Mad About Mead: Nectar of the Gods [Paperback]

Pamela Spence (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 8, 2002

Our ancestors used to drink mead in the belief that it would impart the divine gift of prophecy, poetry and fertility. Now mead is being brewed and drunk again, and "mead madness" is once again rearing its head in the world. This text mixes history, mythology and ritual with instructions for making your own homebrew version of the nectar of the gods, mead. The recipes explore honey varieties, yeasts, equipment, and more.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Pamela Spence holds a degree in English with a minor in philosophy from the Pontifical College Josephinium, Columbus, Ohio. Course work in commercial beekeeping at Ohio State University, however led to a chronic bout with "bee fever," an obsessive passion about honeybees for which there is no known or desired cure. In 1986, she founded the American Mead Association (AMA) to stimulate interest in an alternative market for honey. The association, through its publications, the Meadmaker's Journal and Mead Letters, served as a clearinghouse of information for amateur and commercial meadmakers worldwide.

Spence has contributed articles on beekeeping and meadmaking to the Llewellyn Organic Gardening Almanac and various beekeeping and wine trade publications. During her tenure as AMA director, she conducted numerous workshops, lectures, tastings, and mead judgins. In addition to her mead activities, she is also a poet and storyteller, and currently lives on the banks of a creek in Central Ohio with her husband and their family of children, dogs, and bees.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Llewellyn Publications; 1st edition (September 8, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1567186831
• ISBN-13: 978-1567186833
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,141,740 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great book for Pagans, May 13, 2004

By 

James "merddyn" (Houston, TX, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mad About Mead: Nectar of the Gods (Paperback)

This book has been described as a "Frothy Pagan Rant" and that's really about on the mark but if you're into that sort of thing it's probably right up your alley. The author is a pagan and a bee keeper so she knows the practical business of making mead right out of the comb. She's also a bit easier to understand than other authors. She includes sample rituals as well as many recipes (including one for pumpkin) and goes a bit into the legal aspects of home brewing. A good book for pagans that want a well-rounded education when it comes to mead. Non-pagans might find it a bit over the top though. Hell, I'm a druid and I think she needs to take a chill pill too.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A fun, easy to read book for the common person, July 9, 2000

By 

Jack R. Flint - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mad About Mead: Nectar of the Gods (Paperback)

If you are the type of person who turns their nose up at the idea of a wine cooler do not buy this book. After deciding to make mead I purchased several books on the subject. Many of these were written by wine makers who seemed apologetic for meads "inferior" quality to grape wines. I found this book refreshing and different. It encouraged me to have fun and make mead that would appeal to my individual taste rather than making a brew to meet someone else's expectations. The methods taught were sanitary and consistent with other books I've read. I was not encouraged to do anything illegal or unsafe. Buy this book. You will enjoy it.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good recipes, needs a copy-editor, January 25, 2004

By 

Laura Jefferson "Rhyolight" (Henniker, NH United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mad About Mead: Nectar of the Gods (Paperback)

I like this book and found the recipes and technical details useful; readers fearing to be put off by jargon will find comfort with the writer's cheerful folksy style.
But it pains me to find a reference to "King Arthur and his Knights Templar" (an anachronism of no more than 1600 years) on the first page (xiii, actually) and a statement that "honey ferments naturally" on p. 3. She does go on later to say that honey must be diluted to allow the yeast to work; I know these are trifling details, but for me they cast a dubious light on the rest of the ritual and traditional material. I really want a word with the editor; I like the book and I am happy to refer to it when I start brewing.