A Guide to Popular Mead Styles in Australia

From sheppadviser.com.au

The Australian beverage industry is currently witnessing a profound architectural shift, as the traditional boundaries between viticulture, brewing, and apiculture begin to dissolve into a singular, sophisticated craft: the production of premium mead. 

Historically relegated to the peripheries of the “honey wine” niche, mead has undergone a radical reappraisal, emerging as a high-end artisanal product that mirrors the complexity of fine wine and the experimental agility of craft beer. 

In Australia, this renaissance is fuelled by a biological advantage, the continent’s vast array of over 700 native flowering plants, which provide a spectrum of honey flavours and chemical profiles that are globally unique.   

As consumers increasingly pivot toward authenticity, traceable sourcing, and natural fermentation, the Australian mead market has matured. No longer defined solely by the syrupy, high-alcohol versions of the past, the contemporary landscape is populated by dry, sparkling hydromels, complex melomels infused with “bush tucker” fruits, and medicinal metheglins that draw upon indigenous botanical knowledge. 

Australian Mead Styles

To understand the current market, one must categorise mead according to its ingredients and fermentation parameters. While “honey wine” is often used as a synonym, industry professionals increasingly insist on the term “mead” to differentiate these ferments from grape-based products.   

Traditional Mead: Traditional mead represents the most fundamental expression of the craft, consisting solely of honey, water, and yeast. In this style, the character of the honey is the primary variable, determining the final aroma, colour, and palate structure. Meaderies sometimes focus on capturing the essence of specific blossoms, ranging from the mild and sweet Yellow Box to the robust, medicinal profiles of Red Gum and Ironbark.   

Traditional meads are further classified by their final sugar content and alcohol by volume (ABV). The diversity of Australian honeys allows for a broad spectrum of outcomes, as detailed in the following analysis.

Dry Traditional: Bone dry to slight residual, 11% – 14% ABV, Floral citrus, light acidity. 

Semi-Sweet: Balanced Acidity/sugar, 12% – 15% ABV, Creamy texture, marmalade notes. 

Sack Mead: Intensely Sweet, 14%-20% ABV, Bold, toady, butterscotch undertones. 

Fortified/Liqueur: Fortified with spirits, 18% – 23% ABV, Spiced, oak-aged, dense fruit.   

The Australian preference has shifted toward semi-sweet and semi-dry traditional meads, which offer a more versatile pairing profile for modern Australian cuisine, particularly when served over ice or as a spritzer with soda water.   

The Session Mead Revolution

The most rapid growth within the Australian mead sector is found in “Session Meads” or Hydromels. These are lower-alcohol versions of mead, typically ranging from 3.5% to 8.5% ABV, and are almost always carbonated and packaged in cans. This style aligns with the broader consumer trend toward “sessionable” drinks that can be enjoyed in casual, outdoor settings like festivals or beachside picnics.   

Session meads are often dry, as the low alcohol content cannot support high levels of residual sugar without becoming cloying. The carbonation is critical, providing a “prickly” texture that brightens the honey’s aromatics. For those looking to explore this trend through home production, using a high-quality mead brewing kit australia is the standard recommendation to ensure the precision required for low-gravity fermentations and consistent carbonation.     

Regional Production 

Australia’s diverse climate zones necessitate varied approaches to mead production. In tropical Queensland, temperature control during fermentation is paramount to prevent the production of off-flavours like fusel alcohols. Conversely, in the cooler southern regions, brewers focus on seasonal harvest coordination, timing their fermentations to coincide with the peak availability of temperate berries and stone fruits.   

The Role of Native Stingless Bees

A burgeoning niche in the Australian market involves the use of honey from native stingless bees, known as “Sugarbug” honey. Hives of Tetragonula and Austroplebeia produce only about one kilogram of honey per year, making it one of the rarest food products in Australia. This honey is noted for its high acidity and unique plant resins, providing a flavour profile that is impossible to replicate with European honey bees. While its low volume means it will likely remain a luxury adjunct, its presence in high-end, limited-release meads represents the pinnacle of Australian botanical craftsmanship.   

Mead in the Australian Food Scene

Modern Australian mead is designed to be consumed with food. The versatility of the different styles allows for pairings across a full degustation menu:

Sparkling Session Meads: Ideal as an aperitif or paired with fresh Sydney Rock Oysters and light seafood dishes.   

Traditional Semi-Dry Meads: Complements poultry, charcuterie boards, and soft cheeses like brie or camembert.   

