Hudson Valley Brewers Revive World’s Oldest Alcoholic Drink
For years, the world’s oldest alcoholic beverage — mead — couldn’t be found in most neighborhood liquor stores. Dating back to as early as 7000 BC, the fermented honey wine is widely recognized as the first-ever alcohol. But if mead enthusiasts in the 21st century wanted to enjoy it, they’d have to brew it themselves.
“In 2005, I really had no idea what mead was. I had never even heard of it,” says Eric DeRise, mead-maker and owner of Slate Point Meadery in Poughkeepsie. “My friend introduced it to me and we made a batch. I had no idea what we were doing, but then I was hooked.”
In Ancient Greece, mead was considered the “nectar of the Gods,” and Nordic Vikings used it to celebrate a victory. In the modern-day, the drink could be found at Renaissance fairs, onscreen in Game of Thrones, and in the pages of Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter.
While mead was once known for being thick and syrupy sweet, it has since evolved to something more sophisticated, complex, and better-tasting.
“In the early days, mead was bad. Really bad,” says mead-maker and co-owner of Mysto Mead, Bob Klein. “But we trained ourselves in wine-making techniques, and now we can make it really, really well.” The process of mead-making is similar to that of wine. Pure honey is diluted with water, then mixed with yeast and left to ferment — which increases its alcohol content. Some meads have the alcohol content of wine, around 11–14% ABV, whereas others are more beer-like, with 5–10% ABV. It can be sweet or bone dry, with complex flavors or not — depending on how the mead-maker wants it.
All meads start with the base flavor of honey, its main ingredient. But then fruits, herbs and spices can be added in unlimited combinations. Some meaderies offer unique flavors, like peanut butter and jelly or apple pie. Others like to keep it simple.
“What we’ve been selling out of is our traditional mead — “traditional” meaning we don’t add any other ingredients to it,” says DeRise. “It’s a particular type of honey, raspberry blossom from New York. I think people are looking for something that has a honey flavor to it when they’re first trying mead.”
Because mead is such a niche industry, most consumers don’t know what it tastes like. Only a decade ago, there were virtually no commercial mead available. “When I first started I thought, ‘Nobody’s making mead, so let me try it. I’m sure it will be easy to sell because nobody else is doing it.’ But I was wrong,” says Klein. “Because no one was doing it, nobody knew about it. The stores didn’t want it. Why buy something nobody’s heard of?”
Now, however, mead has become the fastest-growing sector of the craft beverage industry. Independent breweries, like Mysto and Slate Point, have popped up across the country. Some wineries have begun adding mead to their offerings as well.
Even still, many people have never heard of it — so they need to try it first. That’s where taprooms come in. For three years, Slate Point’s mead was sold exclusively at events and festivals. But in August 2020, in the middle of the pandemic, the meadery opened the doors to its first taproom on Main Street. Even with COVID, the taproom has had immense success. “We’ve had a ton of positive feedback. We do takeout bottles and cans, and people who are comfortable with it will come in, hang out, and trying tasting flights,” says DeRise.
There’s a mead flavors for every palette — from “Candy Apple” flavored with cacao and vanilla to “ Super Star” with anise, peppercorns, and ancho chiles, and more classic, honey-focused brews. But another upside to mead, aside from just the taste, is that it might actually be good for you.
If you’re considering trying the ancient drink, keep in mind that honey contains vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and can promote healthy digestion. Long ago, mead was once even considered medicinal. “It’s not considered a medicine anymore, but honey does have many positive impacts on the body,” says Klein. “Because honey is the main ingredient, mead does have health-promoting properties.”
