Sipping Like a Viking: The Fantasy, History, and Modern Renaissance of Mead

Ellie Robinson
Apr 15
7 min read

For fans of popular shows like Vikings and Game of Thrones, mead might seem like a fantasy drink reserved for epic battles and grand feasts. You can just picture drinking horns overflowing with golden nectar, passed around a fire as warriors clad in armor celebrate their latest victory. While tales of Viking lore and medieval England might be the first things that come to mind, mead's history reaches much farther back, and its resurgence today is capturing the imagination of a whole new generation of enthusiasts.

Mead is making a modern-day comeback, with craft meaderies popping up all over the world, each offering their own unique take on this ancient honey-based beverage. From traditional brews to creative new flavors, mead is no longer just a drink of legends.

What is Mead?

For those new to the world of mead, let me break it down. Mead is an alcoholic beverage made by fermenting honey with water, and sometimes adding fruits, spices, or herbs to enhance its flavor. Often referred to as "honey wine," mead is technically neither wine nor beer, it's a distinct category of its own. While wine relies on fruit sugars (typically from grapes) and beer uses grain starches, mead’s alcohol comes from fermenting the sugars in honey.

Mead, Vikings, and History – Oh My!

The history of mead dates back thousands of years. Archaeological evidence suggests that it was enjoyed by ancient civilizations, from the Vikings in Scandinavia to ancient Greeks and Egyptians. Its global history spans cultures and continents, likely because honey was often easier to obtain than cultivated grains or grapes.

The earliest known evidence of mead dates back 9,000 years to China’s Henan Province.
It also played a significant role in Scandinavian history and Norse mythology during the Viking Age (775–1050 AD). Mead continued to thrive throughout the Middle Ages (476–1300 AD), when it was mass-produced across Europe, becoming a staple of medieval culture.

The Happy Accident: What You and Mead Have in Common

The origin of mead might have been purely accidental. Picture rainwater seeping into honey stored in the hollows of a tree, with wild yeast from the air sparking the fermentation process. A curious person who stumbled upon this sweet, bubbling liquid would have tasted it and felt its unexpected, intoxicating effects.

Notable Name Drops Throughout History

Throughout history, mead has earned its place in some of the most revered myths, texts, and traditions of ancient civilizations. From gods and legends to cultural rituals and daily life, this honey-based beverage has been more than just a drink; it’s woven into the fabric of human storytelling and spirituality.

The Slavs: In ancient Slavic culture, mead was often linked to marriage rituals, where it was drunk by both the bride and groom, symbolizing fertility and the union of their lives. Additionally, the Slavs believed that the consumption of mead was an offering to their gods, ensuring bountiful harvests and protection.
Ancient Greece: During the Golden Age, mead was the drink of choice, reflecting its revered status in Greek society. Interestingly, the Greeks honored Bacchus as the God of Mead long before he was recognized as the God of Wine.
Aristotle's Writings: In his work Meteorologica, Aristotle mentions mead produced in Illyria, showing its widespread presence in ancient cultures.
Pliny the Elder: The Roman author from the first century CE made a distinction between honey-sweetened wine and true mead, demonstrating an early understanding of fermentation.
The Celts: Mead itself held deep significance in Irish culture. The High Kings of Ireland gathered at Tara in a hall called Teach Míd Chuarda, or the House of the Mead Circle, where hundreds would feast and drink honey wine. Fionn Mac Cumhaill was even served mead there in a silver cup. Hazelnut-infused mead was a particular favorite among the chieftains, not only for its flavor but because hazelnuts were believed to impart wisdom. Fionnuala, the daughter of King Lír, who was cursed to live as a swan, longed for the taste of hazelnut mead more than almost anything else. Even Saint Brigid is said to have called upon divine intervention to turn vats of water into mead.
Ancient Egypt: Mead appears in Egyptian culture, where it was associated with the gods, particularly in rituals and celebrations. Evidence suggests that honey and mead were integral to both religious ceremonies and the afterlife, with mead sometimes being offered to the gods or included in tombs to ensure a safe journey to the afterlife.

“Soon, fourteen Geats arrived

At the hall, bold and warlike, and with Beowulf,

Their lord and leader, they walked on the mead-hall

Green. Then the Geats’ brave prince entered

Herot, covered with glory for the daring

Battles he had fought; he sought Hrothgar

To salute him and show Grendel’s head.

He carried that terrible trophy by the hair,

Brought it straight to where the Danes sat,

Drinking, the queen among them. It was a weird

And wonderful sight, and the warriors stared...”

- Beowulf’s Last Battle, lines 595-605

When Being Too Smart Gets You Turned into Mead … Been There

In Norse mythology, knowledge was power, but in the case of Kvasir, the wisest man in the world, that knowledge would eventually take the form of something much more intoxicating: mead. His story, however, doesn’t end well (his wisdom...and his life become the essence of the legendary Mead of Poetry under some pretty tragic circumstances).

