Which Mead is Which?

     In an effort to further my understanding of Mead, I decided to look at what Wikipedia had available on the topic. There were a couple of very interesting discoveries that I made. Firstly, I found out that Mead and Honey-wine are actually two very different things. Mead is honey mixed with water that has been fermented with yeast then aged and bottled. Honey-wine on the other hand is actually Wine that has been flavored used Honey after the fermenting process has been completed.

       Secondly, upon learning this distinction I went on to further my understand of the different types of Meads. For example, Mead is often flavored using fruits, either during the fermenting or aging process; this type of Mead is known as a Melomel. I am currently brewing two five gallon batches of Mead that are actually known as Melomels; one batch flavored with Oranges and another flavored with Apples and Strawberries. It turns out that only one of my three batches is actually classified as a Traditional Mead. Meaning that the batch consists only of Honey with no additional flavors added.

      Thirdly, I found a list of types of meads that is very extensive; included are the types mentioned above: Meads, Honey-wines, and Melomels. In addition to these more typical kinds are types of another nature. Vikings Blood is mead mixed with cherry juice and White Mead is colored using egg whites. While I am not sure all of the other types of Meads suite my fancy, I do plan to continue experimenting with Meads.