I first learned of mead in high school, but then it was only by reputation: The mead hall in “Beowulf” where Danish king Hrothgar and his people quaffed cups to achieve “mead joy”—until Grendel showed up and ruined the party.
Others may have recently caught wind of it via Game of Thrones. But textual mentions of this honey wine date back to ancient Greece, and even earlier to 1500 B.C. in India, while 9,000-year-old pottery artifacts in China show evidence of fermented honey.
