Old but Not Forgotten

Mead is fermented honey, and it is, most likely, the oldest alcoholic drink. It’s so old that historians talk about placing its discovery anywhere from 20,000 to 40,000 years ago. That’s a range of 20,000 years. Human civilization is only around 10,000 years old! It would be such an easy discovery that it makes sense, though. You don’t even need domesticated agriculture. All you need is a beehive close to the ground where water can pool (say the trunk of a downed tree). Water mixes with the honey, wild yeast ferments it, and some early human discovers alcohol. Ta da!

The ease of mead’s occurrence can explain why mead traditions developed independently in Africa, Ireland, Scandinavia, the Middle East, and China (and that is not an exhaustive list). Heck, mead is as close as we come to having a “world’s drink.”

This week, we toast the world by breaking out a little mead. Please join us any time in between 5:00 and 6:30 PM.