What's in it for mead ? - There is a mead to suit everyone.

What's in it for mead ?

On hearing that I was making mead from some of our honey customers often asked - ' why don't you just put your honey into jars and sell it straight? Surely, it's a lot of extra work turning into mead? ' There is more work in producing the mead, that's true, but I was curious to find out what types of mead I could produce from our honey - in the same way, that winemakers produce different wines using specific grape varieties.

Some meads I have tried had quite a high alcohol content, but I aimed to get a lighter, more quaffable 12% mead. I also was careful to select a honey which would produce a nice light colour - more like a white grape wine than a darker sherry colour. The fermentation was designed to produce a drier mead. Our first mead Cotswold & Shakespeare Country is a very different drink to what many people would expect - light and dry with the aroma of honey.

There are lots of interesting types of honey from around the world which will make interesting meads. Meads made with different ingredients also have interesting names: fruit melomels, apple cysers, grape pyments, and braggots - which are made with grains such as malted barley - are examples of types of mead.

As part of my quest to have a range of meads, I am making some batches with fruit additions - one made with apple juice and another with blackcurrants. Eventually, I would like to offer meads to suit every palate. As someone who appreciates spicy foods, I like the idea of getting some heat from the drink!

Meads for everyone - watch this space.