The birth of the term
'Traditional Mead'

When did usage of the term "Traditional Mead" begin to describe a beverage of fermented honey without flavor-contributing adjuncts?  

Below are instances of the bigram 'traditional mead' from written works that I have been able to find to date.  If the term was in use as slang (and thus not prone to being written down), its usage may predate the more definitive examples below. 

TL;DR: it may have seen informal usage in the 1970s, saw more technical written usage beginning in 1980, then began to be prescriptively defined as of 1986. 

Article first posted April 2024. 

Timeline of written examples

• 1936 - G.L. Steer - Caesar in Abyssinia.  pp. 326 "The Emperor and his suite went down to Bohaie, where they partook of the traditional meal which ends the Lenten fast. In accordance with custom bullocks and sheep had been slaughtered and all ate raw meat with relish. But this feast was not a gay one : the Emperor of Ethiopia and the highest lords of the land celebrated Easter in a small and filthy tukul ; they did not even drink their traditional mead ; and sadly they thought of the abundance and pomp at the great banquets in Addis Ababa." 

• 1961 - E. Steinmann, translated by Schachter, The Garden of Hasidism. pp. 176 "After the festival meal these five pillars of the world rose from the table and retired to another room in order to drink the traditional mead, and they began discussing the Redemption and the Pangs of the Messiah."  

• 1972 - Bronius Akstinas, Glimpses of Lithuania.  "Since of old honey has been used to make sweet mead in Lithuanian called midus.  Traditional mead-making is now reviving at a special mead factory."  For more on Lithuanian meads, see this reference.  

• 1973 - S. D. Messing, A Holistic Reader in Applied Anthropology.  "Arraq was increasingly preferred by the coffee pickers over the traditional mead, on the grounds that it troubled the stomach less."  See this reference and others for more on arraq or areqe.  Mead isn't the only beverage with orthographic ambiguity.   

• 1973 - C. Anne Wilson, Food and Drink in Britain. 

  • pp. 341 “The traditional mead and metheglin still held their own in country places. Metheglin, confected from honey with warm aromatic herbs, was a particular drink of the Welsh.”

  • pp. 360: “In England the traditional mead and metheglin still survived, becoming less common as time went on, though both enjoyed a revival among the gentry after the Restoration. Sir Kenelm Digby collected no fewer than fifty-six different recipes from his friends. In some the liquor was set working with ale-barm or yeast, but the best meads, in his view, were those in which the honey fermented of itself. Originally mead had been the simple honey and water based drink, while metheglin had additional herb or spice flavourings, but the two names were already interchangeable by Elizabethan times.”

  • On one hand, Wilson's phrasing suggests that 'traditional' is modifying both of 'mead' and 'metheglin', which would not indicate usage in the sense we are looking for.  But on the other hand, the usage on pp. 360 in particular is perhaps the earliest text which contains both the bigram and a comparison of different distinct classes of beverages. 

• 1975 - Keith Steinkraus, in A Wine Meeting for Amateurs.  

  • pp. 53  "Traditional mead relying for fermentation upon the natural yeasts present in diluted honey required a very long fermentation time and the flavor was not very attractive.  This may account for the fact that many mead recipes included the addition of spices which would mask the normal flavor."

  • pp. 55 "The fermentation is essentially complete in 2 weeks at 75 to 80 F. The flavor of the resulting mead is clean and similar to a good sauterne. It is completely lacking in the off-flavors characteristic of slow traditional mead fermentations."

  • Steinkraus was a colleague of Morse, and the two published papers together on mead and fermentation management.  It can be argued that 'traditional' used here is in reference to the process and approach to fermentation, more so than the ingredients list, based on the mention of spices in the second sentence of the pp. 53 usage.  While there are no other named classes of beverages mentioned, Steinkraus does allude to fruit juices being added in order to aid fermentation speed and cites a 1935 paper by S.L. Fabian (which I have not been able to find).  That Steinkraus uses 'traditional' to imply disuse of exogenous yeast is notable, when so many mead makers at the time of this writing insist that 'traditional mead' indeed requires exogenous yeast.  

