What Honey Can You Use To Make Mead?

Over the years, I've had a few friends attempt to home-brew a batch of their own mead. It's a fairly easy liquor to make on your own because you're simply mixing honey with water and yeast and then letting it ferment. Mead is sometimes called honey wine or misunderstood to be honey beer, but it's not made from grapes or hops: Honey is the central ingredient, and the sugary heart of any good mead (you can add other stuff, but we'll get into that later). And, you should be particular about the type of honey you choose since it controls the mead's flavor.

We spoke to Catherine Barry, vice president of marketing at the National Honey Board, and she explained that there are over 3,000 different types of honey all with varying flavors that depend on where the bees go foraging for nectar (you won't find wasp or ant honey in stores). Each kind of honey tastes and smells different. Barry believes any honey can work in mead, but she recommends making your first batch with one that's easy to find in stores: "For beginners, it's best to find a more common honey like wildflower or clover to get started. This will give the mead maker a chance to see how honey works in the fermentation process." From there, you can branch out into more unorthodox styles.

Even though honey is almost entirely made of natural sugars from plant nectar (plus water), this doesn't mean your mead has to purely taste sweet. According to Catherine Barry, you've got a wide range of flavors to experiment with: "If a mead maker was to use buckwheat honey to make a mead, the finished product would have earthy notes with hints of malt and toffee. Whereas if you used an orange blossom honey, the mead will be lighter, more delicate with very light citrus notes." As you grow more confident in your homemade mead operation, Barry recommends branching out into more uncommon varieties like buttery Tupelo honey or even avocado honey (made from the nectar of avocado plants).

Keep in mind that the fermentation process also affects the mead's flavor and, even if it is easier to make than other liquors, it still takes practice. For example, honey basically does last forever, but it can spoil if you don't handle it properly. On a more positive note, you can infuse lots of different fruits and herbs into mead if you want to mess around with the honey's taste — fruits like citrus and berries are more likely to sweeten your mead, while herbs can add floral or even spicy notes. Know what honey you're working with, and think about what extras might enhance or build upon that flavor. And then let it ferment.