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Note on pre 16thC mead - pinched from http://web.raex.com/~obsidian/IGGmead.html
As for early meads, there are a few points to be made. My opinions here are based on some 18 or so pre-1610 recipes we have found, about half of which we have made, in addition to other materials in our library including early passages on the character of mead. We currently have on hand 6 recipes for mead dating from the 14th century, of which we have made four. I know this is a bit later than the original 1000-1300, but I know of no earlier recipes (if you discount going as far back as the Romans). These recipes use a variable amount of honey. The recipes come from England (4), France, (1), and Germany (1). At least four of the recipes are for wealthy middle or for upper class persons. Of these recipes, one (already mentioned) is from Menagier de Pairs, two are in Curye on Inglysch, one is from Das Buch von Guter Spisen (German), and the last two are from an English (probably medicinal) manuscript. Wurzburg mead from Daz buoch von guoter spise (1345-1354) (translated by Alia K. Atlas, 1994) "He, who wants to make good mead, warms clear water, so that he can just stand to put the hand in. And take two maz water and one honey". The total boils for about 30 minutes (not much loss of liquid). Therefore the end honey added is about 4 pounds per gallon, an ale yeast is used. The resulting mead is quite sweet, ameliorated by the addition of hops and sage as the spices. It is meant to be drunk within 6 weeks of finishing fermentation. The Bochet from Menagier: We have made this, and the resultsing mead is not overly sweet due to the presence of the spices. It lasted for about 6 months before going. I do not have all my notes in front of me, but we found a definition of sester from about the right time and place that with a modern pint gave us just under 3-1/2 lb/gal honey. Again we used an ale yeast. Mead from Curye on Inglysch (mead and Fyn Mede & Poynaunt): The two recipes here are less clear. The first is a straightforward mead recipe, which has no clear measurements. Since the recipe calls for letting it stand only a few days before drinking, and uses the honey boiled out of pressed combs (plus a quart of pure honey), we concluded it was probably very light, We redacted the recipe as about 1 lb honey per gallon. When we used this same assumption for the apples and spice version (the second recipe) we got a spicy and sharp mead (poignant or piquant as the recipe says) with a life of only a month or so. The last two recipes are from a 14th century English manuscript. These both use the same base, with one being a plain mead, and the second a mertheglyn (with hyssop, rosemary, centory, thyme, etc.). This recipes calls for 1 gallon honey to 4 gallons water, or about 2-2.5 lb/gallon. This recipe, similar to the Curye calls for one week fermentation before drinking. This comes out somewhat sweet, very active, and quite tasty. So, in all, we have four recipes with relatively low honey (2.5 lb/gal or less) and two with moderate to high (3.5 to 4 lb/gal). I don't think there is enough sample to draw conclusions about the general meads made, only enough to say they did vary. Not surprisingly the latter two are quite sweet and the other four are tart. One recipe does not state a fermentation or aging time, the others give very short times (a couple of days to about 2.5 months). The basis for this conclusion is a study of the aforesaid recipes in which about a dozen specify a yeast source. 6 generically call for 'yeast' or 'barm', three call for a yeast source specifically from ale, beer, or bread. and three call for previously used fermentation vessels ("some roundlet", "vessel in which something has fermented", and "vessel in which beer has fermented". ...almost half of the recipes in Digby specifically call for 'barm' or beer/ale yeast. The debate of how much honey was really available in the middle ages is one we have talked about a lot. Keeping in mind that they destroyed bee hives to recover honey, a beekeeper once told us the annual yield from such hives was not too much above 2-3 pounds. Another thing to keep in mind whe talking about honey is that in later years (around 1600) at least three grades of honey were recognized. Life honey runs from the combs of itself (once the combs are cut open), the second grade is recovered from crushing combs, and the third from boiling what is left with some water. Laura and Michael Angotti |