Mull Over Mead
When people ask me what mead is, I usually respond with something along the lines of, “Well, it’s not beer, it’s not wine, and it’s not cider. It’s mead!” Admittedly, that’s not a very helpful answer. But as mead earns recognition as a new contender in the craft beverage market, it’s important that it be accepted as its own entity. Mead can have similarities to all of the above beverages, depending on how it’s made, but the thing that sets it apart is its honey base.
To produce alcohol, brewers follow a simple equation: sugar plus water plus yeast plus time. Making mead involves many more subtleties, but it all comes down to blending a sugar source with water, adding yeast, and allowing time for fermentation. Beer gets its sugar and flavor profile primarily from malted grains; cider from apples; wine from grapes and other
