Have you heard all the buzz surrounding our meadery tour? Long before beer ruled bars and wine filled cellars, there was the original fermented drink: mead. Revered across ancient civilizations and making a flavorful comeback today, mead is more than just a “honey wine”. It’s a drink steeped in history, shaped by nature and brought to life through the power of bees. Today, locally sourced honey plays a key role in making each sip a sustainable and flavorful experience. Dive into the history of Mead, the world’s oldest alcoholic beverage. Then, get ready for a sweet and tasty tour on your day trip from Boston to Honeybound Meadery.
What is Mead?
Mead is an alcoholic beverage created by fermenting honey with water. Depending on the style, it can also include fruits, spices, or even apple juice. With a flavor range as wide as wine and beer, mead can be dry, semi-sweet, or sweet, and still or sparkling.
Mead is often called “honey wine” but it stands apart from both wine and beer, with differences in the creation process. Mead is simplistic with a natural sweetness: it’s a celebration of honey.
Mead’s Sweet Beginning
The origins of mead date back over 9,000 years, with archaeological evidence of honey fermentation found in ancient China. Mead appears in Egyptian hieroglyphs, was celebrated by the Celts and Vikings, and was associated with divinity in Greek mythology.
In Norse legend, the Mead of Poetry granted wisdom and inspiration. Ancient African tribes used mead in spiritual rituals; while in medieval Europe it was a staple at royal feasts. The term “honeymoon” is believed to come from the tradition of giving newlyweds enough mead to last a month, signifying prosperity, fertility, and happiness.
Though it fell out of popularity with the rise of beer and grape-based wine, mead has recently seen a revival alongside the craft beverage movement and a growing interest in sustainable, locally crafted drinks.
The Magic Ingredient: Honey
Honey is essential to mead. It provides the sugars necessary for fermentation and contributes unique flavors and aromas based on its source. This is because, like wine, honey will develop a distinct flavor, or terroir. The climate, diversity of flowers, soil composition, and, unlike wine, even beekeeping practices from its source will influence the characteristics of the final product. Seasonality is also a factor, with spring producing lighter, more delicate tasting honey and autumn producing darker, richer tasting honey.
The variety of honey used dramatically affects the final taste. One popular choice: clover honey, offers mild, floral notes, while darker wildflower honey provides depth and complexity. Orange blossom, buckwheat, and blueberry honeys can all add distinct regional flair.
Each batch of honey carries the essence of local flora, shaped by geography, season, and the bees themselves. This natural variability makes mead an especially expressive craft drink.
Why Locally Sourced Honey Matters
Using local honey in mead-making isn’t just about taste; it’s about sustainability, community and connection.
1. Unique Flavor Profile:
Local honey reflects the local terroir, creating a mead that tastes like that region. It’s a sensory snapshot of a specific place and season.
2. Environmental Sustainability:
Sourcing honey locally reduces transportation emissions and supports eco-friendly agriculture. Supporting small-scale beekeepers often means organic and regenerative practices.
3. Pollinator Health:
Buying local honey helps fund local beekeeping, which is essential for maintaining healthy bee populations. Healthy pollinators means thriving ecosystems and food supplies.
4. Support for Small Businesses:
Choosing mead made with local honey boosts the local economy and helps preserve artisanal food and beverage traditions.
The Colors of Honey and Their Flavors
Honey comes in a beautiful spectrum of colors, from water white to dark molasses-like hues. The Pfund color grader allows you to visually measure the color of honey. A glass wedge filled with the honey being measured is placed alongside a wedge of amber colored glass. The relative lightness or darkness of the honey to the wedge of amber colored glass is measured in millimeters, and from there a color grade is determined. Each shade tells a different story about the nectar source, and each influences the flavor of the mead it helps create.
Light honey (Water White to White):
Typically derived from clover, alfalfa, or fireweed. This honey is mild, delicately sweet, and floral. Ideal for light, crisp meads. Want to try mead made with light honey on your tour of Honeybound Meadery with Keolis massAdventures? Look for the ‘Honeybound Honey & Spice (and everything nice)’ and ‘Honeybound Traditional’ meads.
Amber Honey (Extra Light Amber to Amber):
Often made from wildflowers, this honey has a fuller, more robust flavor with notes of spice, fruit or nuttiness. It creates balanced, flavorful meads. When at Honeybound Meadery, try the ‘Honeybound Berried Alive Mead’, ‘Honeybound Knot Your Average Plum Mead’, or the ‘Honeybound Red Bamboo Mead’.
Dark Honey (Dark Amber to Dark):
Usually produced from buckwheat, chestnut, or fall wildflowers. Dark honey brings bold, molasses-like, malty, or earthy notes. Meads made with dark honey are rich, complex, and perfect for sipping slowly. If this is something you’d like, sample the ‘Honeybound Kissed Cherry Chocolate Mead’, ‘Honeybound Rapture Mead‘, or the ‘Honeybound Rip Currant Mead’.
