It’s not beer or wine, although it is fermented. It isn’t hard cider or perry (like cider, but made with pears), although it can contain fruit. Traditional mead is made from honey, water, and yeast, and it’s been around since recorded history began. It went through a bit of a slump in the Middle Ages when beer became more appealing to the masses, but mead has never entirely disappeared. It is, in fact, still the drink of choice in Poland and Ethiopia, and its popularity in the U.S. is growing as well.
Metro Detroit is fortunate to be home to a premium meadery: B.Nektar Meadery. Owners Brad and Kerri are friendly, professional, and make a half-dozen varieties of high-quality mead. (My favorite is the Vanilla-Cinnamon!) And if their opening sales are any indication of their future success, I’d say this area will remain one of the lucky few in the nation to play host to an honest-to-goodness meadery. There’s a list of where to buy their mead on their website, or you can order it off several Detroit-area restaurant menus. The light honey taste is refreshing, aromatic, and unique–try it once, and you might just find yourself reaching for that cobalt-blue bottle instead of your usual Sauvignon Blanc!
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Tags: b. nektar, honey, mead, meadery, traditional drink