Melomels (e.g., Passion Fruit or Raspberry): Pairs excellently with fresh fruit tarts, pavlova, or spicy Thai and Vietnamese salads.   

Spiced or Liqueur Meads: Served with dark chocolate, blue cheese, or as a “sticky” at the end of a meal, similar to a Muscat or Port.   

What’s Next?

For the professional peer or the dedicated enthusiast, the message is clear: the Australian mead industry has moved beyond its Viking-themed origins into a sophisticated era of botanical expression. Whether it is a crisp, canned hydromel for a summer afternoon or a complex, oak-aged metheglin for a winter evening, mead has secured its place as a permanent and prestigious fixture in the Australian craft beverage landscape.

https://www.sheppadviser.com.au/a-guide-to-popular-mead-styles-in-australia/

UK: Sparkling Low-Alcohol Canned Meads

From trendhunter.com

Lyme Bay Sparkling Mead Comes in Two Flavours with a 3.5% ABV

The Lyme Bay Sparkling Mead range is a series of new low-alcohol refreshments announced by the UK-based mead producer that are crafted with spring and summer-ready flavour profiles.

The drinks come in two flavours including Raspberry Lemonade and Strawberry & Elderflower, which are each canned and have a 3.5% ABV to accommodate casual drinking occasions. This responds to consumer lifestyle changes, while the canned packaging maximizes convenience for enjoyment in place of conventional ready-to-drink (RTD) cocktails or sessionable beer varieties.

The two new additions to the Lyme Bay Sparkling Mead range are being launched in the UK through the brand's website in a direct-to-consumer (D2C) manner for £2.75 per can. The products are targeted towards Gen Z consumers who gravitate towards canned varieties that are convenient, but no less flavourful.

Trend Themes

1. Low-alcohol Innovations - The increasing demand for low-alcohol beverages is creating opportunities for unique flavour profiles that appeal to health-conscious consumers.

2. Canned Beverage Convenience - The shift towards canned packaging offers a convenient alternative to traditional bottled beverages, aligning with on-the-go consumer lifestyles.

3. Flavourful Mead Infusions - Crafting modern mead with playful flavour combinations like Raspberry Lemonade ensures these beverages resonate with consumers seeking novel taste experiences.

Industry Implications

1. Alcoholic Beverages - Expanding the category of low-alcohol options within the alcoholic beverage market addresses the emerging consumer preference for moderation.

2. Direct-to-consumer Retail - Leveraging direct-to-consumer sales channels allows producers to reach targeted demographics with tailored marketing and product offerings.

3. Packaging Solutions - Innovative packaging solutions in the form of canned beverages meet consumer demand for portability and ease of consumption. 

https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/lyme-bay-sparkling-mead

Make Sima (Finnish Mead)

From stormthecastle.com/mead

How about a Mead that only takes a week to make? This is Sima and it is Finnish mead.

I haven't tried it yet but I am dying to!! A web visitor (Shelby) sent me this tutorial along with pics, recipe and everything! My thanks go to Shelby for sharing this with us!! And Oh my goodness I am dying to give this a try!!!

Sima is a Finnish drink made from honey and/or other sweeteners, lemons, and yeast. It only takes a couple days to a week to make this sweet, fizzy, barely alcoholic beverage that is very tasty! My friend shared with me a more "traditional" way of making it but I modified it for use with home brewing equipment since her way of doing it could cause exploding bottles if not done right. What follows is my version of Sima and pics taken throughout the process.

                                           After it was chilled, I poured some to enjoy :) (note the carbonation)

Sima Recipe:

Ingredients:

· 14 cups of water
· 2 whole lemons (sliced)
· 1 cup raw wildflower honey (I used Naked Wild Honey brand)
· 1 cup dark brown sugar
· 2 - 1 oz boxes of raisins (I used golden raisins because that's what I had on hand)
· dry yeast (any kind will work but I used ½ packet of Lalvin EC-1118 because that's what I had on hand, it really sped up the process too!)

Directions: 

Bring 14 cups of water to a boil, remove from heat and stir in the sliced lemons, brown sugar, and one box of raisins.

Wait till the water temp gets below 160F to add the honey. Let the mixture sit and cool.

Rehydrate your yeast according to package directions (you can dry pitch too but I prefer to rehydrate first).

Once the lemon/honey/water/sugar mixture has cooled to below 80F, transfer it to the carboy (I used a 1 gal and it was almost too small but it does work!) and shake vigorously to aerate.

Pitch your yeast, set up your airlock, and let it sit in a dark area overnight (or at least 8 hrs).

