In its most basic form, mead is simply the fermentation of water and honey into an alcoholic beverage. Also called honey wine, the craft of mead fermentation has been enjoyed for centuries for social, medicinal, and ceremonial purposes.
Mead comes in various forms and displays huge diversity in regards to ingredients that are used and the flavors these ingredients bestow. These flavors are further diversified through the use of different types of yeast, different types of honey, additives like herbs or fruits (known as adjuncts or gruits), or the method of aging.
Chai Mead from The Craft of Herbal Fermentation Course
In the Herbal Academy’s newest online program, The Craft of Herbal Fermentation Course, students explore the many types of mead that are brewed across the world and experiment with recipes from several varieties themselves. Preview the Different Varieties of Mead chart below, a brief excerpt from The Craft of Herbal Fermentation Course!
Varieties of Mead
These terms will not only help you navigate some of the informational resources that exist regarding this delightful fermentation experience, they will hopefully also inspire you to experiment. You will notice that many of these varieties of mead include the use of herbs such as hops, rose petals or hips, and even chili pepper as flavoring ingredients! In essence, any of these meads could be considered herbal healing liquors. So, formulating your herbal mead can be about both flavor and healing. Just look at this variety!
DIFFERENT VARIETIES OF MEAD |
|
Acerglyn |
A mead made with honey and maple syrup. |
Black Mead |
A mead made with honey and black currants. |
Bochet |
A mead made whereby the honey is caramelized or burned separately before adding the water to bring out toffee, chocolate, or roasted marshmallow flavors. |
Braggot |
Derived from the Welsh word bragawd, is also called bracket or brackett. Originally brewed with honey and hops, later with honey and malt—with or without hops added. |
Capsicumel |
A mead flavored with chili peppers! Yee haw! |
Cyser |
A blend of honey and apple juice fermented together – similar to a hard cider except sweeter due to the addition of sugars from the honey. |
Great Mead |
Any mead that has been aged for several years. Distinguished from short mead or quick mead which is meant to age quickly and be consumed in short order. |
Hydromel |
The Greek and French term for “water-honey” in Greek. It is also used as a name for a light or low-alcohol mead. |
Melomel |
Melomel is made from honey and any fruit. Certain melomels have more specific names depending on what type of fruit is used. For example, a morat is a type of melomel made from mulberries. |
Metheglin |
A healing liquor, or mead made for medicinal purposes. |
Omphacomel |
A medieval mead recipe that blends honey with a highly acidic juice made by pressing unripe grapes, crabapples, or other sour fruit. Lemon or sorrel juice is also sometimes used for additional flavor, as are herbs or spices. |
Oxymel |
A historical mead recipe traditionally made by blending honey with wine vinegar. In modern times, Western herbalists often employ oxymels as a preservation method for medicinal herbs. For example, some forms of ‘fire cider’ are made with honey and therefore considered an oxymel. |
Pyment |
A pyment is brewed with red or white grapes or grape juice. A pyment made with white grape juice is sometimes also called white mead. |
Rhodomel |
Rhodomel is made from honey, rose hips, rose petals or rose attar, and water. This type of mead could also be considered a metheglin, depending on the intention of the brewer. |
Sack Mead |
Mead that is brewed with more honey than is typically used and therefore contains a higher-than-average alcohol concentration. Mead that is at or above 14% ABV is generally considered to be of sack strength. Sack mead often retains elevated levels of sweetness, although dry sack meads which have no residual sweetness can also be produced. |
Short Mead |
Also known as a quick mead and often considered the opposite of a great mead. A type of mead that is meant to age quickly for immediate enjoyment. It can also be champagne-like, depending on the methods and yeast used. Good for brewers with little patience. |
Show Mead |
A plain mead with only honey and water as a base with no additions such as fruits, spices, or herbal flavorings. Sometimes requires a special yeast nutrient and other enzymes for an enjoyable finished product, as honey alone often does not provide enough nourishment for the yeast to carry on its life cycle. |
Sparkling Mead |
Mead that has carbonation. Usually created through the use of champagne yeast. |
Still Mead |
Mead that is not carbonated. |
White Mead |
A mead that is colored white with herbs, fruit, or sometimes even egg whites. Also a name sometimes given to white grape pyment. |
As students discover in The Craft of Herbal Fermentation Course, brewing herbal mead can be much more than simply making an alcoholic beverage. Brewing herbal mead can be a ritualistic journey of celebrating community and honoring the people, places, and plants that have provided guidance, knowledge, friendship, or support. In fact, brewing herbal mead is one method, among many in the realm of fermentation and food production, that can be used to honor the changing of the seasons, times of year, or memorable milestones in your life and the lives of those in your community.
Whether you are interested in creating delicious mead and beer with an herbal spin to share with your friends and family or are looking for ways to expand your probiotic routine with kombucha, water kefir, or fermented foods, The Craft of Herbal Fermentation Course will walk you through making these ferments step by step, from start to bubbly finish!
Preview the full course outline and sign up to reserve your seat in class here.
Marlene Adelmann is the Founder and Director of the Herbal Academy, international school of herbal arts and sciences, and meeting place for Boston-area herbalists. Through the school, Marlene has brought the wild and wonderful world of plant medicine to thousands of students across the globe. Marlene spent several years studying herbs and learning under some of the most revered modern herbalists and continues to practice plant medicine through correspondence courses and teaching others.
Photos provided and copyrighted by Amber Meyers and Grant Lacouture, Herbal Academy.
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