Mead: Where the Tupelo Gum Tree Grows

Mead. I'll never forget the first time I tried it. I was back in Blacksburg, VA, visiting my boyfriend, and his roommates had a large ceramic bottle. They were very excited about it. "Do you want a taste?" Absolutely. I love trying new things. Especially when those new things involve sweet alcohol that no one has ever heard about. I can definitely understand the "hipster" ideology of being interested in things that are out of the public awareness. Without the smug superiority, of course. You have to be honest with yourself; acquiring things that aren't in public demand is hard, expensive, and time-consuming. It's work. And being difficult is rarely something to be proud of.

So he poured us a small amount into some plastic cups and we drank. It was like sunlight on a winter afternoon. Cold, sweet, gently bubbly, but richer than I'd expected. Everything I want in a drink. I was hooked. I remember staring at the bottle longingly the rest of the day. But they had told me how expensive it was, ($40 for a bottle? You're kidding, I gasped.) and how difficult it was to find. So I did what I always do in this situation, where I'm presented with something that is awesome but hard to come by. I start figuring out how I can make/acquire/approximate the thing in question. Really, this mindset is why I have more hobbies than I have time and money to accommodate.
Fast-forwarding to this summer: I bought a book. "The Compleat Meadmaker" by Ken Schramm. It came highly recommended from all the hidden mead-lovers of the internet, so I figured I'd invest. Mr. Schramm is a great writer, appealing to my inner scientist while still allowing me to pretend I wasn't reading a textbook. Think Alton Brown with a beer.

So now I'm pretty much committed; my dad picked up homebrewing again after a 20-year hiatus (kids and all, you know) and has me all excited. "While you're waiting for your mead to age, you could squeeze in a couple of batches of beer!" Yes, this is all too convenient. The time and the energy is there, as well as the knowledge and resources for the inevitable stumbling block. I just need the equipment, and some honey.

The honey got immeasurably simpler once I planned a visit to visit my dearest friend in coastal Florida. I have to drive right through the center of the state, right through Orange Blossom and Tupelo country. The beginner's recipe in TCM uses Orange Blossom honey, to give you some interesting tastes without any complicated techniques. I can get that here, in Mississippi, but I can't be contented with just the beginner's level of anything. I wanted mead that would taste like that first sip I'd had, years ago. And then I knew- tupelo honey. Dark, incredibly sweet. But I'd have to have it shipped from Florida, where the Tupelo Gum Tee grows, and that's just impractical. Driving through the state, however, solves this problem entirely. So, a few e-mails later, and I've got a 6-lb jug each of tupelo honey and orange blossom honey to be picked up next month. Huzzah!

Next step, getting the equipment. I see a grand list in my near future.