|
In the world of fermented beverages, mead is possibly the oldest (dating back as far as 7,000 BC), but definitely the least known in modern times. Though there is some contention about which is the three (beer, wine, mead) is truly the oldest, I side with mead since it does not require the malting of barley or the cultivating of grapes in order to be made. To make mead, you simply combine honey and water. I assume that the majority of people have not tried mead, and possibly don’t even know it is available, maybe something heard of only in the verse of Chaucer or some Viking song. It does, however, have a growing commercial availability, made as nearby as Floyd, Virginia and as far away as South Africa. It ranges from sweet to dry, may be still or sparkling, and can be just honey or made with fruits, spices, or other flavors like coffee or malt.
If you like honey, you will probably like mead. When encountering mead for the first time, as with most new experiences, you need to come with an open mind. Though commonly referred to as honey wine, it is not wine, though it can be made with the addition of grape juice, which is called pyment. Mead should have a nose of honey, with the dryer styles being lighter on the nose. Some floral qualities are often present and some essence of the type of honey used. Wildflower honey makes distinctly different mead than orange blossom or tupelo honey. If drinking a fruit mead (known as a melomel), which usually takes on the color of the fruit, you should get a sense of the fruits that were used; common ones include tart cherries, blackberries, strawberries, and peaches, but other fruits are also used. For body, the level of sweetness determines the mouth feel. Dry meads are thinner and crisper, whereas sweet meads are thicker and more luxuriant. Fruit meads take on the character of the fruits, so you should expect a tart pop from cranberry mead and a tannic bite from blackberry mead, though all should still have a strong backbone of honey character.
Meads range in alcohol content from about eight to fifteen percent, and are generally aged for six to twelve months before bottling, though they can age for upwards of five to ten years, with the alcohol and other characters mellowing over time. Can you pair mead with food as you would your wine and beer? Of course. Start with something simple like a medium sweet spiced mead (called metheglin; think Christmas spices with a fresh apple pie). A sparkling mead and cider (called cyser) would pair well with roast pork loin and mashed sweet potatoes-or try a fruit mead as an aperitif with a cheese course (honey and blue cheese is a great combination; a fig mead with some nuts and goat cheese is also nice). And if you break out that old fruitcake recipe, try soaking it with straight or fruit mead instead of whiskey.
What is old can be new again, so get out there and drink some mead. If nothing else, you can imagine you are and Norse god getting ready for battle.
The following brands of mead are available at Kelsick Specialty Market in Gloucester:
Oliver Mead, Bloomington, IN
Redstone Meadery, Boulder, CO
Bea;s Mead Katlenburger Winery
Iqhilika African Mead, South Africa
http://www.kelsickmarket.com/
|
locations
Comments