Mead, drink of vikings, comes out of the Dark Ages

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By ALLEN G. BREED 

AP National Writer

PITTSBORO, N.C. (AP) -- Mead, that drink of viking saga and medieval verse, is making a comeback. But this ain't your ancestors' honey wine.

"It's not just for the Renaissance fair anymore," says Becky Starr, co-owner of Starrlight Mead, which recently opened in an old woven label mill in this little North Carolina town.

In fact, this most ancient of alcoholic libations hasn't been this hot since Beowulf slew Grendel's dam and Geoffrey Chaucer fell in with the Canterbury pilgrims at the Tabard.

In the past decade, the number of "meaderies" in the United States has tripled to around 150, says Vicky Rowe, owner of Gotmead.com, which describes itself as "the Internet's premier resource for everything to do with mead. 

"I literally get new notifications of meaderies at least every couple of weeks," says Rowe, who runs the website from her home in the woods north of Raleigh. "So they're just popping up all over. And a lot of those are wineries that have decided to add mead to their mainstream product lines, which is just incredible."Traditional mead is made with three ingredients - honey, water and yeast. The biggest hurdle has been overcoming that centuries-old misconception that something made from honey HAS to be sweet.

But, as Rowe is quick to point out, grapes can be pretty sweet, too.
"And just like wine, mead can be as dry as a bone or it can be so sweet it makes your fillings hurt," she says. "And it depends on how it's made."

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Mike Faul, founder and owner of Rabbit's Foot Meadery near San Francisco, is a former home mead maker and IT professional. He turned 'pro' years ago, and Rabbits Foot Meadery is one of the largest and most profitable meaderies in the U.S., possibly in the world. He is distributed in many states in the U.S., and is even distributing in Ireland! He is also owner of Red Branch Cider, which makes several amazing cider products (my favorite is his Lemon Cider, which is fantastic!!)

Mike's meads are all excellent, and his mania for quality makes sure that each new offering is excellent. His meads range from dry to dessert-style sweet. If you haven't tried them, you should.

Black Raspberry Mead -  - One year old -

Color: Rich, dark opaque ruby. The nose is redolent of a burgundy, with a strong berry note underlain with honey, a touch of oak and maybe a hint of chocolate. The flavor is excellent! Rich dark berries and honey together, no off flavors, and a long, tangy finish that keeps bringing back the berries over and over. So far, this is my favorite of the Magpie Meads. This evokes memories of Ken Schramm's Heart of Darkness mead, hands down the most exotic and tempting mead I've had to date. I'll be finishing the bottle on this one, and not sharing with *anyone*.

Buy it, buy it, buy it!!!

Blueberry Melomel - Sweet - One year old

Color: Old sherry, rich red and brown tones, classic blueberry melomel colors. Nose has honey first, with a slight oxidation undertone running alongside the berry note. However, the oxidized note is much less noticeable in the taste, where a large berry flavor supported by strong honey notes buries the mouth in flavor. This mead has a large mouth feel. The finish is long and sweet, with lingering berry and honey, and the oxidation comes in very faintly.

Again, over a year old, and not perfectly cellared or transported (temp changes, etc.), the mead is still going strong, when many melomels would have given up. Very drinkable, and a nice complement to a savory middle eastern dish or sharp cheese. Chocolate would be nice with this too. I know it's pretty good with the popcorn tossed with peanut oil and freshly grated asiago cheese that I'm munching on now that I've finished this tasting! (Weird? Perhaps. I run this place, don't I?)