Mug of Mead

I don't know where else to put this, but it is a thing that has interested me. It came into my mind as I was RPing and drinking a mug of mead.

Why is mead served in mugs?
For as long as I imagined, mead was served in mugs, or horns, or things of the sort. It was a hearty drink.

For the last few years I have been making my own mead.
What I have learned very early in the process is that mead is more akin to wine than it is ale or beer. It is honey wine, and always has been.
(There are numerous kinds of mead, braggot (honey wine made with malt), metheglin (spiced mead) and many, many more...)

So, I wonder, in terms of history, how we got to mead in mugs? Was it just the drinking vessel that was used by those who made mead?

Also, are we going to be able to make our own mead IG? That'll be fun.

 

History tells us that mead has been appreciated by many cultures around the world, the Vikings being one of those.
I'm going with the Vikings........

 

Yes, I know that. The Norse do love their mead, and I think that is the culture we think about when we imagine drinking mead. But again, is that really mead?

I for one know that mead does not froth. If you add malt to it it does, but the it becomes metheglin. Normal mead does not froth, it is literally honey wine, it looks and acts just like any other white wine (though it tastes much better).

 

Ok, then what should mead be served in ?
I reserve the right to disagree......

 

Honestly, I don't really know.

I've drank mead in a wine glass, a water glass, a horn, a mug, and a tankard. I don't really care what it is served in as long as I can drink it. They all taste the same. Other people I have drank mead with are convinced it should only be served in a wine glass, others think it should be drank in a tankard/mug, but then are amazed when it isn't frothy like they originally thought due to... well, I don't know what. The pictures posted above for example!

I find it rather odd that the most common way mead is depicted is being drank in a mug, with froth, much like an ale, when it isn't an ale at all.

 

Ok then, let's keep it in mugs and do wine glasses when we can age wine ...

How's that ?

 

Fair.

I suppose I am just trying to spread mead information.

 

Drinking mead, the honey variety, out of a leather mug is a must try. I find the type of container does "change" the taste/feel of the drink itself. Froth aside, drinking from leather is nice. I assume wooden mugs would yield another experience profile, all the metals, and finally, boring ol' glass will give you the most non-interfered with flavor experience most likely, but glass you can mess with the shape, which will probably change how the first sip is experienced....

hmm, making me thirsty!

 

Does mead froth in leather? I'm very interested in trying mead from a leather vessel now.

The material in which it is served does make a difference. I had it in pewter and glass. Glass is some of the preferred type because it does not add anything so you get a very untarnished taste of the mead. But, that is wine talk.

 

So, wax is used to seal the leather mug. something about drinking honey wine from a wax sealed (leather) mug, just very natural and earthy scent and feel, which to me adds to the experience of drinking mead. If I was doing a mead tasting, like a bunch of varieties, I would probably use glass...

 

I want a leather container for drinking my mead now. That sounds amazing.