Drier meads are also available, and some producers offer sparkling meads, which (like champagne) can make for a delightful celebratory toast. Champagne is a Sparkling wine produced by inducing the in-bottle Secondary fermentation of Wine to effect Carbonation. There are a number of faux-meads, which are actually cheap wines with large amounts of honey added, to produce a cloyingly sweet liqueur. It has been said that "a mead that tastes of honey is as good as a wine that still tastes of grape".

“

Take of spring water what quantity you please, and make it more than blood-warm, and dissolve honey in it till 'tis strong enough to bear an egg, the breadth of a shilling; then boil it gently near an hour, taking off the scum as it rises; then put to about nine or ten gallons seven or eight large blades of mace, three nutmegs quartered, twenty cloves, three or four sticks of cinnamon, two or three roots of ginger, and a quarter of an ounce of Jamaica pepper; put these spices into the kettle to the honey and water, a whole lemon, with a sprig of sweet-briar and a sprig of rosemary; tie the briar and rosemary together, and when they have boiled a little while take them out and throw them away; but let your liquor stand on the spice in a clean earthen pot till the next day; then strain it into a vessel that is fit for it; put the spice in a bag, and hang it in the vessel, stop it, and at three months draw it into bottles. An egg is a round or oval body laid by the female of many animals consisting of an Ovum surrounded by layers of Membranes and an outer casing which acts to nourish The shilling is a unit of Currency used in current and former Commonwealth countries and was continued to be used in countries that left the commonwealth A gallon is a measure of Volume. It is in current use in the United States and still has limited use in many other English-speaking countries The nutmegs Myristica are a Genus of Evergreen Trees indigenous to tropical southeast Asia and Australasia Ginger is commonly used as a cooking spice throughout the world This article is about the unit of mass For the unit of force see Pound-force. Allspice, also called Jamaica pepper,"Kurundu" Myrtle pepper, pimento, or newspice, is a Spice which is the dried unripe Rosa rubiginosa ( Sweet briar or Eglantine Rose; syn R eglanteria) is a species of Rose native to Europe Rosemary ( la Rosmarinus officinalis) is a woody perennial Herb with fragrant evergreen needle-like leaves. Earthenware is a common Ceramic material which is used extensively for Pottery tableware and decorative objects Be sure that 'tis fine when 'tis bottled; after 'tis bottled six weeks 'tis fit to drink. [9]

”

Historically, meads would have been fermented by wild yeasts and bacteria (as noted in the above quoted recipe) residing on the skins of the fruit or within the honey itself. Yeasts are a growth form of eukaryotic Microorganisms classified in the kingdom Fungi, with about 1500 Species currently described The Bacteria ( singular: bacterium) are a large group of unicellular Microorganisms Typically a few Micrometres in length bacteria have Wild yeasts generally provide inconsistent results, and in modern times various brewing interests have isolated the strains now in use. Certain strains have gradually become associated with certain styles of mead. Mostly, these are strains that are also used in beer or wine production. Several commercial labs, such as White Labs, WYeast, Vierka, and others have gone so far as to develop strains specifically for mead.

Mead can also be distilled to a brandy or liqueur strength. Krupnik is a sweet Polish liqueur made through just such a process. Krupnikas (Krupnik in Polish redirects here For other uses see Krupnik (disambiguation. A simple version of this called "honey jack" can be made by partly freezing a quantity of mead and pouring off the liquid without the ice crystals (a process known as freeze distillation), the same way applejack is made from cider. Fractional freezing is a process used in Process engineering and Chemistry to separate two liquids with different melting points Applejack is a strong Alcoholic beverage produced from apples originating from the American colonial period For the non-alcoholic beverage commonly known in the US as "cider" see Apple cider.