• 1980 - Papazian, More Joy of Brewing.  pp. 44.  "Traditionally, mead has been and still is a fermented beverage brewed with the ratio of one gallon of water to 3-5 pounds of honey, resulting in a very slow fermentation and an extremely sweet beverage.  BARKSHACK GINGERMEAD  Unlike traditional mead, Barkshack gingermead and its variations are brewed with less honey per gallon, happily resulting in a dry, effervescently clear beverage with a 9% 'kick' reminiscent of white champagne..."  No other classes or styles of mead are named or described, potentially suggesting that this usage of 'traditional' is not implying a lack of adjuncts.  The commentary on ABV and honey content per gallon does indicate that 'traditional' in this sense implies more than historical repetition; that usage of 'traditional' is in a technical register of speech. 

• 1984 - Papazian, The Complete Joy of Home Brewing.  Four years since the last edition, other classes and styles of mead are included in additions to the text.  Papazian adds a beginning to the chapter: "In essence, mead is defined as yeast-fermented honey water." (pp. 294) before stepping through a brief taxonomy of ingredient-based mead categories.  The term 'simple mead' is also used.  The 'traditional mead'-containing text cited in the 1980 edition appears again, with additional verbiage but no obvious edits.  Throughout the chapter Papazian uses 'mead' in the less restrictive sense of fermented honey plus adjuncts.   He stops short of declaring into which category the Barkshack recipe falls.  Perhaps discouragingly, the section on mead is relegated to an appendix in this and subsequent editions of his book. 

• 1986 - Gayre and Papazian, Brewing Mead: Wassail! In Mazers of Mead pp. 169 "Lt. Colonel Gayre tells us that there are five basic categories of mead.  Here is a summary of the classic types.  Traditional Mead - This is the basic mead brewed from honey and water in the proportions of approximately two and a half pouns per one U.S. gallon..."  Traditional Mead appears as a defined term, in the section authored by Papazian but with reference to Gayre.  Clearly in a formal and technical register of speech.  Gayre's reprinted text from 1948 does not contain the bigram.  Nor does the transcript of Gayre's presentation at the 1984 AHA National Homebrew Conference, in which Gayre describes anything with an adjunct as a metheglin.  

• 1989 - AHA National Homebrew Competition Entry Rules, as published in Zymurgy.  "Traditional Mead"  Prior to this year, NHC had four mead categories: sparkling, still, sparkling with adjuncts, still with adjuncts.  The 1989 entry class descriptions are almost exactly those from 1988, but with the word 'traditional' added for classes without adjuncts.  

• 1990 - Papazian, Conference on Quality Beer and Brewing: “Honey!  Let it be mead.”  Papazian uses the word 'traditional' in a chain of adjectives describing the topic of his presentation, but the bigram does not appear in the transcript.  He also uses the term 'unflavored mead' multiple times. 

• 1991 - GLASS.  "The stoneware clay bottle represents a traditional mead bottle and naturally has a cork closure."

• 1991 - Special Issue of Zymurgy on Styles - "Traditional Mead" by Charlie Papazian.  "Traditional mead in the simplest sense is a naturally fermented alco­holic beverage made from honey, wa­ter and yeast. Its character will vary depending primarily on the type of honey, the ratio of honey to water and the strain of yeast. It can be very dry, medium or sweet, still or naturally carbonated like Champagne or beer."  The phrase 'traditional unflavored mead' appears later in the style description.  In the same issue, Papazian describes a distinct style for Melomel.  Commercial examples given within the Traditional Mead style description include Havill’s Mazer Mead, Ethiopian T’ej, and Polish-style meads.  Ironically, the 2015 BJCP Mead Guidelines classify the latter two examples as M4B Historical Meads.  (Though as a further twist, as of 2022 the US TTB has disallowed use of gesho in formulas, meaning that makers of Ethiopian style meads in the US have turned to proprietary yeast blends and wood aging to achieve their desired flavor profile.)  

• 1992 - Susanne Price, "Stimulate your Senses with Mead", Zymurgy, fall 1992, pp. 32.  "If you have a really odd honey, say eucalyptus or tupelo, make a traditional mead in that one-gallon batch then decide if the flavor and aroma might go well with other ingredients."  Susanne Price led the American Mead Association from 1992 until her tragic and sudden death in 1996. 

• 1992 - Mazer Cup entry categories.  "Traditional Mead"  (MLD #27)  Following the competition, it was revealed that the category-winning entry included additions of tea, cinnamon, ginger, and yeast nutrient.  This created controversy as to whether the entry was indeed 'traditional'.  

