Our Very own Kent Peterson and his son, Austin Peterson, introduced our club to the skills of creating Mead. Kent and Austin are very early into their venture, Heartland Meadery, but learning about Mead and how it is fermented was very interesting and tasty!
Like many of us, if you are not familiar with Mead, here is a quick little bit of history -
Mead is an alcoholic beverage made by fermenting honey, water, and yeast:
Ingredients: Mead is made by mixing honey and water, and sometimes adding other ingredients like fruits, spices, grains, or hops.
Alcohol content: Mead's alcohol content can range from about 3.5% ABV to more than 20%.
Aging: Mead can be aged for months or years.
Gluten-free: Mead is gluten-free, with the exception of braggot meads.
Taste: Mead is often referred to as "honey wine" because the process of making it is similar to wine, but mead uses honey instead of grapes as a source of sugar.
Mead is one of the oldest known alcoholic beverages, and is believed to predate wine by nearly three thousand years. It's easy to make because it ferments on its own using wild yeast.
Some say that mead offers various health benefits due to its honey and potential probiotic content, but scientific evidence to back up these claims is lacking. Additionally, its alcohol content may negate benefits and cause health issues.
Queen Elizabeth II is known to enjoy mead, and has a favorite recipe made with rosemary, thyme, bay leaves, and sweet briar.