MEAD DAY | FIRST SATURDAY IN AUGUST
Mead Day, on the first Saturday in August, increases awareness and fosters camaraderie among mead makers. A long history and rich craft and trade follow mead where ever it is found.
One of the world’s oldest fermented beverages, mead is also called honey wine, ambrosia, or nectar. A craftsman combines honey, water, and yeast to make mead. With honey production in high gear, Mead Day shines a spotlight on its key ingredient and the time-honored craft surrounding it.
Mead has been known to be called the “ancestor of all fermented drinks.”
The flavor of mead varies depending on the ingredients added to the fermentation. Anything from seasonal fruits, herbs, and blossoms can be added. Additionally, some mead makers carbonate their beverages like beer, sparkling cider, or wine. For a more hoppy flavor, makers add hops to the recipe.
In addition to hops, producers distill mead. The result creates a more liqueur quality mead producing a brandy.
Homebrewers look forward to this day every year. But it’s not the only day on the calendar for craftspeople where mead is concerned. In May, National Homebrew Day celebrates the craftspeople all across the country. Other days on the calendar important to mead producers include World Bee Day and National Pollinators Month. Why? Because without pollinators like bees, butterflies, bats, and more, there would be no honey to make mead.
HOW TO OBSERVE MEAD DAY
Go out and enjoy a glass of mead. This is an excellent time for those in the mead craft to network with farmers, beekeepers, orchards, and others associated with pollinators. Mead making relies heavily on honey and the crops that bees, bats, and butterflies pollinate. Working together, these producers can not only secure their products for the following year but provide the essential blossoms for pollinators to find. (Always remember to drink responsibly and never to drink and drive). Post on social media using #MeadDay.
MEAD DAY HISTORY
American Homebrewers Association (AHA) created Mead Day in 2002.
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