The August Beverage of the month comes from Daven MacKennaugh from the Barony of the Endless Hills.
I made my first batch of mead out of aphid honey. It's historically Greek or French made from bees that gather secretions off aphids that feed off fir tree sap. It has a dark woodsy flavor that matches well with ice and mint. It's like walking through a forest of evergreen in early spring.
There is very little historical reference for this specific process as it wasn't understood in period but we have documentation of mead in the regions so we assume that the honey would be the same and mint grew and was used as a flavoring agent in the regions as well. I call the mead "bug juice."
If you have questions about the recipe below, please get in touch with Daven (Sean Bergold on Facebook) directly.
The following makes a one gallon batch of mead
Primary
- 4 lbs of fir honey
- Water to one gallon
- Yeast (I used Kvike)
- Yeast nutrient (I used orange rinds and orange slices)
CRASH!!!
Backsweeten with:
- 1/2lb Fir honey
- 12 simmered Mint leaves