highlights
It is the oldest alcoholic beverage on earth, which is why mead became associated with the gods.
Mead is made by fermentation with honey, water and yeast.
Moonshine Company began producing mead in 2020 under the name Serrana.
mead That is, wine made from honey is considered the drink of the gods. Mead was discovered in China around 7000 BC. The discovery of mead is widely considered an accident, due to the natural formation of honey from rainwater. fermentation Is the result of! It is the oldest alcoholic beverage on earth. So it’s no surprise that mead became associated with the gods. Beyond imagination, mead is mentioned in the Rigveda, the holy book of the Vedic religion. It has been mentioned in many Greek inscriptions by philosophers like Aristotle and Pliny the Elder. Mead was also a part of ancient Indian culture. The word mead comes from the Old English word ‘medu’ or ‘meodu’, meaning ‘Fermented honey drink.’ medu word It is derived from ‘Madhu’, from which the word ‘Madhushala’ comes. A place where people drink alcohol.
Mead made with honey, water and yeast fermentation It is made by. When people hear that mead is made from honey they usually think it will be a highly sweet drink, but this is not always the case. Mead is one of the most versatile alcohols available. in sugar alcohol fermenteddate It turns out, the more sugar the more alcohol. To be considered mead it contains 60% or more fermenteddate There should be honey.
What kind of alcohol is mead?
Mead is commonly called honey wine because it is made from honey.It is made by fermentation. For example, wine is made by fermenting fruits like grapes. Sometimes fruits, hops, and grains may be added to mead. But mead is considered a separate category of liquor. But it contains more alcohol than beer.
How does it taste and smell?
Traditional mead should taste like smooth honey, like white wine, with slight acidity and sourness depending on the level of sweetness. The aroma of mead gives a very pleasant feeling. It smells mostly of honey, flowers and citrus, which Depends on the honey used during fermentation. For example, mead made from orange blossom will usually have the same aroma when finished.
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Is Mead Healthy?
Technically all the health benefits of honey are present in mead. Honey is known to have antioxidant, mineral and antibacterial properties. When mead is made, all the properties of honey remain intact. The spiced herbal mead known as metheglin is used as a medicine in England.
First mead made in India in 2020
Pune-based Moonshine Pehli Meadery started the production of mead for the first time in India. In 2016, Rehani and his childhood friend Nitin Biswas quit their jobs to make mead. What started as a kitchen experiment eventually moved to a plant on the outskirts of Pune. Since mead was not made in India earlier, there was no provision for it in the excise law. According to a report in Business Standard, Rehani says, “You can make beer and ferment grapes to make wine. “But you can’t ferment honey.” Meanwhile, two friends Yogini Budhkar and Ashwini Devre also decided to make mead. All four decided to meet the Excise Minister of Maharashtra to change the excise law and get the license.
First product launched in the name of Serana
After receiving approval, Moonshine came to market in 2018. It began producing mead in 2020 under the name Cerana (named after the Indian honey bee). Moonshine produces two types of mead. It got good response from people. Production increased from 200 cases in the first year to 5000 cases per month soon. After this, Bored Beverages also launched its brand ‘No Label’ at the end of 2021. Indian mead producers are working hard to develop new varieties of their product to suit the tastes of their customers. Like Karnataka’s first mead ‘Stump’ is available in two flavours, coffee and apple cider.
Brands available in India
The major meads available in India are Serrana, Portside, Moonshine Mead, Arka, Stump and No Label. The market for mead in India is still small. Manufacturers are spending a lot of time educating customers about it. But globally it is a growing market. According to a report, the global market of mead is estimated to reach $1.62 billion in 2028. The response Mead is getting in India too is encouraging. That means it’s time to spill the mead.
(Note: This information has been given quoting the experts of Spiritz. Disclaimer: Its purpose is not to promote the culture of drinking alcohol.)
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FIRST PUBLISHED: January 16, 2024, 13:11 IST