This text is part of the special book Plaisirs
Known for more than 10,000 years, mead is undoubtedly one of the oldest alcohols in the world. The one that was called “the nectar of the gods” has evolved differently depending on the region of the globe. In North America, it had almost disappeared until winks of fate launched by fictions like The iron Throne And The Lord of the Rings, as well as the creative dynamism shown by its producers, does not put it back in the saddle. It is therefore with a whole new perspective, both artisanal, contemporary and environmental, that the very first Quebec Mead Week will take place across the province from May 19 to 28.
René Bougie may have a long, full beard, but he’s nothing like a Viking warrior. “Mead is no longer a medieval drink that you drink in a helmet! he said jokingly. On the contrary, it is a modern and innovative product. »
A former lover of beers that he microbrewed for fun, the beekeeper at the head of Miellerie King, located in Centre-du-Québec, dropped everything to start a beekeeping business with his family that offers more than 20 alcohol-based products. honey: mistelles, spirits (including several apirums, rum-like honey-based eaux-de-vie), liqueurs as well as several bottled and canned meads. “I immediately had the sting of meads, as soon as I tasted them, he says. And I love my job, even if it comes with special challenges. »
A universe of flavors
To enter the creative world of a mead producer, let’s start with the basics. What exactly is a mead? “It’s seemingly simple. It’s a mixture of honey, water and yeast, replies René Bougie. Honeys are harvested and blended, then water and yeast are added and everything is fermented for two to five weeks, during which time the sugar in the honey is transformed into alcohol and carbon dioxide. Then, you have the choice to filter it, to carbonate it, to fortify it or, on the contrary, to dealcoholize it, or even to malt it. »
Depending on the honeys, the amount of water, the yeasts, the fermentation time and the transformations used, the meads can be extremely varied. They have 4 g to 300 g of sugar per liter and 0% to 20% alcohol, they are still or effervescent, traditional or flavored with juices, fresh or dried fruit, herbs, flowers, spices and even hops. We are therefore very far from the slightly outdated and sugar-packed product that some might expect.
“To say that we don’t like meads because we have tried one that we don’t like is a bit like saying that we don’t like beer or wine, when we don’t only tasted one bottle! says the beekeeper. He has also just won, in early May, for his honey alcoholic cream Alvéole, a gold medal and the prize for the best alcoholic cream in Canada during the World Liqueur Awards competition, which was held in London.
From the bee to the bottle
If the taste field of Quebec meads is very wide, they all have in common to constitute artisanal, regenerative and hyperlocal productions. For what ? First of all because the honeys used to make them come from the apiaries of each beekeeper, with bees foraging from three to five kilometers around. All honey alcohols are also processed on site.
“These are products that taste their terroir,” says Renée Bougie. They have typical flavors, such as floral, vegetal, fruity or caramelized notes. But since bees don’t forage the same from one place to another, honey and spirits, in the end, don’t taste the same at all. »
This proximity to the product is reflected in the relationship that beekeepers have with the bees and the environment that surrounds them. Frédéric Dutil, a former engineer who decided to follow his values by creating, with two partners, in the heart of Quebec City, the urban distillery Apikol, reminds us: “The bee is a noble insect. It produces a natural sugar, while constituting a pollinator which allows us to preserve our biodiversity. It thus represents, in the same way as the polar bear and the whales, a sentinel of the environment. If it’s bad, you have to ask yourself questions. »
When we know that the hive mortality rate has reached 50% in 2022, the value of the work done by mead producers in Quebec is all the more important in the countryside and in the city, as is the case of Apikol. “City bees are in good health, explains Mr. Dutil, however, because they do not ingest pesticides. They also forage on various plants and flowers, so their honey is really good! The latter uses it to produce an effervescent mead that is not very sweet and without bitterness, as well as a vodka, a gin, a raspberry eau-de-vie and another caramelized. Some of the delights that will be available from May 19.
This content was produced by the Special Publications team of the Duty, relating to marketing. The drafting of Duty did not take part.