Mead variants

• Braggot — Braggot (also called bracket or brackett). Originally brewed with honey and hops, later with honey and malt — with or without hops added.
• Black mead — A name sometimes given to the blend of honey and blackcurrants. The Blackcurrant ( Ribes nigrum) is a species of Ribes Berry native to central and northern Europe and northern Asia.
• Capsicumel is a mead flavored with chile peppers.
• Chouchenn is a kind of mead made in Brittany. Chouchen ( Breton chouchenn) is an Alcoholic beverage popular in Brittany, France. Brittany (Breizh bʁejs Bretagne; Gallo: Bertaèyn) is a former independent Celtic kingdom and Duchy, now incorporated into
• Cyser — A blend of honey and apple juice fermented together; see also cider. The apple is the pomaceous Fruit of the apple tree Species Malus domestica in the Rose family Rosaceae. For the non-alcoholic beverage commonly known in the US as "cider" see Apple cider.
• Czwórniak — A Polish mead, made using three units of water for each unit of honey
• Dwójniak — A Polish mead, made using equal amounts of water and honey
• Great mead — Any mead that is intended to be aged several years. The designation is meant to distinguish this type of mead from "short mead" (see below).
• Gverc or Medovina — Croatian mead prepared in Samobor and many other places. Croatia (Hrvatska ˈxȓvatska officially the Republic of Croatia ( Republika Hrvatska) is a southern Central European country at the crossroads between Geography Samobor is located to the west of Zagreb, between the eastern slopes of Samoborsko gorje (Samobor hills the eastern part of the Žumberak Mountains The word “gverc” or “gvirc” is from the German "Gewürze" and refers to various spices added to mead. The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages.
• Hydromel — Hydromel literally means "water-honey" in Greek. Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly It is also the French name for mead. French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people (Compare with the Spanish hidromiel and aquamiel, Italian idromele and Portuguese hidromel). Italian ( or lingua italiana) is a Romance language spoken by about 63 million people as a First language, primarily in Italy. Portuguese ( or língua portuguesa) is a Romance language that originated in what is now Galicia (Spain and northern Portugal. It is also used as a name for a very light or low-alcohol mead.
• Medica — Slovenian variety of Mead. Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia (Republika Slovenija) is a Country in southern Central Europe bordering Italy to the west
• Medovina — Czech, Serbian, Croatian, Bulgarian, and Slovak for mead. The Czech Republic ( ˈt͡ʃɛskaː ˈrɛpuˌblɪka short form in Česko ˈt͡ʃɛskɔ also called Czechia, Serbia (Србија Srbija) officially the Republic of Serbia (Република Србија Republika Srbija) is a Landlocked Country Croatia (Hrvatska ˈxȓvatska officially the Republic of Croatia ( Republika Hrvatska) is a southern Central European country at the crossroads between The state of Bulgaria (България transliterated bg-Latn ''Balgaria'' The country preserves the traditions (in ethnic name language and alphabet of the First Bulgarian Slovakia (long form Slovak Republic; Slovak:, long form, is a Landlocked country in Central Europe with a population of over five million Commercially available in Czech Republic, Slovakia and presumably other Central and Eastern European countries.
• Medovukha — Eastern Slavic variant (honey-based fermented drink)
• Melomel — Melomel is made from honey and any fruit. Medovukha (Медовуха is a Russian Honey -based alcoholic beverage very similar to Mead. Depending on the fruit-base used, certain melomels may also be known by more specific names (see cyser, pyment, morat for examples)
• Metheglin — Metheglin starts with traditional mead but has herbs and/or spices added. Some of the most common metheglins are ginger, tea, orange peel, nutmeg, coriander, cinnamon, cloves or vanilla. Tea refers to the cured agricultural product of the leaves leaf buds and internodes of Camellia sinensis, which have been prepared and cured for the market An orange —specifically the sweet orange —is the Citrus fruit Citrus sinensis ( syn The nutmegs Myristica are a Genus of Evergreen Trees indigenous to tropical southeast Asia and Australasia Coriander ( Coriandrum sativum) also commonly called cilantro, is an annual Herb in the family Apiaceae. Vanilla is a Flavoring derived from Orchids of the genus Vanilla native to Mexico. Its name indicates that many metheglins were originally employed as folk medicines. The term traditional medicine ( Indigenous medicine or folk medicine) describes medical knowledge systems which developed over centuries within various societies The Welsh word for mead is medd, and the word "metheglin" derives from meddyglyn, a compound of meddyg, "healing" + llyn, "liquor". Welsh ( cy Cymraeg or cy y Gymraeg, kəmˈrɑːɨɡ and {{IPA|[ə ɡəmˈrɑːɨɡ]}}, is a member of the Brythonic branch of Celtic
• Morat — Morat blends honey and mulberries.
• Mulsum — Mulsum is not a true mead, but is unfermented honey blended with a high-alcohol wine. Roman cuisine changed over the long duration (over a thousand years of their ancient civilization.
• Omphacomel — A mediæval mead recipe that blends honey with verjuice; could therefore be considered a variety of pyment (qv). Verjuice (from Middle French vertjus "green juice" is a very acidic juice made by pressing unripe Grapes Sometimes Lemon or Sorrel
• Oxymel — Another historical mead recipe, blending honey with wine vinegar. Wine is an Alcoholic beverage made from the fermentation of Grape juice Vinegar is an acidic liquid processed from the Fermentation of Ethanol in a process that yields its key ingredient Acetic acid (also called ethanoic acid
• Pitarrilla — Mayan drink made from a fermented mixture of wild honey, balche tree bark and fresh water. The Maya peoples constitute a diverse range of the Native American peoples of southern Mexico and northern Central America.
• Pyment — Pyment blends honey and red or white grapes. Pyment made with white grape juice is sometimes called "white mead. "
• Półtorak — A Polish mead, made using two units of honey for each unit of water
• Rhodomel — Rhodomel is made from honey, rose hips, petals or rose attar and water. The rose hip and rose haw, is the pomaceous Fruit of the Rose plant that typically is red-to-orange but might be dark purple-to-black Rose oil, meaning either rose otto ( attar of rose, attar of roses) or rose absolute, is the Essential oil extracted from the
• Sack mead — This refers to mead that is made with more copious amounts of honey than usual. The finished product retains an extremely high specific gravity and elevated levels of sweetness. Relative density, sometimes called specific density, is the Ratio of the Density of a substance to the density of a given reference material It derives its name from the fortified dessert wine Sherry (which is sometimes sweetened after fermentation and in England once bore the nickname of "sack"). Fortified wine is Wine to which alcohol (usually Brandy) has been added Dessert wines (or pudding wines BrE) are sweet Wines typically served with Dessert, such as Sauternes and Tokaji Sherry is a Fortified wine, made in and around the town of Jerez, Spain.
• Short mead — Also called "quick mead". A type of mead recipe that is meant to age quickly, for immediate consumption. Because of the techniques used in its creation, short mead shares some qualities found in cider (or even light ale): primarily that it is effervescent, and often has a cidery taste. Bitter is a British term for a style of Beer or Pale ale. The expression first appeared in the UK in the early 19th century as part of the development It can also be champagne-like.
• Show mead — A term which has come to mean "plain" mead: that which has honey and water as a base, with no fruits, spices or extra flavorings. Since honey alone often does not provide enough nourishment for the yeast to carry on its lifecycle, a mead that is devoid of fruit, etc. will sometimes require a special yeast nutrient and other enzymes to produce an acceptable finished product. Diammonium phosphate (DAP (chemical formula (NH42HPO4) is one of a series of Water - Soluble Ammonium phosphate Enzymes are Biomolecules that catalyze ( ie increase the rates of Chemical reactions Almost all enzymes are Proteins In most competitions (including all those using the BJCP style guidelines as well as the International Mead Fest) the term "traditional mead" is used for this variety. The Beer Judge Certification Program or BJCP is a Non-profit organization formed in 1985 "to promote beer literacy and the appreciation of real beer
• Sima - a quickly-fermented Finnish variety, seasoned with lemon and associated with the festival of vappu. Sima (cognate with zymurgy) is a sweet Mead, still an essential seasonal brew connected with the Finnish Vappu festival Walpurgis Night is a traditional religious holiday (celebrated by Pagans Roman Catholics and Satanists ref> About the Church of Satan alike celebrated
• Tej — Tej is an Ethiopian mead, fermented with wild yeasts (and bacteria), and with the addition of gesho. Tej ( Amharic: ጠጅ ˈtʼədʒ is a Mead or honey wine brewed and consumed in Ethiopia. The Shiny-leaf Buckthorn is an African shrub or small tree in the family Rhamnaceae. Recipes vary from family to family, with some recipes leaning towards braggot with the inclusion of grains.
• Trójniak — A Polish mead, made using two units of water for each unit of honey.

