Mead is an alcoholic beverage made by fermenting honey dissolved in water. It’s one of the oldest fermented drinks in human history — older than wine, older than beer — and the result ranges from a light, sessionable drink to a rich beverage that rivals fine wine in depth and character.
What exactly is mead?
The simplest description: imagine a wine made from honey instead of grapes. It has the structure and ABV of wine, but the flavour starts with the floral, sweet character of honey and evolves based on the yeast, nutrients, and anything else added to the ferment.
The honey provides all the fermentable sugars — there’s no grain, no grapes, no fruit required in a traditional mead. The yeast converts those sugars into alcohol and carbon dioxide, leaving behind varying amounts of residual sweetness depending on how far fermentation runs.
Most home meadmakers also add yeast nutrients to provide the nitrogen and micronutrients that honey lacks. Without them, fermentation can stall or produce off-flavours.
A very brief history
Archaeological evidence of mead dates back at least 9,000 years — honey residue has been found in pottery from China, and mead appears in ancient Hindu, Norse, Greek, and Celtic texts. In Norse mythology the gods drank mead in Valhalla; in Old English tradition the mead hall was the social centre of the community.
For most of human history mead was the dominant fermented drink, simply because honey was more available than cultivated grain or grapes. As agriculture expanded, beer and wine became cheaper to produce and mead gradually faded. The modern craft mead revival — particularly since the 2000s — has brought it back as a serious artisan product.
The main styles of mead
Mead is not a single drink — it’s a category with dozens of recognised styles. The most common:
How mead is made
The basic process is short — the hard part is patience, not technique.
- 1Sanitise everything Mead is as susceptible to contamination as any fermented drink. A no-rinse sanitiser like Star San makes this straightforward.
- 2Dissolve honey in water Warm water helps the honey incorporate. Avoid boiling, which drives off aromatic compounds.
- 3Add nutrients A TOSNA-style staggered nutrient schedule produces cleaner, faster fermentation than adding everything upfront.
- 4Pitch yeast Rehydrate dry yeast per the manufacturer's instructions before adding to the must.
- 5Ferment Primary fermentation typically runs 2–6 weeks depending on temperature, yeast strain, and honey amount.
- 6Rack and age Transfer to a clean vessel away from the yeast cake, and let the mead clarify and develop.
- 7Bottle Still or sparkling, sweet or dry, depending on your target.
Work out honey for your target ABV, then build a staggered nutrient schedule for a clean ferment.
How mead differs from wine and beer
The most useful comparison is with wine, since mead and wine share a simple sugar source, similar ABV ranges, and comparable fermentation timelines.
| Mead | Wine | Beer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sugar source | Honey | Grape juice | Malted grain |
| ABV range | 3–20% | 8–16% | 3–12% |
| Primary flavour | Floral, honey | Fruit, tannin | Malt, hops |
| Ferment time | 2–6 weeks | 1–4 weeks | 1–3 weeks |
| Aging benefit | High | High | Low–medium |
| Carbonated? | Either | Either | Usually |
The main practical difference: mead requires far more attention to nutrients. Honey is almost entirely sugar with very little nitrogen or micronutrients. Without supplementation, yeast can stress, ferment slowly, and produce hydrogen sulphide (a rotten-egg smell). A good nutrient protocol solves this entirely.
What equipment do you need?
You don’t need expensive equipment to make excellent mead. A basic setup:
That’s it. The biggest investment is time.