Beorn's Mead

Mead is still brewed in parts of the UK, especially Wales and Cornwall. Whether it's still like that made by Vikings etc, I don't know, but its based on fermented honey and can be v potent. It's mostly a specialty drink these days and found a lot in tourist shops
 
in the US generally have it. I tried it once, not my favorite.
You can find many different craftsmen and women who travel to the Faires in the US. Some Faires have very strict rules forbidding anything that isn't something you'd find in the Middle Ages (or Middle Earth). Dressing up to go to the one near here is really fun. It runs all summer long. It's between Chicago and Milwaukee.
 
At one of the Reaissance Faires you mentioned in Upstate New York near Sterling (close to Oswego) on the shore of Lake Ontario and it was a blast!!!

I had mead too but wasn't sure if it was the same as mead from say Beowulf times or Beorns hives.

I didn't realize it was so simple to make either!
 
8 Weekends June to August
in it's 37th Year.

Last Time Bomby&Goldberry went
was pretty impressive!

Much was related to MiddleEarth!
The Permanent structures are a
Delight.
They even have Jousting!
Located half way between Denver and Colorado Springs
the Surrounding Mountains and Outcroppings look
like Weathertop.
So much to do & see
plan to spend the Whole Day!
Many Vendors travel from one Festival to the Next.
(What a Life?)


http://coloradorenaissance.com
 
My brother is into brewing, and when I visited friends last November, I went to Havills at his request. We tasted some of his mead, and I brought three bottles home to the US - one for me, and two for my brother. It was excellent, and I was pleased to see it on the shelves at New World on the South Island.
 
I've tried from a meadery called B. Nektar, they have quite a few different varieties of mead. Pretty sure they are based in Michigan somewhere. Excellent stuff - especially the wildflower and orange blossom varieties.

Just as a side note, be careful if you come across anything spelled "meade" instead of "mead" - I was informed that if it has an "e" on the end, it's not actually fermented honey wine, it's fermented grape wine with honey added.
 
The Chaucer's seems to be made only with honey.

Bunratty Mead says on its website that it is wine made with "pure honey, fruit of the vine and natural herbs", so with grape wine added, I assume.
http://homepage.eircom.net/~bunrattywinery/historymead.htm RE salmacis81's post about mead vs meade: it's interesting that the one advertised on Bevmo (USA) is spelled meade, but on their website (Ireland) it is mead. Could that be a labeling/marketing thing to show outside Ireland that it is not made solely from honey? It might be delicious, but is it the mead the OP was looking for?
 
for a very embarrassing encounter with mead...I think it was at Lindisfarne (Holy Island) in Northumberland (England). I was a very naive college student touring the historic area, and went into a shop where they were handing out samples of their mead. I figured, Hey, this can't be too strong, it's made from honey and Bilbo drank it...

HA!

I took a fairly big sip and nearly coughed my lungs out, much to the amusement of my friends. I never did actually get to taste it because I was too busy spluttering and hacking. I tell you I can still feel the burn...

Here is a link to the Lindisfarne Mead website. I'm told it's very good but I can't verify that for you. [;)]
 
And passed the recipe down the generation. That story reminds me of my brother and I at the tender ages of 8 & 11 deciding to sample my dad's miniature collection, including Ye Olde Moorland Meade. Boy, were we in trouble, not to mention sick!
 
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