There are several types of meads, each with its unique twist on the basic honey, water, and yeast recipe.
These various types of meads showcase the incredible versatility of honey as a fermentable ingredient. Whether you prefer something fruity, spicy, light, or strong, there’s a type of mead that suits almost every taste!
Here’s a list of the most popular types:
1. Traditional Mead (Show Mead)
- Description: The simplest form of mead, made with just honey, water, and yeast. The focus is on the flavor of the honey.
- Variations: None, though different honey varieties can drastically change the flavor profile.
2. Melomel
- Description: Mead made with the addition of fruit. The fruit can be added during fermentation or after primary fermentation.
- Common Variations:
- Cyser: Melomel made with apples or apple juice (apple mead).
- Pyment: Melomel made with grapes or grape juice (similar to a wine-mead hybrid).
3. Metheglin
- Description: Mead flavored with spices and/or herbs. Common additives include cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and herbs like rosemary or thyme.
4. Cyser
- Description: A specific type of melomel made with apples or apple juice. It’s essentially a mead-cider hybrid.
5. Pyment
- Description: A specific type of melomel made with grapes or grape juice. It combines elements of mead and wine.
6. Sack Mead
- Description: A sweet mead made with a higher honey content, resulting in a richer and sweeter beverage. Often aged longer to balance the sweetness.
7. Hydromel
- Description: A lighter, lower-alcohol version of mead, often called “session mead.” It’s made with less honey and is typically more refreshing and easier to drink.
8. Bochet
- Description: Mead made with caramelized or burnt honey, giving it a deeper, toasty flavor with notes of caramel and toffee.
9. Braggot
- Description: A mead-beer hybrid, made with honey and malted barley. It can be hopped like beer or left unhopped.
10. Acerglyn
- Description: Mead made with the addition of maple syrup, adding a rich, earthy sweetness to the flavor.
11. Rhodomel
- Description: Mead made with rose petals or rose hips, often resulting in a fragrant and floral drink.
12. Capsicumel
- Description: Mead made with chili peppers, offering a spicy kick alongside the sweetness of the honey.
13. Oxymel
- Description: An ancient type of mead made with honey and vinegar. It’s more medicinal and was traditionally used as a health tonic.
14. Session Mead
- Description: A term often used for lower-alcohol, lighter meads that are easier to drink in larger quantities, similar to hydromel.
15. Viking Blod
- Description: A modern interpretation of ancient Scandinavian mead, often made with honey, hops, and hibiscus, giving it a distinctive red color and unique flavor.
16. Fruit and Spice Mead (Hybrid)
- Description: A combination of melomel and metheglin, where both fruit and spices or herbs are added to the mead.
17. Herbal Mead
- Description: Similar to metheglin, but specifically focused on using herbs like chamomile, lavender, or mint to create a soothing or medicinal drink.