Mead or Meade

[Suzy_Q_Brewmistres]

In the Commercial mead topic
Norskerword wrote: What's worse is that there is another drink you may have heard of that is just as widely available called "Meade" which isn't mead at all but white wine with a little honey added. I hear it tastes nothing like mead. These things could keep mead away from the public for some time, frustrating the mead sages and commercial meaderies alike"

I thought Meade was just an "English" way of spelling Mead... like the spelling... color/colour and fairy/faerie.... I didn't know they just added honey to wine and call it meade.

Suzy Q

 

[jab]

Is that something like Coors soaking some perfectly good mountain spring water in some nasty old hops and calling it beer?

 

[Oskaar]

Shudder :-X Curs near beer eeeeeewwwww. Do they even use barley in that Silver Bullet stuff or is it rice and teabags. Sheesh

 

[Dan McFeeley]

In the Commercial mead topic
Norskerword wrote: What's worse is that there is another drink you may have heard of that is just as widely available called "Meade" which isn't mead at all but white wine with a little honey added. I hear it tastes nothing like mead. These things could keep mead away from the public for some time, frustrating the mead sages and commercial meaderies alike"

I thought Meade was just an "English" way of spelling Mead... like the spelling... color/colour and fairy/faerie.... I didn't know they just added honey to wine and call it meade.

This is a beverage put out by the folk at Bunratty castle in Ireland. No, it's not mead, and I seriously doubt that there an historical precedent or documentation for this. If anything, it's an almost hipocras.

Take a look at:

http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/2Kitch/aMeade.html

http://homepage.eircom.net/~bunrattywinery/

http://homepage.eircom.net/~bunrattywinery/company.htm

Mead was certainly known to the ancient Irish, but there is little, if any, documentation of what it really was or how it was made. A big problem with the ancient Irish literature is that very little of it has been translated into English -- about 25% according to one figure I've seen. There's a lot more out there in ancient Irish mythology and culture that likely hasn't seen the light of day.

 

[Norskersword]

In the Commercial mead topic
Norskerword wrote: What's worse is that there is another drink you may have heard of that is just as widely available called "Meade" which isn't mead at all but white wine with a little honey added. I hear it tastes nothing like mead. These things could keep mead away from the public for some time, frustrating the mead sages and commercial meaderies alike"

I thought Meade was just an "English" way of spelling Mead... like the spelling... color/colour and fairy/faerie.... I didn't know they just added honey to wine and call it meade.

Suzy Q

Hi Suzy. I wouldn't call myself an expert on that matter. The topic of whether or not "Meade" holds any weight was hotly debated on the Mead Lover's Digest a few months ago. One thing is for certain, the "Meade" you can buy at a local BevMo isn't mead but uses the reputation of mead to sell itself.

Here is part of the debate. There were some immature people involved in this apparantly:

The first entry: http://www.gotmead.com/mead-research/mld/2004/1115.html

This thread spanned several issues of the Mead Lover's Digest. Finally in issue 1117, Mike Faul wrote:

There are several trademarks registered with the USPTO for the Bunratty
product. They are specifically for the logo design and the words
"Bunratty Meade"

http://tess2.uspto.gov/bin/gate.exe?f=doc&state=a325u0.3.6
http://tess2.uspto.gov/bin/gate.exe?f=doc&state=a325u0.3.5

This does not prevent anyone from using the words Bunratty or Meade
individually in their products.

Furthermore, it can easily be defended to use the term 'Meade'
in the name of another product as there are several historical
references to the spelling in many old manuscripts from the 13 - 16th
century.

Also note that Bunratty is not the owner of the Trademark. That is owned
by Camelot Importing Co. in New Jersey.

The reason that Bunratty had to change the label on the product for the
US market was because the product is NOT MEAD. It is a honey liquer
created from HONEY, WHITE WINE and HERBS. The BATF (TTB) forced them to
change the label for the US market becasue they are not allowed to call
it MEAD. Seems a little ridiculous to allow them the 'trick' the public
and allow 'Meade'. I have a petition with the TTB to force the strict
use of the words Mead, Mede, Meade, or dirivitives for the labeling of
products classified as OTSW (Honey Wine).

The booze regulations at home (I'm from Ireland) are much more relaxed
and they are allowed to use 'MEAD' on their label at the winery in
Bunratty and in the Duty Free shops, the only place you'll really find
MEad/e in Ireland.

Mike Faul, Owner
http://www.rabbitsfootmeadery.com

 

[kace069]

Here is a little story about that Meade from ireland. I went to Frankenmuth, For those outside of michigan, it is a tourist trap paraded as a sister city to some place in Germany. The whole town is German themed. With a couple of expensive resturants. Anyways, They have a small wine cellar shop that sells wine and mostly german beers. I asked if they sold any mead and i was told yes but they were all out. So I asked what kind they sold and they told me it was the real mead from Ireland. I responded by saying that it isn't mead it is really white wine with honey added. Well never the less the saleswoman got offended and said yes it was " I've tasted it". With that I rolled my eyes and said well I've made around 100 gallons of mead and that isn't mead. I was so mad this woman is trying to tell me I didn't know what I was talking about we just left without buying anything. Keep in mind this is the same woman who about a year ago sold me some over priced knock off Frambouise. And told me it was the real thing.

