NationStates Jolt Archive

A commercial meadery just opened in my home town and coincidentally tomorrow is the day my wife and I are taking a class in home brewing mead. So has anyone here had mead before? Home brew or commercial? What did you think of it? My favorites so far were a home brewed chocolate mead and a rose petal mead.

A commercial meadery just opened in my home town and coincidentally tomorrow is the day my wife and I are taking a class in home brewing mead. So has anyone here had mead before? Home brew or commercial? What did you think of it? My favorites so far were a home brewed chocolate mead and a rose petal mead.

My friend did home brewing. it was ok, but I'm not an alcohol drinker.

I used to work at the Renaissance Pleasure Faire in Southern California, so I've sampled mead, both homemade and commercial. It's a little sweet for my taste, but not bad.

In England and I found a few here.

Don't know anybody that makes their own.

I used to work at the Renaissance Pleasure Faire in Southern California, so I've sampled mead, both homemade and commercial. It's a little sweet for my taste, but not bad.

The one in Pasadena? I know a few people who worked there. :p Looked sorta fun I guess.

As to mead, I have no clue what it is.

As to mead, I have no clue what it is.

Honey wine, basically. It was most popular in places that couldn't grow grapes easily, and most likely even more popular in places that lacked the soil and climate to produce beer from grain.

I used to work at the Renaissance Pleasure Faire in Southern California, so I've sampled mead, both homemade and commercial. It's a little sweet for my taste, but not bad.

It can actually be made drier. The people I'm learning from brew theirs down to zero sugar content and then sweeten to taste.

It can actually be made drier. The people I'm learning from brew theirs down to zero sugar content and then sweeten to taste.

There are several kinds I guess. The one that seemed prevalent at Faire was honey mead.

The one in Pasadena? I know a few people who worked there. :p Looked sorta fun I guess.

As to mead, I have no clue what it is.

The one that used to be in San Bernardino and is now in Irwindale. And it is fun - actually more fun to work there than to visit.

There are several kinds I guess. The one that seemed prevalent at Faire was honey mead.

Honey mead is like saying grape wine, or ATM Machine. Honey is what mead is made out of. Like wine though it can be dry, sweet, or somewhere in the middle.

Honey mead is like saying grape wine, or ATM Machine. Honey is what mead is made out of. Like wine though it can be dry, sweet, or somewhere in the middle.

Like a great many people, I drink it without knowing much about it.

The one that used to be in San Bernardino and is now in Irwindale. And it is fun - actually more fun to work there than to visit.

Yeah, that's the one! Irwindale, Pasadena, same difference. :p I've never been inside the place myself, but I've picked people up from there and seen the costumes. Looks like an interesting hobby. :)

I’ve had a couple commercial meads.

Heady stuff, but it can get a bit sickly after a while.

I've had some commercial mead, and no some people through some people I could get some home brewed mead if I wanted. What I've had I've liked. I killed a bottle in a night- a fun night it was!

I’ve had a couple commercial meads.

Heady stuff, but it can get a bit sickly after a while.

Yeah this seems to be a common complaint of commercial meads. It seems like the commercial brewers don't make a lot of dry or semi-dry mead.

I've had several commercial ones. Favorite was Vikings Blood...tasted like warm apple juice with a little burn to it.

Too expensive for my every day drinking, but I used to snag some at work every now and then

I see it very occasionally in the shops or at markets around here (Worthing, in south-eastern England) and buy a bottle then if I've got the money to spare. I tend to prefer the sweeter versions rather than the dryer ones.

I've had several commercial ones. Favorite was Vikings Blood...tasted like warm apple juice with a little burn to it.

That stuff is indeed quite nice :)
I prefer old mead, rich in flavour, good honey taste and quite strong.

I've only had it the once, and then only from a bottle that was about the size to fill a wine glass, if not a bit smaller. I can remember it tasting a bit like whisky but without the burnyness. Not sure if that what it actually tastes like, though. There's a shop just up from me which sells the stuff, although the shop looks a bit seedy. Might look out for it next time I go to Asda.

I have some friends who are into the "Asatru" thing.

They make thier own mead, along with cordial as well.

Lil bit of trivia for you all:

Know where the term "HoneyMoon" comes from?

Back in the Viking Days, when a couple were married, they were given enough mead to last them for 30 days. Enough to have a glass every night.

