Hops and Honey

Did you know that 1 out of every 2 two beers consumed in America is made by Anheuser-Busch?

It's OK, if you didn't know that as neither did we. In early March, we visited its Merrimack, NH brewery that serves all New England. Out of all 12 Anheuser-Busch breweries in the U.S. breweries, this location in the picturesque Merrimack Valley is considered the most scenic. We can't vouch for the view as on our visit, there was a lot of snow.

Built in 1970, the brewery can package 8 million 12-ounce servings in 24 hours. 

 

The free 40-minute brewery tour is capped with a 15-minute visit to the sampling room, where adults can select 2 samples and a bag of pretzels. Younger visitors get a choice of soft drinks. 

The same week we visited Moonlight Meadowy in Londonderry, NH. However, this location was less scenic as it's currently housed in an industrial building.

Mead is wine made from honey and it was the tipple of choice from ancient times through the late Middle Ages, when honey was supplanted by cheaper sugars, which led to a rise in ales.

Moonlight Meadery was started in 2010. This alcoholic beverage is made by fermenting honey with water and in adulterated form with various fruits, spices, grains and even hops, a main ingredient in beer. 

 

Mead may conjure up images of Renaissance fairs or Germanic folk tales as it's known from many sources of ancient history throughout Europe, Africa and Asia. You may even have heard it referred to as "honey-wine." 

Mead has more alcohol by value (ABV) content (8-16%) than beer (2 to 12%) and can even go as high as 20% ABV. The defining characteristic of mead is that the majority of the beverage's fermentable sugar is derived from honey. Mead can be still, carbonated, or naturally sparkling, dry, semi-sweet, or sweet. The flavor of a mead changes based on the flowers that honeybees use to pollinate. 

Our 30 minute "tour" included details on the types of honey and the fermentation process. Afterwards, we sampled varieties named: Slow Dance, Flame, Admiration, Fling, Mischief, Smitten, Je t’aime, Sensual, Blissful, Paramour, Desire, Kisses, Dreamy, Breathless, Seduction. 

Honeymoon can be traced to the medieval tradition of drinking honey wine for a full cycle of the moon after marriage. Mead was thought to be an aphrodisiac, that if consumed by newlyweds, would produce offspring sooner. This is why, a bride’s father would often include enough mead in her dowry to last a month.

There are at least 165 meaderies in the U.S. It’s generally not widely available in bars. Craft mead hasn’t yet been commercialized on a large scale and can be more costly than wine. While mead was a nice treat, we prefer our alcoholic beverages to remain beer and wine. 

What are your drinking preferences?