Topic: Mead
From Orchard to Glass
Making stone fruit mead is a fun alternative to beer. Relying on honey and fruit — from cherries, peaches, and plums, to more exotic pitted fruits — for the fermentable sugars, the flavor combinations are endless.
Braggot
Braggot is a unique beverage that is part mead and part beer. Different from honey beer as a larger percent of its fermentables come from honey, yet braggots can be made with a base beer style in mind. Learn more about what braggot is and three different approaches to making one.
Varietal Meads
There are more than 300 honey varietals in the United States, and countless others across the world. Each has unique characteristics that differ from another in taste, aroma, color, and even mouthfeel. Learn more about some of the most popular honey varieties and tips to create your own varietal mead.
The Queen’s Mead
Bitten by the meadmaking bug during the pandemic, Paul Crowther set out to make a historic mead. Not just any mead steeped in history, but one said to have been enjoyed by Queen Elizabeth I and possibly created by ancient Celts who occupied Britain more than 1,000 years earlier. Learn about the history and techniques to create this mead yourself.
The Wide World of Meads
According to our annual reader study, meads are the third most popular beverage to ferment after beer and cider. Dive into the greater world of these fermented honey beverages.
A Harmony of Fruit and Honey
Making mead with fruit is a creative journey. What fruits and combinations you use, where and when you use them in the process, and what attributes of the fruit you work to express are all creative choices. Unlocking the secrets of all these different choices is the key to being able to mix them up to create your own hits.
Meads of the Season
Seasonal drinking traditions are a really interesting subject to delve into, as holiday parties and family gatherings often open people up to new beverages that aren’t available or of interest during other
Spiced Meads: Tips from the Pros
Spiced meads, often called methyglyns or metheglins, date back as far as mead itself. The options are limitless when it comes to choosing what spices and herbs, as well as how they
Backsweetening
The what of this process is simple . . . add sugar to sweeten up your alcoholic beverage. It can be any type: Beer, cider, mead, or even wine. We have a
Braggot
Somewhere between a traditional mead and a beer is where you’ll find braggot. The trick, however, is to balance the two ingredients to create a synthesis of malt and honey. Learn about the history, ingredients, and techniques to brew a braggot worthy of bragging about.
Melomels: Brewing Big Fruit Mead
High-gravity fruit meads — or melomels — can be a tricky style to brew when starting gravities are often above 1.140. Learn the best techniques to brew and ferment your next melomel, as well as advice for choosing the best fruit.
Single Varietal Mead Making
In its simplest form mead is a fermented beverage made from honey and water. The key to making fantastic meads is your honey, so don’t think of honey as a generic ingredient
