An anthropologist known as Claude Levi-Strauss once said that mead marked the point in human history where we moved from nature to a developed culture. It is a drink that is often considered the ancestor to all of the fermented beverages that we enjoy so much currently, and yet, it seems unusually hard to find in today’s giant beverage market. Luckily, there are mead producers throughout the Northwest that are pushing for a return for civilization’s oldest alcoholic pleasure.
What exactly is mead, you ask? A valid question, as it is a drink that is rarely on tap down at the local pub. In its purest sense, mead is fermented honey and water, though various fruits and spices are often added to give it a little more body. It comes in an assortment of varieties including dry, semi-sweet and sweet styles. The alcohol by volume of the drink can range anywhere from eight to 20 percent, so it may be a good substitute for that glass of wine or bottle of IPA.
Making mead is a brewer’s dream come true. With honey being made up of almost 70 percent sugar, the main ingredient is just the food that the yeast needs to start the fermentation process. This means that making mead is a relatively simple process, albeit lengthy for the honey to ferment, but experimenting with additional ingredients and producing good quality meads is another challenge entirely. In the Pacific Northwest, we are lucky enough to have some among us who are stepping up to this challenge and making great meads for that deep, ancestral itch that we can never seem to scratch.
Here are some mead producers in the area to keep an eye on when you find yourself in a mead-drinking mood.
Blue Dog Mead || Eugene, Oregon
Brewing a collection of sparkling meads (many available in can and via Whole Foods), Blue Dog produces a traditional mead as well as three different cyser meads (apple juice/cider and honey combined and fermented together). One of the first local meads to the commercial scene, quality and local ingredients have not been sacrificed in the making of this success story.
Honey Moon Mead & Cider || Bellingham, Washington
Offering a very large variety of meads and ciders, this Bellingham-based meadery has been the place to go when in the northern part of the state. The menu features 10 different house-made meads to choose from, including a traditional Lovers Mead, an exciting Rhubarb Mead, and for the beer lovers who want their mead to taste a bit more hoppy, there is the Mead Head.
Kookoolan World Meadery || Yamhill, Oregon
With a selection of over 150 meads from all around the world (and wine brandys and more), the Kookoolan World Meadery claims to have the largest variety and amount available to purchase in one location in the entire world. Along with many of the foreign choices, you can also try Kookoolan’s own Whole Hive Honey Mead, which won silver in 2014’s semi-sweet traditional mead category at the Mazer Cup International (the world’s largest mead competition).
Nectar Creek || Corvallis, Oregon
The purity and simplicity can be seen and tasted in all three of Nectar Creek’s handcrafted meads. Whether you choose the Waggle (wildflower), Sting (ginger), or the seasonal Brood (raspberry), the tastes of fresh northwest ingredients will be apparent.
Sky River Mead || Redmond, Washington
Sky River Brewing has been perfecting their mead ever since they started producing it in 1997. Now with four different varieties to try, as well as five honey-wine varieties, Sky River has their process down to a science. There are the usual sweet, semi-sweet and dry styles to choose from in addition to a unique Sweet Brochet, which is darkened mead that features a rich, warm body.