• 1992 - Mead-Lovers email distro FAQ/README (MLD #36):
  "The Types of Mead
  Mead is classified not by the kind of honey that it is made of, but by what else may have been added to it for flavoring.
  - TRADITIONAL is mead made with only honey, and perhaps a small amount of acid (to balance the sweetness).
  - METHEGLIN is mead made with additional spices, typically cloves, cinnamon, or spices like that.
  - MELOMEL is mead made with the addition of fruit to traditional mead.  Melomel may also contain spices, like Metheglin.

• 1993 - Mazer Cup entry categories.  (Mead Lovers Digest #117)  Following protest over the 1992 competition winning entry containing adjuncts, an additional category named 'Show' appears. 

  • "1. SHOW:  Mead consisting of honey, water and yeast ONLY.  No spices, fruit or other flavoring additives permitted.  Addition of water treatments and acidification is permitted.
    2. TRADITIONAL:  Mead consisting of honey water and yeast.  Other flavoring additives are permitted in small amounts, but the primary flavor must be of honey."

  • For another article at another time, MLD #169 in which 1993 Mazer Cup results are announced is the earliest written instance of the bigram 'show mead' that I have been able to find. 

• 1996 - Ken Schramm in MLD #461  “As far as categories are concerned, they need to be meaningful and manageable.  In the case of the Mazer Cup, we started with seven categories and moved to eight due to practical reasons.  The 'Traditional'category was questioned from both sides of the aisle when the first winner had subtle complexity added to it through the addition of what many would consider 'non-traditional' ingredients.  While the argument in favor of purity was persuasive, so was the argument that 'traditional' meant just that, and that meads were traditionally made with many subtle spices or flavorings ingredients, but not really considered 'spiced' or flavored.  That was the English way, and it also seems to be backed up on the continent, as well.  The Brits call Honey-only mead 'Show' mead in their competitions, and so we adopted this convention for the Mazer Cup."

• 1997 Beer Judge Certification Program Mead Style Guidelines "23. TRADITIONAL MEAD  A mead made primarily from honey, water and yeast. Honey should be expressed in aroma and flavor. Additives of any type are allowed at sub-threshold levels. The mead should have a neutral acidity-sweetness-tannin balance.

A. Standard Traditional Mead: Uses generic honey or a blend of honeys.

B. Varietal Honey Traditional Mead - Made from honey from a particular flower source (clover and wildflower honey are not acceptable in this category). The brewer must name the varietal honey. Examples include buckwheat, orange blossom, star thistle, fireweed, snowberry, raspberry blossom, mesquite, heather, alfalfa, tupelo, etc. The mead should showcase the distinctive taste of the particular varietal honey." 

• 1997 - Pamela Spence, Mad About Mead.  "Each state has its own regulations as to what ingredients it will allow in the production of an alcoholic beverage. Thus, that traditional mead recipe you have been using for years may not cut the mustard with the permit police. "  The term 'traditional' appears elsewhere within the book associated with either techniques or styles such as Ethiopian meads.  The term 'show mead' also appears, associated with a recipe which notably contains more than three ingredients. 

• 1999 BJCP Mead Style Guidelines, 2001 minor revision 
  "25A. Traditional Mead 

Flavor: The flavor of honey should be featured and may include residual sweetness. Any additives, such as acidity or tannin, should enhance the honey flavor and lend balance to the overall character of the mead.

Comments: A mead made primarily from honey, water and yeast. Meads which feature the character of a blended honey or a blend of honeys. For meads made from a single variety of money [sic] see below “B, Varietal Honey Traditional Mead.” 

• 2004 BJCP Mead Style Guidelines "Traditional Meads feature the character of a blended honey or a blend of honeys. Varietal meads feature the distinctive character of certain honeys. “Show meads” feature no additives, but this distinction is usually not obvious to judges."  Since the 1997 guidelines, 'traditional' continues to allow for additives in that they are not expressly forbidden, but adds distinction between 'traditional' and 'varietal'. 

• 2020 Senn K, Cantu A, Harris A and Heymann H. 2020. "A mead aroma wheel and lexicon." Catalyst 4:91-97. 

  • pp. 91  "An open-access Traditional Mead Aroma Wheel organizes 75 aroma descriptors into a visual tool with suggestions for a standardized mead evaluation procedure."

  • pp. 92  "As mead is an umbrella term that includes a broad range of products, this study was limited to meads made in the traditional style, in which no adjunct ingredients are added, and in the bochet style, in which the honey is caramelized prior to fermentation and no adjunct ingredients are added. This work identifies important attributes to describe traditional American meads, generates a standard lexicon for mead sensory analysis, and creates a mead sensory wheel to characterize mead aroma visually." 

