If you’ve never been to a meadery, you only have to travel as far as San Martin to try the potent libation sometimes referred to as honey-wine.
Alderin’s Meadery, a Lightheart Cellars brand, is the brainchild of Mead Master Noah James, who is quick to converse on mead making, its storied history and its resurgence in popularity.
When you hear the word “mead,” it may conjure up images of the fictional half-giant Hagrid enjoying mulled mead at the Three Broomsticks pub of “Harry Potter” fame. Or the legend of Beowulf, in which King Hrothgar’s mead hall was attacked by the man-eating demon Grendel. Or the fabled Camelot, where King Arthur’s knights drank mead in celebration of their victories.
But mead is more than the stuff – or drink – of legends and myth.
In reality, references to mead can be found in archaeological evidence dating back to the seventh millennium B.C. in China; in India’s oldest Sanskrit text, Rigveda (circa 1700 to 1100 B.C.); and in the writings of Greek philosopher Aristotle in the fourth century B.C. The use of mead for ceremonial and everyday purposes can be linked to various civilizations. For Mayan kings, Egyptian pharaohs, Australian Aboriginal tribes, Northern Europe’s Viking warriors and early American settlers, mead was part of everyday life.
Noah James explains that while mead is sometimes referred to as honey-wine, grapes actually have nothing to do with it, so much as the humble honeybee.
The brewing process entails mixing honey with hot water, then adding yeast. This mixture is allowed to ferment in a sealed carboy (a glass or plastic fermentation container) until the yeast has converted the natural honey sugars into alcohol, which produces a traditional mead. Meads may be still, carbonated or naturally sparkling, and range from dry to semi-sweet or sweet.
James, 39, is an IT professional and East Coast native who settled in the South Bay five years ago. He is the son of Jane Haynie, who with her husband Sheldon own and operate Lightheart Cellars on Roosevelt Avenue west of U.S. 101 in San Martin.
“I discovered mead at the Northern California Renaissance Faire in 2008, and not only liked the taste but also the fact that it didn’t give me a headache like some wines do,” said James. “Mead wasn’t readily available locally, so I decided to have a go at making my own. My first batch turned out well, so I shared it with friends who also liked it.”
When he decided to launch Alderin’s Meadery in 2011 as a commercial venture, the Haynies invited James to sell mead under the Lightheart Cellars brand. He’s been brewing mead ever since, and making larger quantities each year.
“The yeasts, processes and equipment involved in mead making are similar to those used to make wine, as are the licensing regulations and requirements,” explains James. “But mead making is also very freeing. I can purchase honey locally, virtually any time of year, and store it indefinitely because of its natural preservative qualities. I can experiment with honey varieties, offering distinct flavors based on what is geographically or seasonally available to the honeybees, ranging from clover, apple and orange blossoms, wildflowers to alfalfa, buckwheat and more. It actually takes about 200 pounds of honey to produce a barrel of mead.”
Alderin’s Meads are aged in traditional oak barrels, which yield 300, 750 milliliter bottles per barrel. While some wines require dark green or brown bottles to protect the wine from overexposure to light which can impact their flavor, meads can be bottled in any color bottle, and mead makers often prefer clear bottles to show off the mead’s color.
James himself designed the Alderin’s Meadery label, combining a traditional Celtic knot design with a hexagonal shape, which happens to be the natural shape of a honeycomb.
“My first mead, produced in 2011, is Ostara, named for a pagan goddess associated with the spring equinox,” said James. “All in all, it finished with a light and faintly lemony, cider taste which some people favor.
He followed that with Simple Pleasures, a nicely balanced foundational mead, in 2012. His third mead was Winter Celebration, classified as a “metheglin” mead because spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice and vanilla were added. One customer called it “Christmas in a cup.”
Alderin’s Mead selections range from $23 to $25 per bottle. Along with word-of-mouth promotion through tasting events at Lightheart Cellars, James’ marketing efforts include his website and Facebook page, and participation in “mead-friendly” events such as Morgan Hill’s Passport Weekend and San Jose’s upcoming Fantasy Faire in Guadalupe Park on April 13 and 14.
James is now experimenting with Melomel meads, which add fruits or vegetables to the honey base.
“I have a new strawberry mead coming to the shelf this spring that I’m very excited about,” he said. “When I first sampled it after a few months, the strawberry scent and flavor was virtually undetectable. I waited a year, and the strawberry has fully come through. With things going so well I decided to develop a new prototype, a cherry mead that I started last June and plan to bring to market in 2014.”
Alderin’s Meads seem to have entered the market at an auspicious time.
So what’s all the buzz about?
According to Vicky Rowe, managing director of the Mazer Cup International Mead Competition, the mead industry has experienced 100 percent growth over the last decade.
“The Mazer Cup is now in its fifth year of judging meads from around the world,” said Rowe.
She said more than 800 entrants have registered to compete in the 2013 event being held this month in Boulder, Colo.
“We’re seeing growth at every level,” she continued. “Home brewers, meaderies and large commercial wineries are offering mead. Makers are attracted by the limitless possibilities to develop new mead varieties, and consumers enjoy the variety as much as they do the history and lore surrounding mead.”
Alderin’s Mead can be sampled and purchased at Lightheart Cellars, 305 Roosevelt Ave. in San Martin. Regular hours are noon to 5 p.m. the first and third weekends of every month and by appointment. Customers who shop at Rocca’s Market at 13335 Monterey Hwy. in San Martin will find Alderin’s Mead on its shelves. On the local restaurant scene, Morgan Hill’s Rosy’s at the Beach stocks Alderin’s Simple Pleasures and recommends it with their glazed salmon entrée. To contact Alderin’s Meadery, call (408) 915-MEAD (6323), or visit the website, http://www.alderinsmeadery.com.
