Are you familiar with mead? You must have heard of it from period dramas and TV series. Mead is an alcoholic beverage made by fermenting honey. Over the years, it has managed to grab the attention of alcohol lovers for its sweet flavor profile. This alcoholic beverage is available in countries like Denmark, France, and Switzerland. India has also stepped in and introduced homegrown mead brands. If you are someone who likes sweet flavors in their alcohol, then here are the mead brands in India to add to your home bar right away.
6 Mead Brands In India
- Arka
- Cerena
- Moonshine Meadery
- No Label
- Portside
- Stump
1. Arka
Arka, in Sanskrit, means ‘extracting naturally’. Arka is one of the strongest meads you’ll find in India. Their dessert meads, which are available in three different flavors Arkä Honey, Arkä Rose, and Arkä Jamun, are to die for. They have their own winery in Bordi and the brand focuses on authentic products for its customers.
The honey that goes into the meads is sourced from forests across the Sahyadri ranges, and uses local and fresh ingredients like rose petals and jamun. With an ABV of 10%, these dessert meads are the perfect thing to have, and you can pair them with foods like steaks, and stews.
Approx Price Range: INR 1050 to 1095 for 375 ml.
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2. Cerana
Cerana believes in the philosophy of ‘farm to bottle’ and the wine is made from organically grown fruits in Nashik’s farm. The meads produced by the brand Cerana are made with organic fruits like pomegranates, grapes, and jamun, which are sourced locally.
Cerana makes sure to handle raw materials like fruits, spices, and honey with love and utmost care. You don’t have to worry about artificial preservatives, as each bottle is packed with authentic flavors and gets its colors organically. With a category of Flagship Meads and Standard Meads, Cerana meads are light and crisp, and full of flavors.
The ABV contained in these meads is 7% to 12%. Foods that go well with Cerena meads are fried snacks, curry-based dishes, and savory dishes depending on the flavors. This mead can be easily purchased from their website itself and is available in cities like Nashik, Mumbai, and Pune.
Approx Price Range: INR 180 to 200 for 330 ml.
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3. Moonshine Meadery
Moonshine Meadery was introduced in 2018 and its USP is the high-quality honey they use for making its sweet mead. The main motto behind sourcing the best honey for making mead is to look out for beekeepers who source honey responsibly. It is always quality over quantity to provide the best mead and drinking experience. Fizzy in texture and sweet, moonshine meads are available in different flavors according to your tastes.
Salted Kokum and Grilled Pineapple have to be the bestsellers so far. The nicest thing about moonshine meads is that they are gluten-free and have no artificial ingredients or flavorings. With an ABV of 6.5 percent, Moonshine meadery is based in Pune, and the drink is available in India. Food pairings with mead include steaks and stews.
Approx Price Range: INR 199 for 330 ml.
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4. No Label
The founders of No Label looked through various beverages to introduce something new into the beverage industry. That’s when they came across mead. A drink that is deeply rooted in history but has been long forgotten due to the rise of beer. No Label’s mead is a lighter alcoholic beverage and the sweetness is on a low-medium level to suit everyone’s taste.
They have come up with only one variant of mead so far, and that is the original mead. This mead is a blend of honey and Indian litchi. Giving hints of tropical fruits and citrus, and finishing it with floral honey. No Label is all set to introduce its upcoming flavor, passionfruit, and many more in its upcoming journey. Launched in Mumbai and Pune, their next target is Delhi. With an ABV of 7%, the No Label meads can go well with food pairings like heavy meals like curries and stews.
Approx Price Range: INR 150 for 330 ml
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5. Portside
In the pandemic era, Portside came into this world in the year 2020, and since then there is no looking back. The brand has only two flavors of mead, one is Straight Up, which is full of caramel flavor, and the other is Something Berry with juniper berries. If you take a sip of these meads, the taste is detectable, with a rich and velvety finish and feel.
Portside meads usually have floral and fruity notes. Available in cities like Pune, Assam, and Mumbai, the ABV of Portside meads is 10%. Authentic in taste, the meads are gluten-free. You can go for food pairings like meat curries, salads, and snacks with Portside meads.
Approx Price Range: INR 120 for 330 ml.
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6. Stump
Stump happens to be Karnataka’s first and only meadery to date, wonderful, isn’t it? The founder is a 6th generation coffee grower, so without a doubt, one of the two launched meads had to be fully dedicated to coffee. The other flavor is apple cider. These meads are available only in Karnataka, where both flavors are made with only natural ingredients.
Stump meads are gluten-free and contain no artificial coloring or flavoring. For the coffee flavor, the founder says arabica coffee is used from their very own estate. For the apple cider flavor, people have only tasted the authentic sweetness, but in Stump Meads, the founder wants people to witness what just actual cider tastes like. The goodness of organic honey and the flavors make both meads delicious.
#tasteinnature as their hashtag, Stump wants people to drool over nature as they take a sip from the bottle. With an 8.5% ABV, you can pair these meads with matching desserts of your choice or meats as well.
Approx Price Range: INR 160 to 180 for 330 ml.
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Summing Up
Hope this article has quenched your mead curiosity about what mead is and some of the popular Indian mead brands. Apart from only drinking mead as it is, you can try experimenting it with by trying out different mead cocktail recipes. If international mead brands seem difficult to purchase, then you can look out for Indian websites which you can buy mead from.
FAQs
Which Is India’s First Mead?
Moonshine Meadery is India’s first mead.
Why Isn’t Mead More Popular?
Mead isn’t a popular alcohol drink now because most of the recipes have been either changed or lost, and harvesting honey is more expensive than growing grapes and grains.
What Mixer Goes Well With Mead?
Soda and tonic water goes very well with mead.
How Much Does Homemade Mead Sell For?
$20 to 30 is the price which is INR 2,000 and above, depending on the honey used in the making of the mead.
How Long Does Home Brewed Mead Last?
An unopened bottle of classic mead can last up to 5 years, and an unopened bottle of a lighter version of mead can last up to 1 or 2 years.
What Is Mead Called Now?
The other name for Mead is ‘honey wine’.
Is Mead Another Name For A Beer?
Mead isn’t similar to beer or wine, it has a category of its own. Mead is fermented with only three ingredients and they are honey, water, and yeast.