  • pp. 95  "To capture the sensory spectrum of the most basic, honey-forward mead style, the study scope was limited to meads produced in the traditional style whereby no adjunct flavoring agents (fruits, herbs, spices, grains, and so on) were added."

Sources which do not contain the T-word

• 1912 - W. Herrod, Esq., Producing, Preparing, Exhibiting and Judging Bee-Produce .  Talks about mead at honey shows, and recommends additions of lemon peel, phosphate of ammonia, and cream of tartar

• 1938 - Beck, "Honey and Health"

• 1948 - Gayre

• 1953 - Brother Adam

• 1971  - Andrews, All About Mead.  There are references to mead being entered at honey shows, and different classes of entry, but neither the term 'traditional mead' nor 'show mead' appear in reference to a class. 

• 1972 - Acton & Duncan

• 1980 - Morse 

• 1986 - Clifford T. Newman, Jr. "Mead Making", Zymurgy, Spring 1986, pp. 23.  Newman includes a recipe for a 'Basic honey mead' which includes Cascade hops, corn sugar, and acid blend.

• 1991 - Russell Schehrer, "In Mead We Trust", Zymurgy, Fall 1991, pp. 33.  Schehrer does list different classes of mead, and goes so far to distinguish 'honey wine' where only honey is used, from mead which he describes as potentially containing spices like sweet marjoram, violets, strawberry leaves, and borage.  Schehrer at this time was founding head brewer at Denver's Wynkoop Brewing Company, where he occasionally did offer site-brewed meads for sale. 

• 1973 to 2015 Eastern Apicultural Society honey show classes.  At the 1974 honey show and prior, the class is termed 'honey wine'.  In 1975 and after, it is termed 'mead' with subclasses for dry, sweet, and 'mead made with fruit juices'.  In correspondence, former EAS president Dr. Dewey Caron indicated that he recalled the term 'traditional' or 'straight' being appended to mead entries at honey shows some time in the 1970s, but that the class names did not reflect this usage.

• The American Bee Journal mentions mead as far back as 1861, but I have not been able to find any reference to 'traditional' in issues prior to 1933.  An issue in 1901 describes a score card for honey displays with a class for 'honey-wine', though a letter to the editor in a later issue that year criticizes the terminology and uses allusions to the temperance movement of the time.  

• The British Bee Journal mentions mead as far back as 1877, distinguishing mead as being made from run honey and metheglin as being made from washed combs.  An 1879 issue reveals strongly-held opinions on mead being made without adjuncts: "Mead should, in the opinion of the judges at the show named [Long Sutton], owe its flavour and strength to honey only ; and from our own experience we can testify that mead (or whatever it may be technically termed) made with honey alone, diluted with water, fermented and bottled for a few years, is a most delicious cordial, exquisite in flavour, and of generous strength, and those who have tasted such, cease to wonder at the bees being so highly esteemed in ancient times, or that their produce was considered fit for the gods.”

Sources I have not yet looked at

• Papazian's original 1976 edition of Joy of Brewing

• Publications of the American Mead Association, from 1986 onward. 

• Leon Havill's presentation at the 1988 AHA Conference.

• BeeCraft magazine, circa 1975 to 1990.  This could give more insight into how participants at honey shows in the UK referred to their own entries.  

Summary

By 1980 the seeds were sown by Papazian comparing Barkshack Gingermead to 'traditional' meads, if the term wasn't already seeing usage within less formal registers at honey shows during the 1970s.  By 1986, the term was clearly defined in a work published by the AHA.  By 1989, it was a national-level competition category.  Guidelines for the named style were widely published in 1991.  By 1993, the Mazer Cup was revisiting a debate that the Long Sutton honey show had considered more than a century prior.  By 1997, the BJCP had developed their own first set of mead style guidelines including the term.  As of the 2020s, the term is utilized by academics studying the mead industry. 

Thanks

Big thank you to the staff at the Oregon Hops and Brewing Archives at the Special Collections and Archives Research Center at Oregon State University.

Thank you to Dan McFeeley, Dr. Michael Hall, Dick Dunn, Pamela Spence, Dr. Dewey Caron, Laura Angotti, Vicky Rowe, and others for correspondence.  

I would also like to acknowledge Boak & Bailey for inspiring a timeline-driven depiction.  And the False Bottomed Girls podcast for inspiring a closer look at how mead styles are curated.