[Vol. 1] Is mead sweet?

Good morning!
This is Yazawa, reporting in after spending yesterday afternoon at an event called the Full Moon Marche on the shores of Lake Biwa. It was pouring rain when we were setting up, but by 11:00 AM, the sky had cleared up perfectly.

From people making art out of bamboo and brass, to those serving up game meat cuisine, to the sincere folks in the line for the bakery that stretched all the way to my booth who awkwardly asked, "What is mead?"—it was such a fun day meeting so many different people.☼

Also, this doesn't really concern any of you, but our team member Yusuke, who has been working with us since March of this year... believe it or not...

He apparently tore a muscle yesterday. Everyone, please be careful when you suddenly decide to dash somewhere.

Anyway, today, while I clean the bottling machine and tanks, I’m thinking I’d like to create a page where we introduce the liquor stores that carry our products in our own way.

I’ve looked at various sites and noticed they just link out to the liquor stores, and I’ve always felt it would be better for us to introduce them ourselves, but I just haven’t been able to make it happen. I plan to introduce every single liquor store that I have personally greeted.

Today's Column - Is Mead Sweet? -

This is a question I get so often when I'm out at events.

Q: Since it's honey wine, is it sweet?

A: Compared to all alcoholic beverages, many are sweet, but we (ANTELOPE) also make ones that aren't very sweet.

I imagine you receive similar questions at your stores, so I'd like to write a column revisiting the question: "What exactly is the sweetness of mead?"

1. Why was mead traditionally sweet?

Honey is primarily made of monosaccharides and seems like an excellent energy source for yeast to use in fermentation.

However, in reality, honey lacks the proteins and other nutrients that yeast needs, which leads to yeast malnutrition. Because of this, if you just put yeast into a mixture of honey and water, it might ferment vigorously at first, but eventually, it stops due to malnutrition. This is the reason why mead was traditionally sweet.

2. Can we make dry mead nowadays?

Using modern techniques, it is technically possible to create mead with almost no residual sugar.

3. Is "dry" mead really dry?

Dry mead is made all over the world, including by us. However, this is only "dry" by the standards of mead. Even our driest product had more than 20g/L of residual sugar. In the world of wine, a dry sparkling wine is defined as less than 12g/L, so it doesn't quite reach the level of "dry" in the wine world.

4. Why leave some residual sugar?

Unlike grapes or apples, honey doesn't have inherent acidity or tannins. It possesses no elements to create flavor other than its gorgeous aroma and sweetness, so if you make it too dry, you lose the "backbone" of the flavor. For this reason, we leave a little residual sugar to give the flavor body, even when we call it "dry." That said, I would like to try making a completely sugar-free mead someday.☼

5. Are the world's most popular meads usually sweet?

In the world of mead, it's overwhelmingly the sweet ones that continue to build a passionate fan base. On Untappd, the world's largest app for rating craft beer, sweet meads consistently occupy the top rankings. We want to keep making sweet meads that can compete on the world stage.☼