Mead

**taprater** · 09-21-2009, 05:15 PM

Me and a couple friends have been wanting to get some mead but living in the seattle area we are not sure how to get some anyone know of a way to get some?

**gollum83** · 09-21-2009, 07:02 PM

Your best bet is just to make it. Anything that's available commercially isn't all that great in my experience. Besides, it's dead simple to make.

**BullGoose** · 09-21-2009, 07:36 PM

Do you have any Ethiopian restaurants in the area? If so, they almost certainly serve mead.

**The Knize** · 09-21-2009, 08:35 PM

Sky River mead's web site says it is availaable throughout Washington State. http://www.skyriverbrewing.com/

There actually is a Seattle mead makers club for home brewers.

I cannot imagine that a state with a great micro brew tradtion like Washington and the agricultural resources available doesn' t have some commerical mead brewers.

**Gravy** · 09-21-2009, 09:06 PM

Does your state allow ordering online? I've heard good things about http://www.rabbitsfootmeadery.com/?page_id=5 in Kali and http://www.whitewinter.com/ in Wisconsin. I've not been able to order out of state in Michingan but I think the law is changing here w/ regards to buying wine.

**rickboone1** · 09-21-2009, 09:12 PM

tHE HECK IS meAD? sorry.. got sticky stuff on fingers...can't function...

ah

**taprater** · 09-21-2009, 10:24 PM

awesome I just took a look at the sky river meadery and as soon as I talk to my buddy we will take a trip to do some testing.

**Sixxtwo** · 09-21-2009, 10:36 PM

Yup; you can get Sky River Mead @ Haggen's and some liquor stores. Its around $12-15.
Comes in Sweet and Semi-dry.

**Sixxtwo** · 09-21-2009, 10:38 PM

Originally Posted by rickboone1

tHE HECK IS meAD? sorry.. got sticky stuff on fingers...can't function...

ah

Mead is a wine made from honey. One of the oldest forms of alcohol on the planet and is the the basis for the word 'Honeymoon'.

**rickboone1** · 09-21-2009, 10:48 PM

Is the moon for moonshine? Honey/ Moonshine?

That's interesting. Thanks. I'll have to find a story about it.

**Thunderjugg** · 09-21-2009, 10:57 PM

i have had a couple different kinds of mead (don't ask, don't ask what kind) however it was during my days and nights and mid afternoons of debauchery that are the late teens and early twenties. some was reeeeaaaallllly good and some was NOT. so before you get to trying to make it yourself sample around so you know just how good it can be. (sorry i can't offer where or what to buy, just trying to be at least a llllittle bit helpfull)

**rm71** · 09-22-2009, 01:35 AM

I've never heard of it either. Is the stuff sweet?

**withoutink** · 09-22-2009, 02:25 AM

It is a bit sweet but very nice.

Also to the original poster... If you have a WholeFoods near you check the beer/liquor area there. I have found two or three brands in there before.

**Sixxtwo** · 09-22-2009, 03:12 AM

Originally Posted by rm71

I've never heard of it either. Is the stuff sweet?

It can be, depending on how long it is fermented out. Normally it is served as a desert style wine. I have tried both the Semi-Dry and the Sweet, as mentioned in the earlier post. They are both great, but in the B&B way; YMMV. I personally like it because it has a ligher wine flavor compared to grape wines. It is even lighter than most whites.

Wiki on Mead

Also in replying to Rickboone1:

The wiki answers most of the questions behind the lore, but there have been a few theories that Mead helps aid in the conception of sons. Taken from The History and Magic of Mead: The acidity and the sweetness of the drink can influence the mother-to-be's body acidity, and it is known that the acidity or alkalinity of the female body during conception can influence the sex of the newborn.
-----
For more info/history or even recipes... I can recommend (as a member) http://www.homebrewtalk.com/ forums. Also, please check any and all legalities in your country if you do try making any homebrews. In the US, it is legal to brew beers, wines, and spirits, but NOT distill them. Fair warning: Mead is quite a difficult to pull off due to PH chasing.

What can I say? I enjoy the art of brewing, as much as I do the art of shaving.

**Gravy** · 09-22-2009, 06:04 AM

Beware the mead hangover!
You've been warned.

**gollum83** · 09-22-2009, 06:10 AM

Originally Posted by Sixxtwo

Mead is a wine made from honey. One of the oldest forms of alcohol on the planet and is the the basis for the word 'Honeymoon'.

Actually, I don't think anyone knows the true origin of the word since there are several theories floating around out there.

Originally Posted by rm71

I've never heard of it either. Is the stuff sweet?

Depends. Mead is a lot like wine in some respects in that there's dry, semi-dry, and sweet varieties. It really depends on the percentage of honey used to water as to what results.

Originally Posted by Sixxtwo

For more info/history or even recipes... I can recommend (as a member) http://www.homebrewtalk.com/ forums. Also, please check any and all legalities in your country if you do try making any homebrews. In the US, it is legal to brew beers, wines, and spirits, but NOT distill them. Fair warning: Mead is quite a difficult to pull off due to pH chasing.

What can I say? I enjoy the art of brewing, as much as I do the art of shaving.

Never heard that mead was difficult due to pH chasing. Personally, I have never had trouble brewing mead or any variants like cyser or braggot.

Also I confused by your statement that spirits can be produced here in the US by homebrewers. Spirits are distilled by definition.

**silentorpheus** · 09-22-2009, 07:41 AM

There are a lot of different commercial meads out and about, some good, some not so good. But gollum83 is right, it's so easy to make, anyone can do it. Do a websearch for Joe's Ancient Orange mead. It's a basic, non-traditional (as in the techniques are not necessarily proper meadmaking techniques) recipe designed by a long time meadmaker to be foolproof for a beginner to make with minimal money and time investments. All the stuff you need to make it you should be able to get at your supermarket, for the most part. I brew mead as one of my other hobbies, and even though I have multiple batches of traditionally made meads that are aging for long periods before bottling, I ended up liking the joe's ancient orange mead enough that I now have 13 gallons of it in the other room, waiting to be bottled to be served at my wedding. But my first 1 gallon batch of it took 2 months and cost maybe $10 in materials.

If you're really interested in mead, there's only one place to go. www.gotmead.com is the oldest, biggest online forum devoted to meadmaking (as opposed to general homebrewing). I'm not affiliated or anything, it's just the other forum (besides B&B) where I waste much of my time.

**barracudamagoo** · 09-22-2009, 08:38 AM

Originally Posted by gollum83

Actually, I don't think anyone knows the true origin of the word since there are several theories floating around out there.

This made me think of Ron Buhrgandy!

**Sixxtwo** · 09-22-2009, 12:07 PM

Originally Posted by gollum83

Also I confused by your statement that spirits can be produced here in the US by homebrewers. Spirits are distilled by definition.

I wondered that..... I guess I am using the term loosely, relating to non-distilled but over 20%. Such as Kilju and other 'Turbo/high proof' brews (yuck

).

All that stuff aside, Mead is quite a great drink and I hope OP finds some.

**gollum83** · 09-22-2009, 12:36 PM

Originally Posted by Sixxtwo

I wondered that..... I guess I am using the term loosely, relating to non-distilled but over 20%. Such as Kilju and other 'Turbo/high proof' brews (yuck

).

All that stuff aside, Mead is quite a great drink and I hope OP finds some.

Ah! I gotcha ya!