The Mead House

Catching up after an action packed travel schedule, Jeff and Chris spend a little time chatting over some of the popular trends they’ve seen in mead making, from the ubiquitous meadowfoam honey to some trends in the past and speculating as to what new trends are coming forward. The Mead House Podcast is sponsored by Bacchus … Continue reading "Episode 318 – Trends in Mead Making"

The guys take some time to do a recap of this year’s Valkyrie’s Horn mead competition while driving home from Minneapolis as the experience is still fresh in their minds. Tune in for the impressions, annecdotes, memorable parts of the experience and far too many new ideas the fellas have come up with over the … Continue reading "Episode 317 – Mead House on the Road"

Jeff challenges Chris to design a pyment using some wine concentrate which may be past its sell-by date, using ingredients he has around the house. The guys think about additional fruit, spices, different options for yeast and honey, and the end result shows a lot of promise. The Mead House Podcast is sponsored by Bacchus & … Continue reading "Episode 316 – The Pyment Challenge"

The guys spend a fair bit of time thinking through how to put together a good pyment, a mead/wine hybrid, and all the considerations that need to go into that. Then they take a few minutes talking about some of their favorite YouTube content creators by listener request. Valkyrie’s Horn Mead Competition: https://home.valkyrieshorn.com/ The Mead … Continue reading "Episode 315 – Thinking about Pyments and YouTube Content"

Jeff takes some time to talk Chris through a mead recipe he’s taken through several iterations – a sangria style mead he makes for his wife Sheila. Using a base of blackberry wine and merlot kits and some eclectic ingredients for backsweetening, they end up with a consistent crowd pleaser that gets repeated again and … Continue reading "Episode 314 – Sangria Mead"

The guys take some time speculating about the burn – not just capsumels using hot peppers, but what other ingredients could be used in mead to get the heat sensation and how to approach adding those ingredients, including hot peppers, ginger, black pepper, and even a few other odd possibilites! Valkyrie’s Horn Mead Competition: https://home.valkyrieshorn.com/ … Continue reading "Episode 313 – Bringing the Heat"

The guys are working towards a trifecta! In this third episode of “let’s eat interesting stuff we found and see if it can make a mead” Chris brings in a series of 11 different fruits to sample and evaluate their feasibility in making a new interesting mead with. Some produce strong options, some produce disappointment, … Continue reading "Episode 312 – Exotic Fruit Tasting"

Jeff takes a turn at “I found this weird thing…” and cracks into some pomelo. Chris ups the ante and brings ‘sweet lime’ and kumquats to the flavor party, along with pomelons, then Jeff takes a step way out to left field to sample a little dried galangal. Editor’s note: It looks as though pomelo, … Continue reading "Episode 311 – Adventures in Citrus"

At Chris’ suggestion, the guys take a deep dive into trying lychee and lychee flavored drinks, talk options for how to make lychee into a mead, whether to use whole fruit or prepared options, honey selection, and even a little on other flavors that play well with this fruit. BJCP Mead Judging Program: https://dev.bjcp.org/exam-certification/mead-judge-program/ Valkyrie’s … Continue reading "Episode 310 – Lychees"