Thus: Honey Moon.

Its pretty damn good, and Im waiting for them to finish the next batch.
The idea is to save the yeast and use it again.
This gives it a better taste with each batch.

Also, the longer its aged, the less sweet and more dry it becomes.


Im going to try to make my own cordial.

You just add fruit, water and sugar to alchohol, and let it sit for a month or two, and then strain the fruit out.

Im gonna try it with mangoes.

A commercial meadery just opened in my home town and coincidentally tomorrow is the day my wife and I are taking a class in home brewing mead. So has anyone here had mead before? Home brew or commercial? What did you think of it? My favorites so far were a home brewed chocolate mead and a rose petal mead.Chocolate mead? I thought mead was made using honey... :confused:

Only mead I've ever had was Lindisfarne mead. It appeals to my alcoholic sweet tooth. As does Georgian wine - which is basically alcoholic Ribena syrup.

I've only had it the once, and then only from a bottle that was about the size to fill a wine glass, if not a bit smaller. I can remember it tasting a bit like whisky but without the burnyness. Not sure if that what it actually tastes like, though. There's a shop just up from me which sells the stuff, although the shop looks a bit seedy. Might look out for it next time I go to Asda.

Well from my experience working in a whisky shop, you can get Liqueur whisky (contains usually, single malt (or blended depending on the brand), some sweetening ingredient (such as any type of berry, honey, cream, toffee)). When i tasted mead it's okay helps with a cold if heated i think, can be very sweet.
As for chocolate mead i've never heard of that.

A commercial meadery just opened in my home town and coincidentally tomorrow is the day my wife and I are taking a class in home brewing mead. So has anyone here had mead before? Home brew or commercial? What did you think of it? My favorites so far were a home brewed chocolate mead and a rose petal mead.Chocolate mead? What new devilry is this?

I've had commercial mead and organic mead before, both were nice. Unless we're not talking about honey-wine here...

Given that honey doesn't spoil, you have to wonder about the first guy who decided to ferment it. Grains make sense - that can happen by accident - but honey?

Aye, I've had my fair share of Mead's, including both commercial and homebrew.

The commercial stuff can be strong, but it's tended to be on the sweet side, so drinkability is limited by flavor, rather than by alcohol poisoning (unlike everything else I drink). I've had some really delightful dry homebrew meads, as well as some really neat combinations. Outstanding amongst these would definitely be my Dad's brewing buddies Lavender Mead, which was mind-altering, in a way that no illicit drug could ever be.

A commercial meadery just opened in my home town and coincidentally tomorrow is the day my wife and I are taking a class in home brewing mead. So has anyone here had mead before? Home brew or commercial? What did you think of it? My favorites so far were a home brewed chocolate mead and a rose petal mead.
Sickly stuff, if fun for a bit.

Given that honey doesn't spoil, you have to wonder about the first guy who decided to ferment it. Grains make sense - that can happen by accident - but honey?

Mead most often developed in regions where conditions were too poor to grow wheat and grapes to brew beer or wine.

I have some friends who are into the "Asatru" thing.

They make thier own mead, along with cordial as well.

Lil bit of trivia for you all:

Know where the term "HoneyMoon" comes from?

Back in the Viking Days, when a couple were married, they were given enough mead to last them for 30 days. Enough to have a glass every night.

Thus: Honey Moon.


Further: this was suposed to ensure a child ( a son I beleive).

Chocolate mead? I thought mead was made using honey... :confused:


Mead can be made with aditional ingrediants besides honey to add different flavors. Mead made with apple cider is called cyser, if made with grape juice it's called a pyment. A mead with spices or herbs is called metheglin or you can add fruit and make a melomel. You can also use interesting (and unfortunatly expensive) honeys to make a mead with different flavors. I've heard mead made with mesquite honey described as tasting like "smoked mead".

Chocolate mead? What new devilry is this?

I've had commercial mead and organic mead before, both were nice. Unless we're not talking about honey-wine here...

The brewer flavored his batch with a small amount of caco powder. It gave it an interesting flavor that was realy hard to pin down untill you were TOLD it was chocolate flavored. Aparently 4 out of 5 women he gave it to described it as liquid sex (the fifth described it as liquid foreplay).

I've had it at Pagan themed events and always thought it was good. Especially drinking it in a horn.