Kvasir’s origins are steeped in myth. He was born when the Æsir gods (including Odin) and the Vanir gods (like Freyja) sealed a truce by spitting into a cauldron, and from that union, Kvasir emerged. In the world of ancient Norse culture, wisdom wasn’t measured by scholarly achievement but by poetic prowess. Poets, bards, and storytellers were held in the highest regard, and Kvasir was the embodiment of their ideal. He traveled across the land, sharing his wisdom freely with anyone who sought it. But not everyone had good intentions. Kvasir fell prey to the cunning dwarves, Fjalar and Galar, whose murderous tendencies led to his untimely demise.

These dwarves had planned Kvasir’s death in advance, and after killing him, they mixed his blood with honey to create the Mead of Poetry, a drink that could bestow the gift of poetic genius or scholarly knowledge upon its drinker. The dwarves, however, spun a different tale, claiming that Kvasir had died from the weight of his own wisdom, suffocating from the sheer volume of knowledge he possessed. While Kvasir’s death was unfortunate, his legacy lived on through the Mead of Poetry, which would later be stolen by Odin in one of his more notorious exploits. The influence of Kvasir’s name continues today in kvass, a fermented drink popular in Slavic cultures.

Types of Mead

There are many different styles of mead depending on the ingredients and processes used.

These varieties include:

Acerglyn ~ add maple syrup)
Braggot ~ almost like a draft mead, similar to beer as it uses grains and hops
Bochet ~ caramelized honey
Capsicumel ~ uses Chile peppers
Cyser ~ add apples
Sack ~ higher honey ratio, raises ABV to around 14-20%
Hydromel ~ session mead, usually mixed with fresh fruit, lower ABV 3.5-7.5%
Melomel ~ any mead made with fruit
Traditional/show ~ “the standard,” just honey, water, and yeast
Sparkling ~ add extra sugar/honey before bottling or force carbonation

The Mead-Making Process

While I’m still in the early stages of my mead making journey, I’ve been exploring the process with fascination. On the surface, mead is straightforward to make: mix honey with water, add yeast, and let the fermentation process work its magic.

The Role of Yeast

Yeast is essential to mead making. The strain of yeast you choose can drastically affect the flavor, sweetness, and alcohol content of the final product. For mead, yeast strains typically used for wine fermentation, such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae, are most common. These yeasts can handle the high sugar content of honey and produce clean, fruity notes. Some brewers experiment with wild yeasts or other strains for a more unpredictable, rustic result.

Honey’s Influence on Flavor

The type of honey used plays a significant role in the mead’s taste. Honey’s composition varies depending on the flowers the bees forage from. For example, wildflower honey tends to give mead a light, floral quality, while buckwheat honey produces a richer, earthier flavor. Honey is composed mainly of fructose and glucose, but it also contains amino acids, vitamins, minerals, and enzymes that contribute to the fermentation process and impact the final flavor.

Fermentation Time

Mead requires patience. While some light, sweet meads can ferment in a matter of weeks, others – especially those that are drier or more complex – need months, or even years, to mature fully. During fermentation, yeast cells slowly break down sugars, and over time, the flavor of the mead evolves. Long fermentation allows for mellowing of the sharp alcohol notes and the development of more nuanced flavors.

Balancing Acidity and Sweetness

To create a well-balanced mead, acidity and sweetness must be carefully managed. Honey is naturally very sweet, so the fermentation process must be monitored to avoid an overly sugary or cloying result. Acidity, often introduced through fruit additions or acids like tartaric acid, helps balance the richness of the honey. The right level of acidity enhances the drink’s drinkability and complexity.

The Magic of Honey in Mead

One of the biggest attractions of mead is its abundant use of honey. Honey offers a wealth of natural health benefits that are retained in the mead. Because most meads aren’t heated above 110 degrees Fahrenheit, the beneficial properties of honey – such as its anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antioxidant effects – are preserved. Additionally, honey can help speed up wound healing and alleviate seasonal allergies and cold symptoms, making it a powerful ingredient in mead.

Some of My Current Favorite Meaderies

As I dive deeper into the world of mead, I’ve discovered some incredible meaderies that are crafting amazing honey wines. These spots have truly inspired me, and I think everyone should know about them:

I’m always on the lookout for new spots to explore, so feel free to send any recommendations my way – I’d love to give them a try!

My Mead Making Dreams

Of course, my love for mead doesn’t stop at just making a batch or two in my kitchen. One day, I dream of opening my own meadery – a place where I can share the magic of honey wine with others. I envision experimenting with different honeys and flavors, maybe even incorporating ingredients from my own backyard, like homegrown herbs or locally sourced fruits.

There’s something deeply fulfilling about creating something by hand that’s connected to both ancient traditions and the natural world. I hope for a small, sustainable meadery where the mead is crafted in harmony with the land, supporting local ecosystems and promoting regenerative agricultural practices.