If you’re not yet familiar with mead, also known as the “nectar of the gods,” it’s high time to get acquainted with this delicious, fermented beverage made from honey, water, and yeast. This may sound like a simple concoction, but the process is not as effortless as you might think. At its core, mead is essentially wine made with fermented honey rather than fruit as the sugar source. For this reason, mead is sometimes referred to as “honey wine” although it’s technically its own, unique category of alcoholic beverage. There are many renditions of mead all over the world. Some are great and others are “mead”-iocre at best. No doubt, you’ll be able to taste the difference. Bearded Viking Meads are legendary–pure liquid pleasure to enjoy with the people who mean the most to you.

Mead is the oldest alcoholic beverage known to mankind and is believed to date back 20,000 years ago.  Though the exact origins of mead are unclear, legend goes that mead was accidentally discovered by African Bush tribes who drank stagnant rainwater out of hollowed out trees that had mixed with honey from neighboring beehives.  Wild yeast introduced itself to the mixture, fermenting it into a basic mead over time. The intoxicating effects were likely a welcome surprise, leading to the widespread popularity of mead, with ancient recipes existing all over the world.

Mead influences can be found in Egypt, Scandinavia, Scotland, Ireland, England, Norway, Germany, Greece, and even China where pottery vessels believed to contain mead have been found dating back to 9000 BC. Mead is liberally mentioned in Greek philosophy, Celtic poetry, and Norse mythology and was believed by some cultures to possess magical and sacred properties, lending its use in rituals, ceremonies, and sacrifices.

Although mead is often associated with Vikings, the origins of this ancient beverage trace back thousands of years before the Viking era began. Mead was likely discovered and enthusiastically adopted by vikings in regions they traveled, traded, and raided long after it was an established and cherished beverage.

Nevertheless, mead was often considered a drink of royalty.  Honey was hard to come by so mead was typically saved for more special occasions like rituals and feasts. Enjoyed by both barbarians and Royalty alike, mead transcends both cultural and economic barriers and has long been enjoyed by peoples from all walks of life.

What mead tastes like depends on a plethora of variables such as the quality and type of ingredients, fermentation process, bottling process, aging process, and even how it’s served. A mead may be either sweet, semi-sweet or dry depending on the amount and type of honey and yeast used and the duration of fermentation, all of which affect the final ABV (alcohol by volume), and consequently, the tasting experience. Most meads land between 3.5% and 20% ABV (or 7–40 proof) depending on the fermentation process. Sweeter meads are typically a lower ABV percent, while dryer meads are generally higher ABV percent. Many meads are also back sweetened, making some higher ABV meads sweeter than you might expect.

Bearded Viking Mead Co handcrafts each of our meads in small batches using premium, locally sourced ingredients when available, and a proprietary fermentation process. Our focus is crafting a variety of the highest quality meads with natural ingredients that are gluten-free where the unique flavors are pleasantly profound—not too sweet, not too dry, and with no ethanol punch to the chin.  However, Bearded Viking Mead isn’t for the faint-hearted.  You’d never know by the smooth delicious taste, but most of our meads are around 13% to 16% ABV. 

If you’ve never tasted mead, it’s best to begin with a basic traditional mead containing only water, honey, and yeast. Our traditional mead, known as “OH-G,” is fermented using locally sourced wildflower honey to a balanced 15.6%, producing a semi-sweet, light, crisp, and refreshing wine-like beverage with a honey wash. Despite our best efforts to describe it to you, mead is one of a kind drink that you simply have to experience for yourself to truly understand.

If you can imagine it, we can make it. Mead is in no way confined to traditional honey and water mixtures. Bearded Viking Mead Co offers an array of unique and innovative flavor profiles that cater to every palate. From the rich, earthy tones of a pea blossom tea with cinnamon, clove and pear in a mead we call “Tyr” to the refreshing zest of lemon and blueberry, our handcrafted creations are as diverse as your imagination. Explore our selection and let your taste buds embark on a journey through the endless possibilities of mead.

Click on each mead flavor below to learn more about the tasting notes and availability. The following mead flavors are available for purchase online, with shipping available in 43 states!