How mead is made and how to drink it properly

How is mead made? You dissolve honey in water and add yeast. The liquid then ferments and matures in a barrel or bottle.

You can drink it cold or warmed up, depending on the type you choose from our mead selection. Serving is a matter of taste, not a fixed rule.

The oldest preserved fermented honey beverage comes from Jiahu, China. The vessel found there is about 9,000 years old and contained traces of honey, rice, and hawthorn, as documented by Patrick McGovern's 2004 research. In Europe, the oldest documented mead drinking is described by the Greek historian Priscus: in 448, he wrote that he was offered mead instead of wine on his way to Attila. Among the Slavs, written sources from the 9th and 10th centuries document a drink called "medos," with mentions of honey product exports from the Danube region dating back to 903 and 904.

How mead is made – step-by-step process

Mead production has four phases: dissolving the honey, fermentation, maturation, and bottling. You can do it at home in the same order, it just takes weeks to months.

You only need honey, water, mead or wine yeast, and a vessel with an airlock. Then it's just a matter of time.

• Dissolving the honey – mix the honey in warm, not boiling, water. The ratio is usually around 1:3 to 1:4, depending on the strength you want.
• Adding yeast – add wine or mead yeast to the must. You can also add nutrients to help kickstart the fermentation.
• Fermentation – seal the vessel with an airlock and let it ferment in a warm place. It usually takes a few weeks until the yeast consumes most of the sugar.
• Racking – siphon the fermented mead off the yeast sediment into a clean vessel so it doesn't turn bitter.
• Maturation and bottling – mead matures in a barrel or bottle. For home production, it takes months; for artisanal meads, it takes years before you filter and bottle it.

You can brew a basic mead at home in a few weeks. Artisans like those behind Celtic mead give it years of maturation. They add their own spice recipes – a flavor you'll find hard to replicate in your kitchen.

How to properly drink and serve mead

Mead is drunk both cold and warmed. The type decides, not habit.

• Dry and semi-dry mead – serve chilled, around 8 to 12 °C. It tastes similar to white wine.
• Sweet and herbal mead – tastes great at room temperature. Feel free to warm it up with cloves or cinnamon for a winter evening.
• Strong and vintage mead (barrique, long-matured) – serve in smaller portions, like a liqueur.

Do not shake the mead after opening. Let it "breathe" for a few minutes, just like wine.

Proper serving also requires the right vessel. Historical tankards and goblets or drinking horns are not just decorations – the hollow of the horn also enhances the aroma of the honey.

Interesting facts about mead

• Mead is called "medovina" in Czech.
• According to folk etymology, the English word "honeymoon" is derived from mead. However, linguists dispute this theory.
• The strength of mead is determined by the amount of honey and the length of fermentation, not a fixed ratio. That is why it varies so much from brand to brand.
• Vikings associated mead with feasts and courage. Norse mythology also links it to the gift of poetry – the Mead of Poetry, which the god Odin obtained. Today, you can find it under names from Norse mythology, such as Viking Mead.

Frequently asked questions about mead

Choose a mead according to your taste and the occasion. Then choose the temperature and vessel based on the type you pour into your glass.

Mead