Mead in the Making
As I have written elsewhere, mead is one of the oldest alcoholic drinks known to man.
In the early days wild bees were the only source of honey and with this honey some sort of crude mead was made. Today with bee-keeping on the increase and with the commercial production of honey it is only natural that mead making should also increase.
Mead may be bought from any wine merchant, the price ranging from about eight to twelve shillings a bottle. These are, as one would expect, the very finest meads. But it does not mean that you would like them. You will probably prefer your own once you get used to making it. As one who makes enormous quantities of all kinds of wines, I can assure you that I prefer my own to commercial products except for the very finest sherries which amateurs cannot successfully imitate.
The honey for mead making is best obtained direct from a bee-keeper in the area in which you live, and you will be surprised how many there are when you begin to make enquiries. Solidified honey is not suitable as this is usually adulterated with invert sugar. By this I do not mean harmed in any way, but in this solidified honey there is less pure honey than in the familiar syrup or comb honeys.
Buy in bulk of at least seven pounds and save a lot of money. Do not buy from shops who only retail in half-pound pots; if you do, your mead will cost a fortune. By buying direct, either from a beekeeper or from one of the home brewing and home wine supply firms listed at the end of this book, your meads need cost you no more than two shillings a bottle.
There are strong and mild flavored honeys and dark and light colored. Only you can decide which to use for your special purpose. All are suitable for an initial experiment. If after your first attempt you feel that perhaps a milder-flavored honey would have given better results you will know what to do next time. Or it may be that a stronger-flavored honey should have been used. Either way, your first attempt will be well worth drinking. I make these points merely to show that with a variety of honeys available, you might not hit the nail on the head first time. It will be a case of you thinking: now, I like this, but if I had used … I’m sure it would be even better.
And from there you begin to experiment in small amounts using different types of honey.