US Airways - November 2013 - (Page 19)

explore Wine & Dine Taste, Savor, enjoy A Taste of Honey Mead, the world’s oldest brew, is charming the modern palate. by nick Passmore ★ illustration by matthieu forichon Not too long ago, if you had any awareness of mead it was probably a vague image of marauding Vikings quaffing flagons of something like strong beer. Today, modern palates are discovering this ancient brew anew. According to the Grocer, a British trade publication, sales of mead in the UK doubled during 2010. The magazine attributes this trend to the drink’s prominence in the Harry Potter films, particularly The Half Blood Prince, released in 2009. And the same thing is happening in the U.S. David Phillips of Astor Wines & Spirits in New York has trouble keeping it in stock. “There’s a high demand for mead, and a lot of it is made in such small quantities. There’ll be a mead we’ve been stocking for a while, it will sell out, and we’re not able to reorder it.” Mead has been around for a long time, with archaeological evidence suggesting that it’s the world’s oldest fermented beverage. Chemical analysis of pottery chards from the village of Jiahu in Northern China show that honey was being fermented there 9,000 years ago. It has been the national drink of Ethiopia since long before records were kept. Homer and Virgil mention it, and it makes multiple appearances in ancient European myths. The mead hall was the center of ancient Norse settlements, a place for communal relaxation and revelry when men grew weary from pillaging northern Europe. Traditional mead is made by adding water to honey and letting it ferment. In theory, the process is simple, but in practice it’s exceedingly complex. Unless the mead-maker gets the details right, you wind up with a pretty rough-tasting brew. Brad Dahlhofer, founder of the B. Nektar Meadery in Michigan, experienced this firsthand. He had started making home-brewed beer when he came across a section in his manual about brewing mead. “It took me quite a few years before I actually got around to making a batch of mead, and it was horrible,” he says. “I was obviously doing something usairwaysmag.com november 2013 19 http://www.usairwaysmag.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of US Airways - November 2013

Table of Contents
CEO Letter
From the Editor
Did You Know?
Making It Happen
Hot Spots: A Caribbean Christmas
Hub Crawl: Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
Wine & Dine: Mead
Wine & Dine: Smith & Wollensky
Wine & Dine: Silver Oak Winery
Style Spotlight: Holiday fashion for men and women
Great Escapes: Nova Scotia
Great Escapes: Christmas in Colonial Williamsburg
Adventure: Cyclocross
Adventure: Wandering Manhattan
Gear Up: Time, Space, and Labor Savers
Travel Feature: Madrid, Bite by Bite
Carolinas Aviation Museum
Destination 48: Phoenix
Military Colleges and Schools
University Spotlight: Auburn University
Best of Health: Miami Beach Foot and Ankle Surgery
Must Read: Running Like a Girl
Great Dates
Puzzles
Readers Resource Index
Your US Airways Guide
Video Entertainment
Audio Entertainment
U.S. and Caribbean Service Map
International Service Map
Airport Terminal Maps
US Airways Fleet/Customs & Immigration
Passenger Info/Contact US Airways
US Airways MarketPlace®
Giving: Carolinas Freedom Foundation
Window or Aisle?

US Airways - November 2013