The next morning (or after 8+ hours has passed) rack to a new carboy for "secondary" fermentation and add the remaining box of raisins. Set up your airlock and let is sit in a dark area, checking in on it at least once a day.

Once the raisins have all floated to the top (the time it takes will vary based on the yeast you used) it is ready to cap/cork, refrigerate, and enjoy :) You can let it go for day or two more after the raisins float but I wouldn't let it go much longer since the goal isn't to make a strong alcoholic beverage but rather just a fizzy, tasty, refreshing beverage. Whenever you decide to cap/cork it, make sure to refrigerate soon after to cold crash the yeast and stop fermentation so you don't explode your carboy.

Make sure you drink it within a week because since there is such a low alcohol content the beverage could easily mould or get funky.

MORE PICS:

The night it was made

The next morning

After it was racked for secondary ferment

https://www.stormthecastle.com/mead/make-sima-finnish-mead.htm

11 Popular Mead Brands, Ranked

From msn.com/en-us

By Emily Hunt

As a budding mead fan, you can bet I'll be treating myself to bottles of this fermented honey beverage regularly now that I've become acquainted with some. Though the word "mead" may conjure up images of taverns from the Middle Ages, don't let that taint your perceptions of the drink — the craft of mead-making is still alive and well, with such a wide scope of variations that anyone should be able to find a mead they'll enjoy. Sure, you could make mead at home, but why play around with your own variations when hundreds of meaderies across the United States have already honed in on delicious recipes? 

It's possible that supporting these businesses could help mead make a comeback, which in turn could have a positive environmental impact as it will ensure bees remain in our ecosystem. You don't need to know everything about mead to enjoy it, but I'd recommend having a good idea of your preferred flavour profiles as you're hunting down bottles. I tried and ranked meads from several different meaderies across the country, and because each mead was very different, the ranking process wasn't easy. I ended up ranking them based on flavour potency. I preferred meads that blew me away with wild, full flavours. If your preferences are different, don't hesitate to give some of the meads toward the "bottom" of my list a try — they were still great!

Some recommendations are based on firsthand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer.

11. Heidrun Meadery©Emily Hunt/Tasting Table

Given that Heidrun's meads felt the most luxurious of the meads I sampled, it feels criminal to put them at the bottom of a list. However, because the flavours were the lightest of all the meads I tried, that's the spot I gave them. Absolutely grab a few bottles of the company's sparkling mead if you need a high-class beverage to serve at a fancy cocktail hour, wedding dinner, or evening gala. This California meadery crafts its Champagne-style meads with care and attention, designing each for the "sophisticated wine palate" — if this sounds like you, you should have bought a bottle yesterday. 

Heidrun's California Orange Blossom mead was incredibly light and reminiscent of a sweet white wine. Citrus came through slightly and its effervescence made it only sippable, so don't expect to down gulps of this at a time. Nevertheless, it went down incredibly smoothly. You're left with a slight orange sweetness on your lips after taking a sip. Its Marin County Wildflower mead was very delicately floral and boasted a slightly stronger flavour than the California Orange Blossom. It tasted light and elegant, but it was slightly more playful than its counterpart — I'd pass this one around in champagne flutes at my next springtime brunch. Each was gentle and unassuming, and can easily earn you some sophistication marks if you bring one to a gathering.

10. Dansk Mjød©Emily Hunt/Tasting Table

My next pick takes us across the pond to sample a mead from Denmark (don't worry — it's still widely available in the U.S.). Though Dansk Mjød has only been brewing mead since 1994, its recipes go back centuries, and the fact that the company develops its own equipment for mead-making proves that it's a big player in the meadery game. I only tried one bottle from the brand, but I'll definitely be seeking out others on my next mead hunt. With flavours like bog myrtle, almond, and Tasmanian pepperberry, how could I resist sampling at least a couple more?

Dansk Mjød's Viking Blod mead is a "Nordic honey wine with hibiscus and hops added." It also boasts 19% ABV. Overall, it was a very light and very sweet mead. Hibiscus didn't come through until the end of the sip, and though I'd have preferred it to be more hibiscus-forward, the mead was nevertheless full of flavour. It had a slight hoppy taste without being reminiscent of beer, and though the ABV is high, it went down very smoothly. A sip of this mead will leave a sweet, honeyed taste on your lips which lingers on your palate, toward the back of your mouth. I enjoyed it, but I could see it being too sweet for the casual mead drinker. 

