Brew News: Munro Honey’s Hive and Harvest mead
“Mead is an ancient alcoholic beverage made by fermenting honey with water, and often with various fruits, spices, grains or hops.”
Hello? Is it mead you’re looking for?
With apologies to Lionel Richie, that’d be it if you arrive in Alvinston, thirsty for a switch from beer and a throwback to medieval times.
“Mead is an ancient alcoholic beverage made by fermenting honey with water, and often with various fruits, spices, grains or hops,” said John Bryans of Munro Honey and Meadery and Hive and Harvest mead. “It can be dry to sweet. Think of it as a honey wine with endless flavour possibilities, appealing to both wine and beer enthusiasts. Session meads tend to be very refreshing. Most people are amazed that the alcohol comes from the honey.”
The brand Hive and Harvest was launched when Munro Honey moved from traditional bottles of mead which are approximately 12 per cent alcohol, to a more sessionable drink with half the alcohol and packaged in 355 ml cans.
Perhaps you’ve sampled it at wine and beer shows or spotted the blueberry Hive and Harvest at some LCBO stores.
The blueberry mead is one of four sold at the century-old honey farm. Classic Session is made with a blend of wildflower honey and no fruit, so it’s not as sweet. Hive and Harvest also has raspberry and cranberry versions.
“I have been using these fruits since we started selling meads in bottles,” Bryans said. “These fruit flavours have been the most popular. I find that any fruit with a strong flavour profile blends very well with mead. Blueberry and raspberry are quite popular, with cranberry gaining ground among people who are looking for something a little tarter.”
The Greeks called it “nectar of the gods” and according to Brittannica.com, mead made with honey, rice and fruit has been around since the seventh millennium BCE in China. In Anglo-Saxon literature, royals and aristocrats enjoyed mead.