Mead without yeast - a drink of storytellers, gods, heroes and honeymooners

Russian folk tale always ends with the victory of good over evil and is crowned with a feast in honor of this victory. Or the wedding of the main character with the main character and again a feast. As evidenced by the narrator himself with the words: "And I was there, honey, I drank beer ..." Stop! Can I drink honey just like beer? Of course. If we are talking about an old Slavic low-alcohol beverage - a mead.

All peoples who had the opportunity to collect honey from wild bees, have been engaged in bortnichestvo since time immemorial. In Russia, they were engaged until the XVII century, gradually turning to beekeeping for beekeeping as the deforestation and domestication of bees. In the Slavs, honey was always in abundance - in the prince's mansions, and in the common people's cottages. Preparing from it and the main Russian alcoholic beverage (before the spread of vodka in the XVIII century) - a mead without yeast, then called honey or drunk honey. Already the name indicates that the strength of the drink was increased by adding hops to it during fermentation.

Hence the first recipe - the old, the closest to the Old Russian original. In it, the fermentation process provides berry juice, which is mixed with honey in a 2: 1 ratio. Hops into the mixture is added at will. After that, you need to mix it for about a week. Once the fermentation is over, pour it into the soaking container. I must say that those who are looking for a recipe how to make a mead without yeast, this method is immediately rejected. And not because it requires the presence of an underground cool storage for oak barrels. But because the mead in them should be aged for at least five years. Twenty is best. True, those who have the abyss of patience get an amazingly tasty and fragrant drink.

Preference is given to a much faster - five-month - mead without yeast. In 2 liters of water you need to dissolve a pound of honey, boil for a quarter of an hour, then cool to +50 degrees. Clear the cherry from the bones. It can take 2 kg; If you want a more vivid and pronounced taste - 4 kg. Cherry with honey syrup. Before fermentation add 2-3 cones of hops. Cover with a lid of wet gauze, put in a warm place for a day. After that make sure that the fermentation process is going on, and send the drink to a cold place. Here he comes within 3-4 months. Then it is filtered out and ... in principle, a mead without yeast is already ready for use. But if you want a better taste, take it for another month.

Almost the same recipe is prepared and honey drink, not fortified with hops. The beginning of fermentation "starts" with raisins, which, like honey, you need to take 50 grams of water. You do not need to boil a mixture of water and honey, just add raisins to it. Insist at room temperature needs two days. After filtration, pour into a container, seal it tightly and put it in a cool place for 2-3 months. At the same time, you do not need to install a water trap.

Now you can find dozens of different mead recipes, one more refined than the other. However, only the preparation of mead without yeast is closest to the original ancient Russian formula: in fact at that time no "unicellular" mushrooms were known to Rusichi. And they did not need them.

Finally it is worth noting that as a result, you will get a drink, even a low-alcohol drink, but rather insidious. The fact that his fortress - usually 5-6, maximum 10 degrees, should not lead you astray. The mead without yeast is quickly absorbed into the blood and pretty "knits" the legs while keeping the head in sobriety and clarity. However, after a short period of time (and with moderate use, of course), the legs will stop grinding.

And remember: the mead is not for unrestrained libations. After all, the Slavs ritually shared it with their gods, and the Finns considered it a fairy living water, which would raise the dead from the grave. And what do you think that the newlyweds drank in the first month after the wedding, which is still called honey?