9. Hierophant Meadery©Emily Hunt/Tasting Table

Herbal beverage drinkers shouldn't hesitate to pick up a bottle of Hierophant's Apotheke mead if they see it on store shelves. It harkens back to a time when herbal meads were used as medicine (a practice which, personally, I think we should rekindle), and that appears to be no accident; after all, the meadery is named after the hierophant, a figure who ushers one into the presence of holiness. Purity and oneness with nature were absolutely at the top of my mind as I drank this herbal mead, which anyone with the mildest interest in herbalism would love. 

Hierophant's Apotheke is a "Honey Wine with botanicals and [Pacific Northwest] mushrooms added," but that's the bare minimum of what's in this mead. The herbs Hierophant combined in crafting this mead include hibiscus, orange peel, lemon verbena, nettle, raspberry leaf, and dandelion root, as well as Pacific Northwest turkey tail mushrooms. It's a sparkling mead with just 6.5% ABV. It felt like drinking a light, sparkling rosé, and was reminiscent of taking herbal medicine, though it didn't taste medicinal. Hibiscus was the strongest flavour. Everything else fell to the background to provide depth and complement each other. 

8. Melchemy Craft Mead

©Emily Hunt/Tasting Table

Melchemy Meadery takes pride in the place it calls home. Nestled in Washington's Cascade Mountains region, its surroundings are ripe with wild ingredients that the meadery incorporates into its bottles. It won't leave you guessing about its practices, either — in fact, the meadery has extensive information on its website about how it sources and grows its ingredients, and how it works with local ecosystems. Though I only tried one of this meadery's bottles, I'm dying to try its "Drylands" juniper-pine offering and its salal mead.

If you've ever tasted a drink with elderflower syrup or with rose syrup, you'll know that each flavour stands distinct among other floral and herbal flavour profiles. Melchemy's Elder-Rose mead is no exception. This mead is flavoured with elderflower and rose petal — a daring combination. I'd imagine it was hard to strike the appropriate balance between these two, but Melchemy did it. Both flavours managed to come through equally, complementing each other, and though the end result is quite a perfume-esque mead, I don't mind that in the slightest. It felt like drinking liquid flowers. The mead was delightful chilled and I was happy it wasn't too sweet. If you're looking for a mead to make you feel like you're spending the afternoon in a luxurious garden, this is it; it only got the number eight spot on the list because it lacked the jammy quality I came to prefer.

7. Brothers Drake Meadery©Emily Hunt/Tasting Table

If you ever find yourself near Worthington, Ohio, I'd encourage you to book a tour with Brothers Drake Meadery. The Brothers Drake themselves (Eric and Woody, to be precise) have been passionate about their community since opening their meadery in 2007, and they incorporate a community-centred ethic into all of their practices. In addition to sourcing local ingredients (especially local honey) when crafting their meads, the meadery strives to be a "third space" for their neighbourhood residents to gather, unwind, dream, and enjoy each others' company.

I sampled Brothers Drake's Apple Pie mead. It's described as an apple mead aged in bourbon barrels, infused with the fragrances of apple pie spices like cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg. The apple and cinnamon were delightfully strong in this beverage, while the clove and nutmeg were almost imperceptible but still add some depth of flavour. I can tell it was aged in bourbon barrels — the bourbon flavour added some pleasant smokiness to an already well-rounded drink. Though it was delightful cold, I'll be trying what's left in the bottle as a warm beverage, perhaps by making some hot mulled mead. It's a bottle you'll want to have on hand from September through December, but I won't blame you if you grab some in the warmer months to get a welcome taste of fall vibes.

6. Moonlight Meadery©Emily Hunt/Tasting Table

Our next meadery pick takes us to Pittsfield, New Hampshire, the home base of Moonlight Meadery. Moonlight has been in operation since 2010, when it was started by Michael Fairbrother, whose passion for mead was kindled in 1995. In addition to making mead, his company also makes ciders — despite some similarities, mead and cider are quite different. If you want to keep mead in your alcoholic beverage rotation, Moonlight can help; its subscription-based mead program starts at just $50 per quarter and earns you discounts on other company products. 

Moonlight Meadery's Embrace mead has tasting notes of blackcurrant and honey. When I poured it into a glass, I noticed it had a rich, fruity aroma, but this mead tasted drier than I expected, which I quite enjoyed — especially given the startling sweetness of other meads I tried. Though blackcurrants gave it a good amount of tartness, the honey's sweetness balanced that out enough that I didn't find myself puckering, and it went down wonderfully smoothly. This mead is potent, but don't let that turn you away. Another Moonlight mead, Utopian X, is impressively traditional, matured for 10 years, and made for mead fanatics. It was very sweet and alcohol-forward, with notes of bourbon and vanilla. Though I was slightly overwhelmed by it, it's a bottle to opt for if you're looking for a potent, traditional mead. Moonlight's unique contrast of offerings and the juiciness of its Embrace mead earned it the number six spot on this list. 