Religious usage

Germanic paganism and neopaganism

In ancient Germanic paganism, mead had an important ritual use. In direct relation to the ancient use of Germanic tribes of mead, mead is now an integral ritual component in Ásatrú and in Germanic neopaganism. is Ásatrú ( Icelandic for " Æsir faith" auːsatruː in Old Norse; Norwegian Åsatru, Swedish Germanic Neopaganism, Heathenism or Heathenry is the modern revival of historical Germanic paganism. It is privately brewed by some adherents for drinking purposes as well as for religiously significant occasions such as blóts and Sumbel. Germanic Neopaganism, Heathenism or Heathenry is the modern revival of historical Germanic paganism. Germanic Neopaganism, Heathenism or Heathenry is the modern revival of historical Germanic paganism.

Ethiopia

Ethiopian mead is traditionally used in funerary rituals.

Festivals

• International Mead Festival — Sponsored by the International Mead Association, this festival is held every year on the weekend closest to Valentine's Day in or near Denver, Colorado. Valentine's Day or Saint Valentine's Day is a Holiday celebrated on February 14 The City and County of Denver (pronounced /ˈdɛnvɚ/ is the Capital and the most populous city of Colorado, in the United States The State of Colorado ( or chiefly by nonresidents) is a state located in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States of America. It claims to be the largest and most prestigious mead festival in the world. Both professional and home-brewed meads are judged. ^[10]
• Real Ale Festival in Chicago, Illinois includes categories for Mead as well as Cider and Perry. Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States. For the non-alcoholic beverage commonly known in the US as "cider" see Apple cider. Perry is an Alcoholic beverage made of fermented Pear Juice. It is similar to Cider, in that it is made using a similar ^[11]

See also

• History of alcohol
• Honey
• Mead hall
• Meadher

References

Further reading

External links

• East Cowdry Bootleggers A short history and home-brewing recipes
• Gotmead.com Large searchable mead resource site for making and drinking mead, with recipes, articles, history and a large active forum of mead-makers
• Talisman Farm mead info The home of the Mead Lovers Digest
• A Simple Mead Recipe The easy way to make a terrific mead
• Mead Making Tutorial How to Make a one gallon batch of mead

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