What Does Mead Taste Like?

Do you know what mead tastes like? If you don’t, then there is nothing to worry about because we are here to help you out. This article will go through several aspects of Mead, such as its taste and how it is cooked? Does it have any health benefits? What does it go well with? Etc. We will also address some queries related to mead towards the end of the article.

What Is Mead?

Mead is a type of alcohol beverage made by mixing tap water with fermented honey. Sometimes hops, grains, fruits, or spices are also added to the recipe. The alcohol levels of mead vary, as it typically falls in this range: 3.5 to 18 %.

What Does Mead Taste Like?

Many individuals who taste mead for the first time expect it to taste sweet—the reason people consider it to have a sweet flavor is that it is made from honey. However, mead is not a sweet drink; in fact, mead can be an extremely dry drink.

Mead can also be heavily spiced or fruity. The options regarding mead’s unique flavors are endless. The only thing constant about mead is the taste of fermented honey. Depending on how the honey was used, it may impart various subtleties in the flavor profile of the mead.

How is Mead Made?

Here is a simple recipe for making mead:

Equipment Needed

• Food Safe Bucket (Large)
• Funnel
• Demijoh (For Fermentation)
• Bung and Airlock (For Demijoh)
• Metal Spoon (Large)

Ingredients

• Honey (Your preferred variety): 750 g
• Wine or any Other Type of Yeast: Sachet
• Sanitiser Powder: 25 g
• Citric Acid (Acid regulator): 1 gram or 1 liter
• Yeast Nutrients: 2 grams or 2 liters
• Camden Tablet: 2

Instructions

Cleaning The Equipment

• Take the bucket, and add the sanitizer powder and 5 liters of water to create the sanitizing solution.
• In the demijohn, pour a portion of the sanitizing solution, and swirl it around for a bit to sanitize the fermenter. Empty the fermenter, and ensure there is nothing left in the demijohn.
• Sanitize the spoon, bung, airlock, and funnel by putting them in the sanitizing solution.
• Remove all the equipment from the solution and place it on a surface.
• Place the funnel on top of the demijohn to prevent it from touching the surface.
• Eliminate the sanitizing solution by throwing it in the sink.

Making The Mead

• Add 5 liters of water to the food bucket.
• Add the acid regulator and yeast nutrients, and stir them with the spoon until they dissolve in the water.
• Add the honey to the hot water and thoroughly stir it until it dissolves.
• Let the liquid cool down, so it doesn’t crack or damage the demijohn.
• Transfer the liquid through the funnel.
• Let the liquid cool off to room temperature before adding the yeast.
• Rehydrate the yeast according to the information on the packet.
• Once you add the yeast, leave it in the liquid for about 5 minutes.
• Add the liquid to the demijohn and gently mix it.
• Add the airlock to the demijohn, fill it up with water and leave it in a cool and dry place for 2 to 3 weeks.

How Do You, Cook Mead?

While typically, mead is not cooked, you can heat it and enjoy it. Warm mead is a delicious treat for the winter months. The ideal temperature for serving heated mead is about 50 to 55 Degrees Celcius; however, you must ensure you don’t overheat the popular drink.

If the mead reaches a temperature of 60 Degrees Celsius or higher, it will rapidly lose all its flavor and start to foam. This will leave an unpleasant taste in your mouth. You should only heat the quantity of mead that you are going to consume. If you don’t drink or serve the mead immediately after heating it, it will rapidly lose its taste and quality.

What Do You Eat Mead With?

Here are some food varieties that pair well with mead:

Heavy And Red Meat Foods

A steak is easy to make if you are used to making it. However, you can also pair a stew with the mead. The rule of thumb when pairing meat with mead is that the beverage should be as dark as possible. If your meal is heavy and the mead is dark, it will increase the flavor profile. If the food is extremely rich, a fruit mead will pair well.

Lighter And White Meat Foods

Fish or chicken are typically served with dry varieties of mead. Mostly, dinner mead is chosen for fish or chicken dishes, but you have other options, such as white meads. If you are serving a dish with a lot of depth, you should go for a label such as a Respite or Accord, as they have a deeper body and musky flavor.

Is Mead Good For You?

Here are some health benefits that are linked to Mead:

Therapeutic Advantages of Consuming Honey

Honey has been used for therapeutic and culinary purposes for several centuries. Research shows that honey has antimicrobial and antioxidant properties, and both characteristics have driven the use of honey in modern and ancient medicine to treat many types of illnesses.

Nowadays, honey is frequently used to treat infections and skin wounds or consumed orally to soothe a sore throat or cough. According to some claims, honey is used to make mead, which means the beverage shares honey’s medicinal properties. However, whether fermented honey has therapeutic capabilities like the unfermented type of honey remains unclear.

Gut Health And Probiotics

Due to its high probiotic content, mead is often heeded as a health tonic. Probiotics are a type of living organism, and when these organisms are consumed, they can positively impact your gut health and immunity. While research is currently being done on how effective probiotics are for human health, it is still in the early stages.

Some studies show that probiotics can treat and prevent chronic diseases such as Gastrointestinal disorders, Heart diseases, allergies, and cancer. Unfortunately, there is currently no research on mead as a drink that may affect your health.

Additionally, the content of probiotics varies significantly in different meads. The ingredients and the fermentation process of each variety of mead affects the content of probiotics in the beverage.

Also, the content of alcohol in mead can cancel out all the potential benefits that the drink offers. Until more research is done, it is impossible to conclude and say that mead leads to good health. Check out 5 Best Stand Mixers under $ 100.

Related Questions About Mead?

Can Mead Cause Allergies?

For most individuals, mead is safe to drink. Commercial meads are gluten-free; however, that also depends on the fermentation process. In some individuals, made can cause allergies, especially those intolerant to alcohol or allergic to honey. Check out 5 Best Pastry Boards and 5 Best Commercial Food Processors.

While these allergies are extremely rare, there are cases where honey leads to anaphylactic reactions. If you are seriously allergic to bee pollen or honey, it may be wise to avoid drinking mead. If you have ever been diagnosed with allergy or alcohol intolerance, you should not consume any variety of mead.

What’s The Calorie Content Of Mead?

Mead has a high-calorie content, and overconsumption of mead can lead to dangerous diseases such as obesity. Drinking a higher alcohol content daily can harm your overall health. This can increase your blood pressure and increase blood triglycerides in the body. Check out 5 Best Le Creuset Cookware and 5 Best Lasagna Pans.

Conclusion

Hopefully, we have answered all your mead-related questions. Mead is a delicious drink with a unique flavor, and you can pair it with different types of food items. However, don’t drink too much mead, as it can negatively affect your health.

Sources:

• Healthline
• VikingAlchemist
• LymeBayWinery
• BBCGoodFood
• MeadMakr