5. B. Nektar©Emily Hunt/Tasting Table

B. Nektar Meadery (which also makes cider, beer, and non-alcoholic beverages) gave me a pleasant surprise with some canned offerings. If you're looking for a mead that's easy to tote to the beach, this is your brand. Since 2006, B. Nektar has been a playful, innovative company whose owners strive not to take things too seriously, and manage to make award-winning beverages in the process. You can stop in if you ever find yourself in Ferndale, Michigan, but the brand is widely distributed enough that there's a decent chance of finding a location with some of its offerings near you.

B. Nektar's Apple Pi mead smelled like baked apples and cinnamon, and the spice balance was lovely — I detected notes of cinnamon and nutmeg as well as some cloves, and there may have been a touch of anise in there. This alcohol-forward mead is perfect for those looking for a potent drink. Another of its offerings, Odin's Blessing, was a fairly dry honey mead, and was surprisingly reminiscent of beer (though I can't decide if that was because I was drinking it from a can). It was clean and refreshing, as was Peach Kill All The Golfers, a mead that features black tea, peach, and lemon. The black tea and honey in this one provided a nice flavour balance, while peach and lemon give extra brightness. The fact that the brand offered canned meads gave it a leg up, and the company's wide variety of flavours was also impressive.

4. Honey Tree Meadery©Emily Hunt/Tasting Table

Honeytree Meadery isn't just a meadery — it's also an apiary that cares for over 30 colonies of bees in the East Nashville area. I love the closed-loop production of a meadery that sources its own honey, which is what the meadery is all about. Producing mead is only part of its mission; the operators also strive to educate patrons about ecological stewardship in mead making, and are themselves always trying to become more environmentally sustainable.

I tried four meads from this company, which managed to retain its own distinct character in each bottle, despite offering very different flavour profiles. The Signature Series Premium Mead tasted like a nice cross between mead and white wine, especially when enjoyed chilled. It's more alcohol-forward and not as sweet as other meads, making it great for a refined mead enthusiast. Bouquet Toss (made with rose hip, hibiscus, and linden flower) was a beautiful, refreshing floral beverage. Sweet Baby Ginger was definitely potent in its ginger flavour (ginger lovers, this one is for you), and is a bottle I'll be grabbing to aid me in healing from my next cold. The Basic Batch Seasonal Mead is my favourite — it smells warm and buttery, reminiscent of butterscotch, and was sweet and luxurious to sip on without being overwhelming. 

3. Batch Meadery©Emily Hunt/Tasting Table

Batch Mead has been a labour of love from a small team of owners, and is currently located in Temecula, California. It sources local ingredients whenever possible and makes its mead in small batches — this means that you'll frequently see something new on the menu, and also that you should stock up on your favourites while they're still around. Its award-winning meads are all playful in their design, and draw inspiration from folklore, mythology, and even circus culture in their names and labels.

I loved each mead I tried from Batch Meadery. Its Curse of Calypso mead was a shocking departure from most other meads I sampled in its tropical character; its notes of pineapple and peaches were distinct from any other bottle, which is part of why this brand got a higher rating on my list. It was incredibly juicy and the pineapple wasn't overwhelming, as the hint of sweet peaches provided a lovely balance. Batch's Figment didn't have the best colour (it was a muddy burgundy-brown), but I completely forgot about that when I took a sip of this fig-forward, barrel-aged mead. This was one of the juiciest, jammiest bottles I sampled; the taste of figs lingered on my lips (it felt almost sinful), and there was nothing subtle about the flavour of this mead. Its gentle whiskey notes will give one the impression of drinking a dessert mead in a centuries-old tavern. 

2. Four Fires Meadery©Emily Hunt/Tasting Table

Everyone loves a good "our-business-started-in-a-garage" success story, but that's far from the only reason Four Fires Meadery earned the number two spot on my list. I'm endlessly thankful the four friends decided to expand their hobby beyond a garage-based enterprise, and it was a smart decision on their part — each bottle I tasted from this meadery boasted surprising, delightful, even nostalgic flavour combinations that will have me ordering more once I'm through with my current supply. 