 

[David Baldwin]

The public museum in Grand Rapids, Michigan had the "Gratia Dei" exhibit last summer.

They served "Mead" with a medieval lunch that you could buy tickets for. I asked what mead they served, and they had a couple different bottles that they brought out to show me. The first was the Bunratty, the second was Lurgushall. I was able to show the waitress the back of the Meade which lists it as a white wine with hone and herbs. At least Lurgashall is mead - not to my preference but at least it is real mead. I suggested they try two local sources for Chaucers, and Camelot Mead. Fortunately they were out of the Bunratty, and were looking for a less expensive alternative to the Lurgashall.

For all the effort they went through to put together an excellent "banquet" they were very happy to have been corrected in their error. They were really trying to make it as authentic as possible, and were a bit embarassed to have gotten tripped up on the "Meade"

 

[ScottS]

The public museum in Grand Rapids, Michigan had the "Gratia Dei" exhibit last summer.

You went to that? I ran the mead and beer brewing workshop for Gratia Dei. Good times. ;D

 

[David Baldwin]

I got to the exhibit twice. Had fun at the chain mail workshop.

Now I REALLY wish I'd been able to get to those brewing and mead workshops. I just couldn't make room in the schedule for it.

It was an excellent exhibit, and the luncheon was just fab. They offfered a "spirit sampler" and from there I learned about New Holland Brewery. Their Dragons Milk is wonderful - a very high gravity beer. It took a minor act of congress, but I was able to get a case of it.

 

[beeboy]

Here in Pennsylviana we have to purchase wine and harder alcohol in state run State Stores. When I asked about ordering a couple of bottles of mead they said that the Bunratty Meade was all that they could get. I did order a bottle (didn't know any better at the time) and was surprised to see what everybody else already knows. The Bunratty brand is white wine flavored with honey. Think next time I'm in a state store I'll try to re-educate the clerk as to the major injustice he is performing calling Bunratty a true mead.

 

[Jmattioli]

Hey Beeboy,
Next time you go back to the State store pick up a bottle of Opici Vineyards, Homemade Barone wine. Closest thing to homemade in PA I have tasted. I pick up a case when traveling to PA. Its not available here in KY or some other states and reminds me of the homemade wine we were given to drink as kids in PA.
Not exactly Mead but heck, even I slum every once in a while.
Joe

 

[Dan McFeeley]

Here in Pennsylviana we have to purchase wine and harder alcohol in state run State Stores. When I asked about ordering a couple of bottles of mead they said that the Bunratty Meade was all that they could get. I did order a bottle (didn't know any better at the time) and was surprised to see what everybody else already knows. The Bunratty brand is white wine flavored with honey. Think next time I'm in a state store I'll try to re-educate the clerk as to the major injustice he is performing calling Bunratty a true mead.

Hey Beeboy --

I'd suggest going back to the homepage on GotMead, go to the directory listing for US meaderies and print it out. Show it to your state store owner so as to give him/her an idea of what's out there.

Julia Herz has a great site that has online options for ordering mead. URL is http://www.honeywine.com

 

[artmc]

Here in Pennsylviana we have to purchase wine and harder alcohol in state run State Stores. When I asked about ordering a couple of bottles of mead they said that the Bunratty Meade was all that they could get. I did order a bottle (didn't know any better at the time) and was surprised to see what everybody else already knows. The Bunratty brand is white wine flavored with honey. Think next time I'm in a state store I'll try to re-educate the clerk as to the major injustice he is performing calling Bunratty a true mead.

Well in the LCB (Liquor Control Board) you can do an SLO (Special Liquor Order) or Direct Shipping Orders. It is freaking **EXPENSIVE**.

For example I ordered direct from Rabbitsfoot Meadery, the following:

1 bottle of the Mead of Poetry
1 bottle of the Sweet Mead
1 bottle of the Pear Mead

There is a $4.50 PA Handling Charge (total, not per bottle)
Then the order is subtotaled
Then Pa. 18% emergency Tax
Then sub totaled
Then Pa. 6% Sales tax
Then 1% sales tax (Allegheny County adds an additional 1% sales tax, above the states 6%)

For a grand total of: $103.56 !!!!! :'( :'(

This is not Rabbitsfoot Meaderies fault, the state of Pennsylvania is to blame. I ordered it anyway. I was as impressed with Rabbitsfoot, as much as I was angered with the state run LCB.

Also, they can't ship to you, you have to pick it up in an LCB store. Which has no employees knowledgeable in handling direct shipping orders. I weep !!!! :'(




* art *