Mead Mead Mead (, from Old English "medu") is an alcoholic beverage created by fermenting honey with water, sometimes with various fruits, spices, grains, or hops. The alcoholic content ranges from about 3.5% ABV to more than 20%. The defining characteristic of mead is that the majority of the beverage's fermentable sugar is derived from honey. It may be still, carbonated, or naturally sparkling; dry, semi-sweet, or sweet. Mead was produced in ancient history throughout Europe, Africa and Asia, and has played an important role in the mythology of some peoples. In Norse mythology, for example, the Mead of Poetry was
Mead mead may be known by the style represented; for instance, a mead made with cinnamon and apples may be referred to as either a cinnamon "cyser" or an apple metheglin. A mead that also contains spices (such as cloves, cinnamon or nutmeg), or herbs (such as meadowsweet, hops, or even lavender or chamomile), is called a "metheglin" . A mead that contains fruit (such as raspberry, blackberry or strawberry) is called a "melomel", which was also used as a means of food preservation, keeping summer produce for the winter. A mead that is fermented with grape juice is called a