Four Fires' Lost in Translation mead was one of the sweetest I had, but I enjoyed it immensely. It tasted exactly like what it is — a pure, unadulterated honey wine with a slight cardamom warmth. It goes down smoothly despite having a strong alcohol aroma. The Slow Jamz blackberry mead was delightful. The blackberries first hit you in the drink's aroma, and then, in the flavour, they have a slight tart quality that adds some contrast to this still-sweet drink. Kitten Wishes and Business Kisses smelled mellow, but don't let that fool you — it's an intensely jammy, juicy mead with a good balance of raspberry, blackberry, and blackcurrant flavours. My favourite of the selection, though, was Strawberry Hand Grenade. This strawberry vanilla wine tasted like an indulgent dessert. The strawberries were bright and sweet while the vanilla grounded this drink somewhat, and honestly, it felt like I was drinking strawberry sherbet (which I definitely mean as a compliment).

1. Second City Meadery©Emily Hunt/Tasting Table

At the top of the list, my personal favourite of the mead brands I tried, is Second City Meadery. This Chicago-based meadery was born from a spark of inspiration that came when one of the owners tried their first mead. The rest, as they say, is history. Second City gets creative with its mead crafting and even has selections of coffee-based meads, as well as spice-forward, maple syrup-infused, and fruit-forward servings. What won it the number one spot on this list, though, was the stunning depth of flavour in each bottle I tried.

Second City's Streetlight mead seems simple in concept, with a flavour profile containing blackcurrant, cherry, and lemon. The combination results in a stunning mead. It's very fragrant, and the cherry and lemon complement each other effortlessly to give a certain freshness to this mead that the others lacked. Streetlight will fill the back of your mouth with flavour, and it has a deep, rich quality without being overbearing. My favourite mead was Second City's Sphere of Influence (which would be a great pairing with chocolate chess pie). It's another one that sounds relatively simple, containing honeyberry, raspberry, and blackcurrant, but something about the combination of those flavours in this drink blew me away. It's very jammy without being too sweet; the raspberry and currants married together beautifully while the honeyberry added just enough sweetness to round out the other berries' tartness. I could drink bottles of this mead without batting an eye.

Methodology©Emily Hunt/Tasting Table

As I've already mentioned, "ranking" these meads was extraordinarily difficult given how unique each bottle was. In the end, I chose to pick a variable and rank each mead according to that, so I chose to judge them based on flavor potency. My favorite meads were juicy, jammy, rich, and smooth, which is why Second City Meadery (specifically its Sphere of Influence bottle) got the top spot on my list. Lighter, less potent meads ranked toward the bottom, but they were by no means bad — they simply lacked the jammy quality that I prefer in a mead.

I dedicated an evening to sipping the meads I tried, and I decided to taste them all in one sitting so my opinion wasn't influenced by too many external factors. That being said, I can't emphasize enough that this is a ranking that won't be universal to every consumer, as these meads were too unique to truly compare against one another. My advice? Take some time to go through the descriptions for each mead and pick the one closest to what you're looking for. No matter which mead on this list you end up with, you won't be disappointed. 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/foodanddrink/foodnews/11-popular-mead-brands-ranked/ss-AA1TLcnU

Five Questions: Matt Ackerman brings the mead hall to Loveland, Colorado

From reporterherald.com

The MeadKrieger co-owner talks about mead’s ancient roots, common misconceptions and building a modern-day mead hall in downtown Loveland

Like the chicken and egg conundrum, it’s not immediately clear what the primary driver behind MeadKrieger’s founding was — a love of the fermented honey beverage or a fascination with the ancient Norse culture that embraced it. What is clear is that the two are inseparable for Matt Ackerman, who with business partner Erik Davis has created one of downtown Loveland’s most distinctive hangout spots.

“The mead hall was such a big part of Norse society — it was a place where everyone came together to drink and celebrate and feast, tell stories and sing songs and really bond,” he said. “And that’s what we were going for here: to make a place where we can foster some community.”

Mead, which is made by fermenting honey and water, is often considered the world’s oldest alcoholic drink and is a recurring trope in ancient and medieval literature — most famously in Beowulf, but also in the writings and mythologies of ancient Greece, Scandinavia and parts of Africa and Asia.

Ackerman describes it as a ‘blank slate,’ allowing makers to experiment with flavours, sweetness and style, unbound by the conventions that define other craft beverages.

