Mead: Not Ale.

Mead is a largely unknown beverage in the USA. Until we opened our doors there were (Edited: 134 - thanks Reddit user MarsColonist!) meaderies in this country, and we are the (Edited: 135th) - that's just about one to a state. Very few brands of mead have national distribution, and none of those are highly regarded. Why? It boggles the mind - the oldest alcoholic beverage known to man is so little known and unpopular in the country which is, to many, the symbol of the modern world. Perhaps we do forget our roots, as we are accused by hippies and mystics.

Some have heard of mead because it's served at renaissance fairs and festivals, and Medieval Times(tm). It's served in an ancient or fantasy context, with games evoking such images as a flagon of mead. Some fantasy authors even use mead interchangeably with ale in their stories, and this is where the confusion creeps in. Mead is not ale - though a honey ale would be a relative. The ingredients are often different in all respects but the water - different kinds of yeast, and certainly different sugars to be fermented.

Mead is, legally, a wine from "other agricultural products," specifically honey. Honey is the major ingredient in mead, and to begin with it's just much more expensive than wheat or barley, the major ingredients in an ale. Even hops, a traditional major flavor for ales and beers, don't bring the ingredients cost up to what mead runs just for the honey. Home-brewers of mead face retail prices of $5 to $8 per pound for their honey, depending on sale prices. Buying in bulk can only improve that by so much, and it can take 5 pounds of honey per gallon of mead. So, simply based on the cost to produce, honey wine is a premium product.

Because of this, our goal at Wotan's Wisdom is to make every bottle worth the high price we must charge to make a profit. All the care and passion we can muster go into making sure we have the best quality ingredients and tools:
-   Locally sourced organic honey.
-   Fresh fruit.
-   Top quality spices.
-   Carefully cultured yeast.
-   Thoroughly sanitized brewing and bottling equipment.

We are not aiming to be the lowest price, though we will try to avoid being the highest (some wines are way too expensive!) - but we're confident you will try our mead and decide it was worth what you paid. If you try it, and have an idea what would be even better, remember that we offer custom flavors brewed to taste if you order at least a case. Contact us at wotanswisdom@gmail.com to discuss a custom flavor - and look for our mail-order form to become available online tomorrow (later today, technically, since it's quite late when I'm posting this).