Thursday 25 May 2017

The Beverage of the Gods


Accompanying the resurgent popularity of paganism, heathenry, vikings and craft beer-and-wine making is a newfound interest in mead. Mead is made from honey, can be produced as beer or wine, and is the traditional beverage of the Germanic-Norse gods. Apparently it's all they drink in Valhalla.


So while My Rare One and I were in Water Valley last weekend, we took the opportunity to go to Alberta's finest commercial maker and purveyor of mead -- the Fallentimber Meadery!




We enjoyed a lovely tasting of various types of mead while browsing around the sales centre. I came home with a bottle of traditional mead wine and a couple of small bottles of their latest product -- meadjito -- like a regular mojito but with mead instead of rum. It's carbonated, has a minty citrus taste, and will be very refreshing on a hot summer's night, we figure.


[All images from the internet except photos #4 and #6 by Debra She Who Seeks, May 2017]

37 comments:

anne marie in philly said...

looks like fun; I have never tasted mead.

jaz@octoberfarm said...

what a cool place!

Anonymous said...

Now that's a place I'd like to visit! Reminds me of the vineyards we visited in Germany. Way cool.

Elsie Amata

Mark said...

Mead is one of those things I've always wanted to try but it's still not common around these parts. Enjoy your Godly drinks!

DEZMOND said...

Valhalla is basically one big smelly tavern filled with Viking drunkards

Marie Smith said...

Such a great idea for a new business! Enjoy!

The Captain said...

I went to a honey farm once which had a big meadery (I think that's what they call it). Didn't care much for the drink though.

Jeanne said...

Love the name - Fallentimber. :o) And the Meadjito sounds interesting.

Fearsome Beard said...

I love the building. I've always had a fantasy about living in such a styled building as one big open space. I don't drink so I'll let you enjoy all the Mead.

Insomniac's Attic said...

I really need to get up there this weekend and get me some of that Meadjito stuff, not that I'm expecting any nice patio weather here anytime soon. It seems you brought the good weather with you last and took it with you when you left! Yesterday it was so windy a huge tree fell across the driveway when I came home from the store last night, and I had to park up near the road and walk in through a bloody monsoon. lol

Susan said...

Mead! What a great way to spend a day! I love anything 'jito'...

MrsDuncanMahogany said...

You know...I have never had mead. What a bad Pagan I am....

Must rectify ASAP.

jimserrettstudio said...

"Beware the man, who drinks not." -Icelandic Proverb

Martha said...

Looks like a fun, outdoorsy kind of place. Good for photography, too. I've never had mead but I'd be game to try!

Leanna said...

Hmmmmm, sounds like you had some fun. The place looks like a beer garten. Cool beans.

Janie Junebug said...

I thought mead was something mentioned in books that didn't exist anymore. Now I know better.

Love,
Janie

Sarah said...

I love a good mead. I am quite fortunate that one of the drinks shops in Newcastle stock Lindisfarne Mead, which distilled on Holy Island The same place the Vikings first raided. At Christmas, there is a Medieval market that stocks mead from all over the Uk and parts of Europe.

Magaly Guerrero said...

I love the word meadery. And I can't wait to use the phrase, "Do it like a Viking... with honey".

Rain said...

What a lovely place Debra! I never ever heard of a meadery before!

brewella deville said...

I made a very basic mead a few years ago, it's a fun little project. It took ten minutes to put together, the hardest part was waiting almost two months for it to finish fermenting. It was nice, like a little desert wine grandma would sip after Christmas dinner. Google "Joe's Ancient Orange Mead" if you're interested.

Linda d said...

That looks like fun and sounds yummy.

Guillaume said...

I need to drink mead then.

Adam said...

It's a shame they did eventually turn the Norse gods away into the realm of myth. But then again, the Nordic countries are faster to throwing Christianity into it than America is.

Hail Odin!

Birdie said...

I don't think I've ever had mead. If you can pull me away from my Guinness I might try it.

Rawknrobyn.blogspot.com said...

The meadjito sounds tasty.

The Happy Whisk said...

I've never had it. Actually, I never drink. Unless you count hot chocolate with plant milk and the best 100 percent cocoa in the history of ever, as a drink. No good?

AntiquityTravelers said...

yum! we haven't been to the Renaissance Faire in a few years, but Mead is always my drink of choice there! praise be to Odin :)

Professor Chaos said...

When i first heard about mead, I thought it sounded horrible. A beverage made of honey? Fermented honey? Eeewww. But then a friend let me try some Ethiopian honey wine and it was pretty darn good. Now I want to try some mead.

Willym said...

It's been a long while since I've tasted mead and seem to recall it being rather heavy???? But that meadjito sounds intriguing, very intriguing.

DB Stewart said...

I have a friend who owns a private liquor store. I will definitely tell him about this. Have a good weekend.

This N That said...

Looks like a fun place..Never heard of Mead..Thanks for the intro..Have a great weekend.

yellowdoggranny said...

I've had mead a couple of times..I'd start drinking again if I could get it regularly..want to know how to make it too.

Fundy Blue said...

I've never hear of a meadery or a meadjito. Sounds like it was a fun visit!

Miss Val's Creations said...

I don't believe I have every tried mead before. There is a place in our state that makes it and has tastings. I do love alcoholic tasting events!

baili said...

elegant place .
you must have great time there dear Debra

The Dancing Crone said...

That sounds really interesting! I've often wondered what mead was/is!

Magic Love Crow said...

I have never drank mead before! I think I must try it! What a beautiful area, where they make it! That must be your kitchen. I see a Goddess statue and a Spiral statue in the back!