Brewing Mead: Wassail! In Mazers of Mead: The Intruguing History of the Beverage of Kings and Easy, Step-by-Step Instructions for Brewing It At Home [Paperback]

Robert Gayre (Author), Charlie Papazian (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 26, 1998

Trace the history and discover the smooth, subtle secrets of mead. Learn how to brew this age-old drink with your basic homebrew equipment and Charlie Papazian's easy-to-follow directions.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Robert Gayre

Product Details

• Paperback: 199 pages
• Publisher: Brewers Publications (January 26, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0937381004
• ISBN-13: 978-0937381007
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,092,245 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

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21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An authoritative history of Mead., January 6, 1999

By 

Necron2.0 (Phoenix, AZ USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Brewing Mead: Wassail! In Mazers of Mead: The Intruguing History of the Beverage of Kings and Easy, Step-by-Step Instructions for Brewing It At Home (Paperback)

This is a very authoritative history of mead, stretching from its earliest know use by the peoples of Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley, through the middle ages, and to its decline in these modern times. Included in this foray is a discusion of the origins of spices, and differences between meads and ales. In the last quarter of the book are some common recipes, and a description of how to go about brewing mead. My only complaint is that I wish there was a more complete description of the process.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Papazian's valuable information poorly spiced with Gayre's "Aryan" racial ideas, January 23, 2006

By 

Charlene Vickers (Winnipeg, Manitoba) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Brewing Mead: Wassail! In Mazers of Mead: The Intruguing History of the Beverage of Kings and Easy, Step-by-Step Instructions for Brewing It At Home (Paperback)

Brewing Mead is in reality two books in one. The first part is a treatise by Lt. Col. Robert Gayre on the history and qualities of mead and its various subtypes. The second is by Charlie Papazian (known as St. Papazian in the meadmaking community) and contains a small number of recipes for mead, cyser, braggot, and other fermented honey drinks, as well as instructions on how to prepare and age mead.

Papazian's section takes up about 10% of the book, and is by far the most valuable portion. The recipes are clear and the instructions are easy to follow; mead made from the recipes will turn out well. For this reason I recommend this book to anyone who wishes to learn how to make mead.

Unfortunately, the bulk of the book is not as useful. Gayre is a forceful writer with a gift for language, but his viewpoint seems to be overly influenced by his belief in Aryan racial superiority. Time and again the author refers to the "Aryan" race and culture, claiming, for instance, that good mead is part of the Aryan heritage and that few other cultures were sophisticated enough to produce mead. Much of this is inaccurate; mead has existed wherever the honeybee has flourished, from Japan to Ethiopia. Perhaps this form of spin is to be expected from a Scots aristocrat who wrote numerous treatises on eugenics and racial superiority and whose works are sold to this day by organizations such as Stormfront, but it does raise questions as to the accuracy of other information given by the author.

Gayre also dismisses many forms of mead which he considers "peasant" or "primitive". He reserves his greatest scorn for sweet spiced homemade meads, implying that additives meant to make mead more flavourful are somehow low class. This is of course not at all true: if you're going to make mead, make a mead you like, not one that satisfies a long-dead snob. If you like sweet, spiced mead, then make some!

In summary, I would recommend this book for a new meadmaker if only for Papazian's excellent recipes and instructions. Unfortunately, the historical inaccuracies and the racialism of Gayre's history make that section of the book less interesting.

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Passion for Mead, December 2, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Brewing Mead: Wassail! In Mazers of Mead: The Intruguing History of the Beverage of Kings and Easy, Step-by-Step Instructions for Brewing It At Home (Paperback)

This is one of those extraordinary books that comes of a lifetime pursuit. Gayre goes way back in history to tell of the evolution of mead and its appreciation, even to when mead was the drink of "gods and men alike." It's not a recipe book, though a few recipes have been attached at the end. Rather it's the book to read for someone who wants to gain a thorough appreciation of mead, while they're going about making it. Though only about 140 pages, this book has about 130 footnotes. "Wassail!" he writes ("Wishing you health!") This book is both informative and, for me, inspiring.