Image courtesy of Dan Clapp/1634 Meadery
You’ve most likely familiar with grape wines, and we have previously talked about apple ciders and kombucha. But today we’ll explore another direction in the world of fermentation – creation of a mead.
My guest is Dan Clapp. Dan is an engineer by training, yet few years back he discovered a new passion he is excited to share with the world.
Today, together with his family, he owns 1634 Meadery in Ipswich, Massachusetts. This is where he makes mead by fermenting honey and creating interesting combinations of flavors. Mead has not yet become as popular as other alcoholic beverages, but the world of mead-making has rich history and exciting future.
I’m a huge lover of honey, so anything that is honey-based automatically gets on my ‘have to try this’ list.
By the end of this episode, you’ll understand the history of mead-making and will get to learn more about the fascinating world of honey fermentation.
Topics:
- Why Dan changed his career from engineering to mead making
- What is mead and how it is connected to Vikings
- What’s unique about preparing mead, how are flavors infused into mead, and how does mead compare to other alcoholic beverages
- Ways in which Dan weaves local history into making mead today
- Why Dan supports bee keepers and what are some of his personal views on bee keeping, health of bees and honey in general
Web resources:
- Dan’s website 1634 Meadery, their Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts
- Ask This Old House – How to make mead at home
- Definition of Mead and mead variants like melomel, metheglin
Books:
Beowulf: A Translation and Commentary
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