Mead vs Beer: Which Fits St. Patrick’s Day Better?

For many centuries, we as humans have chosen to drink. One of the most enthusiastic times to do so being cultural holidays. It would come as no surprise that St. Patrick’s Day is renowned for its boozy machismo. After decorating themselves in green, many people look to wet their whistles with Irish whiskey or the nitro suds of a Guinness. Ironically enough, there’s another libation as ancient and Gaelic as St. Patrick himself. Mead, the world’s oldest alcoholic beverage, is a spirit fermented with honey rather than wheat or grapes, and it is slowly making a comeback. Prehistoric burial sites across Eurasia are lined with this elixir, amongst other artifacts. While not totally interacting, each river valley civilization had its own recipe for mead. See the story of the Hochdorf Chieftain’s Grave, a Celtic tomb found in the 1960s, for a more recent example.

It’s gluten-free, complex, and versatile. Despite its alcoholic nature, fermented honey can provide natural antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties. So long as there isn’t an abundance of residual sugar, mead is easier for your body to metabolize than other alcohols that are high in tannins and sulfites. Additionally, it’s environmentally friendly, as honey is a byproduct of plant pollination. You could argue that mead keeps the rest of the alcohol industry buzzing, as the wheat, rye, and grape fields need bees to grow. Skip the hangover and save the bees? Sounds like a win-win.

So, for this St. Patrick’s Day, why not mix in some mead? It will enhance your corned beef hash and pub fare. Delightful all by itself, it can make the finest cocktail blush if given the time. Three-quarters beer and one-quarter mead makes a ‘braggot’, three-quarters hard cider, one-quarter mead makes a ‘bee sting’, or you can spark up your favorite Old Fashioned or Manhattan with an Irish whiskey mead combo! May the road rise up to MEAD you!