“You can kind of do whatever you want with it,” Ackerman said. “If you’re making a wine and you’re using Chardonnay grapes, you’re making a Chardonnay, and people expect it to taste like a Chardonnay. Mead doesn’t have any kind of restriction like that.”

Ackerman and Davis opened their tasting room at 452 N. Washington Ave. in 2023 and will celebrate its third anniversary later this month. In addition to serving mead, MeadKrieger also hosts weekly events, a monthly lecture series on Old Norse language, myth and culture and “Barbarian” nights on the solstices and equinoxes. The meadery also displays work from local artists and participates in community events, like the annual Honey Festival at the Farmers Market.

Ackerman, who studied chemical engineering before the pandemic, serves as the technical backbone of the operation, focusing on fermentation science, quality control and system design, while Davis handles recipe development. Before co-founding MeadKrieger, he played guitar in a metal band, touring Europe at least twice.

The Reporter-Herald caught up with Ackerman this week to talk about the history of mead, common misconceptions and the vision behind MeadKrieger.

Matt Ackerman, co-owner of MeadKrieger, stands inside the downtown Loveland meadery on Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. The tasting room, which opened in 2023, draws inspiration from ancient Norse culture and serves a range of house-made meads.(Jocelyn Rowley, Loveland Reporter-Herald)

1. Why mead? What first got you interested in it?

My business partner got me interested in mead. We met playing in a band that was also Norse-inspired, and he was getting really interested in Norse culture, history and religion. Mead was such a big part of that world that he wanted to start trying his hand at it. That was my introduction to mead, and I kind of fell in love with it.

2. Why did you choose Loveland as the place to open MeadKrieger?

I’ve always been around Northern Colorado — Greeley, Fort Collins — and Loveland felt like a mirror of the mead industry itself. It’s relatively low-key, but it’s growing and getting more interesting every year. This location is right next to downtown but close enough to the neighbourhood that it still feels like it has that neighbourhood vibe. We just thought it was a perfect fit.

3. Mead has existed across many cultures. Why emphasize Norse mead in particular?

Mead has been part of almost every culture in the world, but the Norse had a really integrated connection to it through their religion and society. The mead hall was a place where everyone came together to drink, celebrate, feast, tell stories and sing songs. That sense of community is what we were going for here.

It also helps that I’m Norwegian, so there’s an ancestral connection for me. The Norse theme was the inspiration for us making mead in the first place, and it just felt natural to lean into that.

4. What’s the biggest misconception people have about mead?

The biggest one is that people think it’s always really sweet. A lot of folks tried mead at a Renaissance festival or had a homemade version years ago and assume that’s what it is. But mead is a blank slate — it can be dry, sweet or anything in between.

Another misconception is that it’s like beer, when it’s actually much closer to wine. And it’s gluten-free, which surprises a lot of people.

5. How has your taste in mead changed since you started?

A: Being in this business has made me try a bunch of new things and really expand my horizons. I really like complex things now — unique flavour combinations with a lot going on. I like tasting the depth and complexity that can come out of different kinds of fermentation and different flavour combinations.

One of our meads has coffee, orange, bourbon and caramelized honey, which sounds like a crazy mishmash of flavours. It’s definitely something I wouldn’t have liked before I really got into making mead. But the complexity and the balance there — there’s something that keeps you thinking every time you take a sip. You keep noticing small little details. That’s my favourite part.

https://www.reporterherald.com/2026/01/05/five-questions-matt-ackerman-brings-the-mead-hall-to-loveland/

Wales: Hive Mind's meads made from 100% British honey

From southwalesargus.co.uk

Hive Mind, Caldicot

This brewery is run by beekeepers and mead makers who have combined a love of nature with an interest in brewing to turn their product into multi-award-winning wine-style meads and soft drinks. Different to offerings on the mass-market, their drinks are made from 100 per cent British honey, meaning that their meads support UK beekeepers and are all natural.

They are working hard to put mead back on the menu as an alternative to beer, cider and wine.  While many mead drinks on the market cater to the novelty gift guides, they aren’t the real thing – Hive Mind is determined to make only the authentic product.

Their website serves up a variety of traditional and sparking meads, alongside honeyade soft drinks for those who prefer something non-alcoholic. Their taproom in Portskewett opens once a month for visitors to enjoy a night of fun with live music, delicious street food and handcrafted drinks.

https://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/news/25694916.7-craft-breweries-gwent-can-rival-tiny-rebel/

With La. honey, Zydeco Meadery pours Creole culture into every bottle

From louisianaweekly.com

Founded by Eric and DeAundra Depradine, Zydeco Meadery reflects Louisiana’s cultural reach well beyond state lines. Though the meadery operates in Massachusetts, the family’s roots in Acadiana and the Caribbean anchor the brand firmly in Louisiana tradition, as detailed in feature coverage by KREOL Magazine, the Boston Globe, and Black Southern Belle.

