From fordcountychronicle.com
CHICAGO — Wild Blossom Meadery & Winery works to bring back an ancient elixir, testing out new and unique flavours all while paying ode to the bees that make this buzzworthy beverage possible.
Once known as the “nectar of the gods,” mead was a celebrated part of ancient cultures around the world, prized by Greek philosophers, Viking warriors, Egyptian priests and Chinese nobility alike. The fermented honey drink reigned supreme for thousands of years. But, with wine and beer emerging as simpler, less-expensive options, mead became a luxury lost to time. Aside from the occasional Renaissance fair, mead has not been part of modern life.
However, interest in this honey of a drink has grown in recent decades. Once a sign of status and privilege, today, mead can be found at wineries, craft breweries and retail stores everywhere. According to the American Mead Makers Association, the number of commercial meaderies in the U.S. grew from approximately 60 in 2003 to an estimated 650 in 2022 – and one of the first began right here in Illinois.
Everything Old is New Again
Clearly, mead is making a comeback, thanks to skilled meadmakers like Greg Fischer, owner of Wild Blossom Meadery & Winery in Beverly on the South Side of Chicago.
“We were Illinois’ first meadery,” Fischer says. “We started at this location in 2001, built up a good following and expanded into a world-class tasting room and winery.”
For a time, Fischer worked as a beekeeper, transporting bees around the country to pollinate crops. Conveniently, honey is one of the main ingredients in mead, so his beekeeping roots came in handy.
“My family grew apples in upstate New York, and we needed honeybees for pollination,” says Fischer, who first became enamoured with bees as a child. “That’s how I got so attached to bees.”
As a pioneer in Illinois’ mead industry, Greg Fischer believes the Midwest is poised to become one of the mead capitals of the world. Photo by Nathan Lambrecht/©Journal Communications
Today, he channels his love for bees into making buzzy beverages. Nestled against the Dan Ryan Woods, Wild Blossom Meadery’s location is both picture-perfect and productive.
“Instead of raising grapes, we raise honeybees,” Fischer says. “Instead of vineyards, we have forests and fields and meadows that we farm.”
He also maintains hives on the Marriott hotel rooftop and other locations in downtown Chicago, a surprisingly bee-friendly place.
“Chicago’s lakefront is just teeming with flowers,” he says. “Cities with parks and flowering trees often have more nectar sources than rural locations. Bees are one agricultural endeavour that can work pretty well in an urban environment.”
In the winter, Fischer’s bees become snowbirds. To protect them from Illinois’ increasingly volatile weather fluctuations, he transports his hives to Florida, where they make honey that hints of local botanicals like palmetto and orange blossom. In the springtime, Fischer’s bees help Michigan farmers boost blueberry production by as much as 40%.
The Art of Mead Making
After those busy bees do their job, it’s Fischer’s turn to roll up his sleeves. A relatively simple process, mead making takes approximately two weeks and three ingredients: honey, water and yeast.
During the first, or primary, fermentation, the yeast converts the honey to alcohol, creating a basic dry mead. During an optional secondary fermentation, the mead maker can add honey back into the batch to sweeten it up as well as flavors ranging from cranberry to chocolate.
By varying the amount of honey added to the water, the mead maker can adjust the alcohol content from very light to as much as 20%. Many people mistakenly assume all meads are sweet, but the varieties are endless.
“Mead can be dry, sweet, spicy – whatever you want it to be,” Fischer says. “It’s the ultimate craft beverage.”
Wild Blossom produces very dry meads comparable to pinot grigio as well as sweet varieties similar to port. None is more sought after than the Blueberry Nectar mead.
“After primary fermentation, we pump the mead over beds of blueberries, and it will ferment on that fruit again, which builds flavor and complexity,” Fischer says. “In the end, we get a really beautiful blueberry flavor with honey in the background. It’s better than eating blueberries.”
One can only wonder what the earliest mead drinkers would have thought of Wild Blossom’s more adventurous offerings. Fischer’s signature creations include the award-winning Chocolate Cherry Honey Buzz and PB&J, made by pumping mead over fresh-roasted peanuts, then co-fermenting it with Concord grapes.
“People are just dumbfounded by it,” Fischer says. “They say it’s like drinking a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.”
A Mecca for Mead
As a pioneer in Illinois’ mead industry, Fischer believes the Midwest is poised to become one of the mead capitals of the world.
“We’re the Prairie State, and we produce some of the best honeys in the world right here,” he says. “Our meads really do wow people.”
Meanwhile, Fischer stands in awe of his honeybees. They fly as many as 15,000 miles and pollinate up to 2 million new flowers to produce the honey needed for just one bottle of mead.
“Bees are just so amazing,” says Fischer, noting the concern of serious threats bees face, such as mites and the changing climate. “When they’re pollinating, they’re either producing more food or more seeds. That’s why mead is the most sustainable wine on earth.”
So, the next time you’re in the mood for merrymaking, grab a glass and rediscover what our earliest ancestors knew: Mead is something to celebrate, along with the hard work of pollinators.
“Mead production supports honeybees, so you can feel as good about drinking mead as you feel when you’re done drinking mead,” he says.
