What is Mead?

What is mead? The basic answer is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented honey, but there is more to it. The U.S. government answers the question what is mead by saying it is "honey wine", probably because it is made by the same process as wine, but it deserves a classification of its own. What is mead? You ask? Mead can be sweet or dry, sparkling or still, and flavored with anything imaginable. Honey doesn’t oxidize like grapes do so mead doesn’t have to be consumed before the next morning, or you'll have to cook with it, like wine. A good bottle of mead will never make it to the next day though, because it will be gone. If you've never tried it before, visit Hidden Legend and order a bottle.

What is mead? Mead has a flavor and mouth feel unlike any other drink. Classifying it as wine doesn’t do it justice and it is not beer either. It is mead and is probably the oldest alcoholic beverage on the planet. Really wine and beer should be compared to mead, not the other way around. Mead should be the standard. The reason we can say that mead is the world’s oldest drink is answered in the question, “What is mead?”

Mead is fermented honey. Honey was the only universal sugar source. Bees make honey on every continent. Grapes, sugar cane, wheat, corn, potatoes, and every other sugar source came from specific regions and were not always as widespread as they are today. Mead can be traced back to many places. What is mead? Mead is the original, the one that all others should be compared too.

Buy Mead for the holidays

Hidden Legend Mead wine is the perfect gift this holiday season. Visit www.hiddenlegendwinery.com to check out our online store and our special holiday shipping rates. We are offering 50% off shipping for three bottles and free shipping for all orders of four bottles or more. Case and half case discounts are also available. Buy mead for the holidays. We are adding 5 new states to the list of states we can ship to very soon as well. Come visit www.hiddenlegend.com. Also check out our facebook page for coupons and new product information.

Hidden Legend Pure Honey Mead Review

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Pyment mead honey wine

In the early 1500s with new trade routes open and sugarcane from the Americas creating a new source of sugar, honey producers were faced with a dilemma, not unlike blockbuster's dilemma with the popularity of Netflix. As honey production waned, so did mead production. In order to stretch mead, producers started mixing it with grape wines that would eventually leave mead in the dust. Hidden Legend Winery is proud to introduce our own version of this transition wine called pyment. This delightful mead is made from world class Montana honey just like all of our meads and is combined with just the right amount of red wine to create something very special. We are going to call it The King's Pyment. We will have it for sale by the beginning of April 2011. We have a little that can be sampled right away in our tasting room. Stop by and try it! Or visit HiddenLegendWinery.com to learn more.

making mead

I have been working in the wine industry and specifically with mead for over three years now, but I just made my first batch of mead on my own. They keep me chained in the office... :) I was amazed at how smoothly it went. I made a pure honey mead from Montana clover honey from the Bozeman area. I made it in a European style, which is to say that it is about 12.5% alcohol and has between 6 and 7% residual sugar. It is made from nothing but honey water and yeast. It turned out great. It tastes like the honey I started with about six weeks ago but with a little alcohol flavor like one would expect from 12.5% alcohol. It is a very smooth, sweet wine. I made it as a test run for a European (old world) style mead for Hidden Legend Winery which I am part owner. I had the help and guidance of our master mead maker Ken Schultz, so I could always ask him what one measurement or another meant and whether any adjustments would be advantageous. But I am convinced that anyone can make their own mead if they desire, especially with a little guidance from a book, mead maker, or web resource. It is fun and gives one a sense of accomplishment as well. I am going to start another batch in the coming weeks and will keep a regular log on here for you to follow if you like.

Mead doesn't put on heirs

Mead (honey wine) doesn't put on heirs. It is a naturally delicious drink that is made in the same fashion as wine but without all the fluffing. You can enjoy mead if you've never liked wine because it is a drink all its own. At the same time, you can enjoy mead if you like wine because it is a smooth and delicious drink. If you like the flavors of honey then you can just sit back and enjoy a nice cool glass of mead without worrying if you know enough about wine to enjoy it because it just plain tastes good. Be careful you don’t drink too much though, because one thing it has in common with wine is a 12.5 % alcohol content. You don't have to worry about whether it is dry enough to impress your friends or from the right region of the world because it is the oldest fermented beverage on the planet and most of your friends have never heard of it before. It is a drink that legends are made of and is a part of many legends. It can be made with just honey or have fruit added to create many different flavors. This means you are practically guaranteed to find a mead that you will love, because these fruit flavors are ones that you already know and are sure to enjoy in the form of mead. If you’ve never had mead give it a try. It tastes great!

Thorvald's Mead

Mead (honey wine) has probably been around as long as mankind has roamed the earth collecting honey from wild hives and then later domesticating bees. Mead dates back to pre-history so we don’t know its exact origin but, we can take a guess. It is likely that is was discovered by accident. This has been the case with so many of the things we eat and drink today like cheese or Champaign. It was probably discovered when honey got wet and diluted enough to allow fermentation to start and then was refined over time.

The problem with mead making has been the natural preservatives in honey which can make fermentation challenging. Mead also took much longer than grapes to ferment with the yeasts of those times. Mead’s only advantage was the existence of honey everywhere while grapes were only in a few places. The spread of grapes around the known world and better ships and transportation systems left mead behind, but not dead.

Mead’s history is filled with stories of conquering heroes, villains, and intrigue. It was the preferred drink of Robin Hood’s merry men as well as the Knights of the Round Table. Regular folks as well as kings and queens have enjoyed mead equally. Mead has been forgotten by many but this ageless drink has not disappeared and will outlast us all. Its history is filled with intrigue and it has become a Hidden Legend. Thorvald (the Viking) is our connection to the past. He has fought in many battles for many different reasons but always drank mead. He has enjoyed meads from many lands and gotten to see the advancement of wine making technology to the point where we can now easily ferment honey and control the outcome. With age, Thorvald has put down his sword in order to enjoy the finer things in life. The evolution of mead to the point where it is comparable to the finest grape wines in flavor and sophistication is more exciting to him than storming the fortified towns of the Englishmen he tormented. While Thorvald remains a simple man, his pallet has evolved and he demands perfection. The ingredients in our mead are the finest in the world. From the honey that is produced in Montana with pride, to the wild berries collected from the mountains and valleys of the Rockies, only the best will do.