I racked my latest mead tonight, hoping it’ll be as good as the very first batch I made back in 2003. I’ve used the same recipe and honey, just increasing the amounts.
For most people, brewing isn’t part of their spiritual practice, but for me it is. I can’t really explain why it just is. I guess part of it is that mead is so closely connected with heathenry. Another part is the craft itself; me being the crafty witch that I am.
Oh, before I forget to tell you; zymosis is another word for fermentation 🙂 Brewing wines and mead is part of my true self. I don’t brew to get drunk, I brew for the craft, to see if I can do better than last time, to be able to offer something good that I made myself to the powers I honour and my friends.
What relation do you have to alcoholic beverages?
Have you tried brewing your own?
Leave me a comment below.
This post is part of the Pagan Blog Project, created by Rowan Pendragon
I love mead – and I love YOUR mead, as you know! 😉
Unfortunately I live in a tiny flat right now so brewing is rather out of the question. But I am planning to learn it when I have my own place. I do relate to your feeling that it’s a spiritual practice – it is so closely related to ancient customs, and also it’s a grassroots activity and better for the environment than large scale industrial breweries. All this goes rather well with my own idea of my spirituality/religion.
I know 🙂 and you tasted the first batch I ever made. Incidentally, that one was mate in a 5 liter container in my kitchen while living in a flat 🙂 All the room I needed, was a big pot and that jug.
What’s worst about making mead is the rice of the honey needed. That first batch of 5 liters cost me about NOK 120. The one I’m making now was NOK 600 of the same honey as the first one. I hope it turns out as good.
It isn’t hard to make, compared to red wine. I just wish those who can’t had access to better quality mead here in Norway.
I don’t even have a kitchen at the moment, only a few kitchen units in the main room of my flat. Those units are stuffed full, and every inch of their surface covered with herbs, spices, the electric kettle, the toaster, dish cloths, and other essentials. It’s a real challenge trying to make space to roll out dough for a round cake, lol! The same spacial challenge goes for every other corner of my tiny flat.
But one day, I’m telling you 😀
When you get that witch’s cottage, no one will be able to stop you 🙂