DeAundra Depradine grew up in Acadiana, where zydeco was woven into everyday life, and the couple met while attending the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, according to Zydeco Meadery’s company history. The company takes its name from zydeco music, a genre born in southwest Louisiana’s Creole communities.

Louisiana’s rhythmic gumbo of cultures – Creole, Cajun French Caribbean and African – has long resonated through its music, food and festivals. That same blend of heritage is now being bottled in a distinctly modern way by Eric Depradine, owner of Zydeco Meadery, the Black owned craft beverage company that infuses Louisiana identity into honey wine known as mead.

The significance of Zydeco Meadery lies not only in ingredients but in how Louisiana culture expands. From dance halls to kitchen tables, Creole traditions have always adapted and endured. Zydeco Meadery extends that tradition into the craft beverage space.

“We’re proud to create something that honours our heritage while welcoming others to enjoy it,” Eric Depradine said. He is a graduate of UL-Lafayette in history and chemistry and has worked various municipal governments in Louisiana and Missouri regulating federal and local wastewater laws.

The idea for Zydeco Meadery took shape after the couple honeymooned in Washington state’s wine country. The original dream was winemaking. But Louisiana’s hot, humid climate made traditional grape growing impractical. Returning home inspired but realistic, they began asking why they couldn’t produce something equally meaningful using ingredients native to Louisiana. The Depradines turned to mead, one of the world’s oldest fermented beverages made with honey rather than grapes.

Avoyelles Parish’s abundance of wildflower honey made the choice both practical and symbolic.

In Louisiana, they maintained an extensive vegetable garden before moving to Kansas City and starting a farm enterprise. In 2022, the Depradine farm had bee hives and more than 25 cultivars of apples, which was used to make blended apple juice with honey and converted to a delicious alcohol.

The family officially launched Zydeco Meadery in 2024 from North Attleborough, Massachusetts, after Eric graduated from Highland Community College’s enology certificate program. Operated by four generations of the Depradine family, Zydeco Meadery is one of four minority-owned alcohol manufacturers in Kansas.

Despite the geographic distance, Louisiana remains central to the brand’s identity. Many of the meads use Louisiana wildflower honey, and the flavour profiles reflect Creole and Caribbean traditions shared across the African diaspora.

One of Zydeco Meadery’s signature offerings is Carnival Rose, a hibiscus-based mead inspired by sorrel, a traditional holiday spiced drink enjoyed throughout the Caribbean, West Africa and parts of the Gulf South. The drink’s vivid colour and spice infusion of cinnamon, clove, Allspice notes reflect cultural celebrations that span generations and borders. Depradine took his wife’s suggestion to try sorrel mead inspired by his grandmother Ena’s recipe. She was 91 at the time. And today, Carnival Rose is one of their best sellers.

“Sorrel is not just a drink, it’s a cultural anchor,” he said. “Every Caribbean household has memories of making it during the holiday season. Carnival Rose is our way of honouring that tradition.”

Their current mead offerings include variations of seasonal fruit meads, t’ej, an Ethiopian mead, and hibiscus a Trinidadian mead. “”It unites us back to our ancestors in West Africa,” Eric told Caribbean Beat magazine.

Bayou Soleil – which is French for “Golden Bayou” – blends Traminette grape juice with Louisiana wildflower honey from Avoyelles Parish, producing a bright, citrus mead that reflects the couple’s early exposure to German wines like Gewürztraminer and Riesling. The Atlantic Creole uses knotweed honey collected from the rural areas of Massachusetts to produce a semisweet honey wine. At 12 percent alcohol, this mead has a rich, malty, nutty flavour, according to the company’s website. Because meads are made from honey it has more fermentable sugars than grapes, leading to a higher alcohol content than wine.

“Representation matters…We want people to see their culture in what we make,” he said. “We are dedicated to showcasing our culture and heritage through mead.”

Zydeco Meadery has found an audience among Caribbean, Black American, and Creole communities, particularly with the seasonal release of Carnival Rose. The company distributes through select liquor stores, farmers markets and online platforms, expanding access to culturally inspired meads beyond regional boundaries. 

http://www.louisianaweekly.com/with-la-honey-zydeco-meadery-pours-creole-culture-into-every-bottle/