The Lyme Bay Mead Glossary

If you are new to the world of mead and are looking to enjoy this delicious beverage, a bit of background on the names never goes amiss. So, if you’re struggling to decipher your cyser from your sack mead, read on…

Mead is known by many names – the Nectar of the Gods, the oldest drink in the world, honey wine – the list goes on! But alongside this, there are variants of mead which go by specific names. Here they are – we hope you’re ready for the quiz!

Bochet

A type of mead that is made from honey which has been caramelised. This yields a dark, clear mead which has a rich, complex flavour.  

Braggot

This is a mead and beer hybrid, made by brewing mead with grains. The first mentions of braggot occur in the Hymn of Ninkasi¸ which speaks of a brew goddess of makes beer with the use of honey.

Ruins discovered in the 1950s from the tomb of King Midas also revealed traces of malted barley, honey and grains all in a single drinking vessel, further cementing the history of mead-based drinks.

Cyser

Both a mead made with apple juice and a cider made with honey, although both variants taste wildly different.

When the honey is fermented in the creation process, the flavour is softer and turns almost brandy-like with ageing. If honey is added to a cider to backsweeten, it has a stronger honey taste up front with a shorter finish.

Grog

This is a term that has gone on to have many different meanings in various cultures, but it is believed that the first grog was a mead with additional ingredients – namely bog myrtle, juniper and grape wine. Thankfully, our meads have become a bit more sophisticated since then!

Hydromel

This is a weaker mead and is often made with less honey and more water, resulting in a lower ABV

Melomel

An oversimplification, but melomel is essentially the combination of mead with fruit. This is an umbrella term for fruit mead as a whole, and other combinations tend to have specific names of their own, such as…

Pyment

Mead where grapes or grape juice are fermented with the honey.

Sack Mead

A variety of mead that is made with additional honey and tends to be stronger than other variants. Think of this as the dessert wine of meads.

Sparkling Mead

You guessed it, bubbly mead! This mead is usually bottle conditioned with a small amount of sugar or honey which achieves the carbonation.

Traditional Mead

Sometimes known as ‘show mead’, it is, as the name suggests, the most traditional variant of mead without any additives – simply honey, water and yeast.

Viking Blood (or Blod)

Sounds a lot more intimidating than it actually is, Viking blood mead is mead brewed with cherries or berries to give it a pinkish/red colour.

How Do You Drink Mead?

If you’re new to the world of mead or are looking to sample it, it can be quite daunting to know how much to drink, what glass to use, how to enjoy it, and so on. Fortunately, we have put together our ultimate guide to enjoying mead which should answer any questions you may have.

Questions? We’d Love to Hear From You

If you have any questions about mead or anything else we sell, or simply want to make a purchase, you can visit us at our Cellar Door in Shute, near Axminster in Devon, and we’d love to see you if you are passing.

If you’re not nearby you can always get in touch with our friendly team via email at [email protected] or by calling us on 01297 551355 if you’d like to order by phone.

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