[14.09] “It’s just wild microbes, Honey”: How to make naturally fermented honey wine!

Join us for a workshop to learn the ancient art of making MEAD, otherwise known as:

Honeywine. Sima. Hydromel. Tej. Miód pitny. Medovina. Tapluchʼi (ტაფლუხი). Mìjiǔ (蜜酒). Hachimitsushu (蜂蜜酒).

Shall we keep going???

Often referred to as the ‘nectar of the gods’, mead is the most ancient form of alcohol known to humankind, having been brewed, toasted, and enjoyed by societies around the world for millennia. It is truly ‘the people’s drink’.

Unfortunately in modern times it has become rare to find mead for sale. And even more rare finding a mead that doesn’t taste like unrefined motor oil infused with yesterday’s dirty laundry—certainly nothing deserving of the title ‘Nectar of the Gods’!

In this workshop you’ll join Slow Food Helsinki board member and wild fermentation enthusiast Will LaFleur to learn the fundamentals of wild fermentation for mead (as well as other homemade wines), sample fresh and aged mead, and make your own using only freshly foraged herbs, water, and honey.

The Gods will be knocking at your door after just a couple of weeks.

Details

• Date: Sunday, 14 September
• Time: 18:00-20:00
• Where: OmaMaa Community Space in Kallio (Kaarlenkatu 15, 00530 Helsinki)
• Cost: €30 for Slow Food members; €60 for non-members
• Maximum participants: 15

The workshop will consist of:

• Short lecture on the history of mead, mead ingredients, the ‘wild’ yeast question, and the principles of wild fermentation
• Mead tasting of one ‘young’ mead and one aged mead
• Recipe building: a fruity mead? Or an herbal mead? or a little bit of both!?
• Making mead!

What you get:

• 700g of locally-sourced honey (included in registration price)
• 2 liters of you own mead
• The skills and knowledge to develop your own home wild fermentation practice

What to bring: 

• A 2 liter glass jar with a lid and an opening wide enough to easily stir

Not a Slow Food Helsinki member? Sign up today!