What is Mead? Part 1

There is a simple answer to this questions. Mead is mead, as in beer is beer or wine is wine. Although some refer to mead as "honey wine," this would be inaccurate. The definition of wine is fermented grape juices. Mead is fermented honey. Tah dah, distinction. Most times when I mention mead people give me a quizzical look and ask, "Mead?" I interpret this as, "Please tell me of this 'mead' that you speak off, and please inform me in great detail, so as I can learn from you, oh Great Orator of Mead." However, since I am not a linguist/translator/interpreter, my discernment are somewhat inaccurate. The best answer is the simple one that I have provided- mead is fermented honey. If the person asks for more information, this is when the mead soliloquy occurs. And now you, the invigorated reader can read excerpts from my one-man show called "MEAD: A Choosers Choice Drink".

A Quasi Origin of Alcohol

Mead is one of the oldest forms of alcohol. Some say that it is in fact the oldest alocholic beverage. However, these people have less money, than corporations that brew beer and wine, which pay for confirmation that their beverage (i.e. beer, wine) is the oldest. I personally (poor man here) subscribe to the notion that mead is the oldest. I first read this theory in Ken Schramm's "The Compleat Meadmaker," which if you want are interested in Meadcrafting, buy and keep it next to you while you sleep in case osmosis is possible. This theory, for me, has gained more revelance as I read more about honey and beekeeping in Africa. I also refer to this theory as A Quasi Origin of Alcohol.

Imagine a primative, ancient Africa. Tribes are hunter-gatherers. Honey, and there is precendence in this theory, was looked on favorably as a source of food. They did not know at the time, but honey has minerals, like phosphorous, calcium, magnesium, and enzymes. What was probably noticed is that honey gave them energy, quenched thirst, and soothed upset stomachs. Something to note is that honey needs water, yeast, and an airtight container to ferment. Some people are thinking, "Aha, jars, they would have stored honey in jars. There are artifacts from Africa that have pictures of bees on them. You are a genius, Rob." Ok this is not my theory, but thanks for the kudos. Clay jars would not have been ideal for this process. There is a storage device that predates clay jars that would have been ideal for fermenting honey- animal skin water pouches. This next part is pure speculation, and some may be a bit reaching.

A group of hunter in ancient Africa go on a hunt for game. They come across a beehive in the middle of their hunt. Having a affinity for honey, the leader decides to empty some of his water out and fill the rest of it with honey for the men and the rest of the tribe. Yeast, bacteria, or both can ferment alcohol, but do not dispair once converted it isn't harmful (I will have a future post on how this creates alcohol). If it was, I would not be sitting here typing all of this out for you to read. Anyway, the leader does not drink out of his pouch, saving the honey for the other tribe members. He might not notice that his pouch is expanding, but every so often takes a quick sip of his honey (this lets out the carbon dixiode being built up in the pouch by the fermentation). At some point he realizes that after drinking his pouch after a couple of months, he feels warm and powerful. Maybe, even back home he provides some to his wife or wives and notices thatshe/they become uninhibited. The pouch is revered as a gift from a god, and they feed it honey (which is contiously fermented because of the yeast strain already developed from the first batch)to keep the god happy, and he/she rewards them with a elated feeling from the sacred pouch. There you go a brief history of the origins of alcohol. There are some stretches and many variables to this theory, but I think it is somewhat plausible. There is an Ethiopian style of mead called tej.
This concludes What is Mead Part 1. Stay tuned for What is Mead Part 2, where I'll be talking about some of the different styles of mead. Please feel free to comment.