![]() When we learned that there was a new book coming out about what, where, and how much our hearty forbearers drank, we knew we needed to own it the day it came out. So, thanks to Amazon Prime and their pre-order guarantee, we received our copy of Forgotten Drinks of Colonial New England on the very day it became available for purchase. Three hours later, everyone at Groennfell Meadery had finished reading it. Let's talk about who needs to own this book. You do. Well, you do so long as you fit one of the following descriptions:
Conveniently, the above is a working description of every staff member of Groennfell Meadery. The Highlights:
Go buy it! Disclaimers:
In which Ricky the Meadmaker answers questions about recipe design, where to buy Groennfell mead, facial hair, and more. ![]() Honey is pretty great. It makes fine baked goods, it lasts forever, it’s actually an effective cough suppressant, and of course without honey there is no mead. But with thousands of honey sources, choosing what type to use for any of these applications can be tricky. Well, there’s good news. If you’re trying to use honey as a cough suppressant, the varietal doesn’t seem to matter! (Actually, even silan date extract will do in a pinch, it turns out.) That’s the end of the easy bit, however. Honey can be roughly classified using two metrics: Nectar source and processing technique. The nectar source defines the varietal characteristics of honey, which we’ve already written a bit about here. So, today we’re going to talk about processing. The National Honey Board classifies honey into only five packaging/processing groups, which can be viewed on their website. The apiary and mead making community uses a significantly more nuanced classification system which tells you much more about the honey you are buying. From least to most processed it goes:
There you have it! There are a few subsidiary techniques we left out such as centrifuging, ultrasonicating, and the like, but this is a good general primer of honey types to get you started. If you really want to geek out about honey, we have good news: The Internet Exists. Look what we found on page 7 of the February 1936 issue of Men's Mustaches and Muscles Monthly! Free to download in all its hi-def glory here, or available at a very reasonable price from our online store!
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BlogGroennfell Meadery is Vermont’s premier craft meadery. Inspired by Old Norse legends, brewed with extraordinary ingredients, Groennfell’s meads are unlike anything you’ve had before. Crisp, clean, and astoundingly drinkable, the only way to explain any one of Groennfell’s meads is to try one yourself.
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