The color of honey doesn’t just affect the taste, it also changes the appearance and mouthfeel of mead, making honey selection a true artform in the mead-making process.
Barrel Aging: Adding Depth with Character
Another layer of flavor complexity comes from the barrels used during the mead-making aging process. Barrel-aged meads have grown in popularity as producers experiment with different types of wood and previously used barrels to create unique flavor profiles.
Oak Barrels:
The sought-after choice for aging mead, oak lends flavors and aromas that complement any variety of mead you are making. If it is a brand-new barrel, you have to fill it with water and leave it for several weeks. This allows the wood to swell, effectively sealing any gaps. Using previously used barrels allows you to start sooner as this step is already done for you.
Wine Barrels (Red or White):
Wine barrels impart subtle grape tannins and fruit notes. Red wine barrels may add hints of cherry or blackberry. White wine barrels can contribute floral or citrus undertones.
Bourbon Barrels:
These barrels lend rich, smoky, and caramelized flavors to the mead. Notes of vanilla, oak, and spice are common, making for a decadent sipping experience.
Whiskey Barrels:
Similar to bourbon barrels, but with more emphasis on malt and spice. These meads often have a warming, complex finish.
Rum Barrels:
Rum barrel-aged meads may pick up tropical notes like coconut, molasses, or banana, adding a touch of sweetness and warmth.
Brandy Barrels:
Brandy barrels can impart a smooth, fruity complexity with elevated warmth and elegance.
The types of barrel used, and the length of time the mead ages within it, greatly affects the mouthfeel, aroma and taste of mead. Barrel aging is an art in itself, one that marries traditional mead-making with modern innovation.
Mead Today – A Taste of Tradition
Modern meaderies are embracing the rich history of mead while adding their own local twist. Many small producers prioritize organic practices, sustainable packaging, and partnerships with regional apiaries.
Craft meaderies can also invite visitors in to explore their process on a guided meadery tour. Visitors can taste seasonal releases while learning about bees, honey, and the mead-making process. For those who want to support local businesses, sip something different, or reduce their environmental impact, mead is a meaningful and delicious choice.
Honeybound Meadery
Rick Reault, owner of The Colony, was destined to be a beekeeper and mead-maker. From his childhood bee costume to his uncle’s mentorship as a beekeeper, Rick has been in the bee business for decades. A third-generation beekeeper, he started the current business almost 20 years ago, which has grown to be The Colony. The Colony encompasses three product lines: New England Beekeeping Supplies, Carlisle Honey, and Honeybound Meadery.
‘Honeybound’ is a term meaning ‘the hive is full of honey’. Rick chose it to highlight honey, so a potential customer could look at the label and immediately know what is in the crafted artisan drink . Rick strives himself on not only crafting delicious meads but truly taking care of his local bees. Overseeing New England Beekeeping Supplies, their small commercial beekeeping company, is no small feat. New England Beekeeping Supplies runs over 1,000 hives located in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont, with year-round care from experienced beekeepers. The care that goes into the bees is seen throughout all of his businesses. Tours into the mead making process at Honeybound Meadery are one-of-a-kind, with Rick himself leading the tours. Honeybound Meadery is one of only two meaderies in Massachusetts that allows visitors to tour the meadery, making this experience a must-do hidden gem for anyone interested in mead.
Experience a Meadery Tour with Keolis massAdventures
At Keolis massAdventures we believe in blending culture, curiosity, and craft. Our Local Meadery Tour & Wine Tasting invites you to step into the world of mead. At this local crafted artisan meadery, you’ll hear about the honey fermentation process, meet the makers and top off your tour with a mead tasting alongside the owner and beekeepers. You’ll sample a variety of their honey-based beverages that highlight the magic of Massachusetts flora and flavor. Be sure to sample their award-winning flavors, which have won 4 Gold Medals and a Silver Medal at the prestigious Mazer Cup International along with awards for “Best Mead in Massachusetts” at the Big E Fair. This is your chance to experience mead at one of the few meaderies in Massachusetts. With Keolis massAdventures, you’ll travel sustainably by Commuter Rail and chartered shuttle, no need to worry about driving!
Whether you’re new to mead or a seasoned connoisseur, there’s something special about exploring the history and ingredients of mead, then sipping on the drink that is crafted with such care and tradition. Mead is a journey through time and taste. From ancient elixirs to local spirits, each glass tells a story. With locally sourced honey, that story becomes even richer, connecting us to our environment, the past, and the small but mighty bees that make it all possible.
Ready to raise a glass? Join us on a day trip from Boston to explore Honeybound Meadery on our Local Meadery Tour – your next adventure is just a train trip & sip away!
