Enjoying an alcoholic beverage now and then can be a great way to relax, socialize with your friends and family, or simply just pair it with your evening meal. No matter which way you enjoy your beverage, you may need to know what’s in it.
Whether you’re following a gluten-free diet, or have intolerances or allergies, then it’s important to keep track of exactly what you’re consuming.
Mead, and otherwise known as ‘honey wine’, is a sweet alcoholic beverage, that’s made by fermenting honey and water. While it holds quite the historical story, mead has made a comeback in more recent years. So, if you want to enjoy this beverage you’ll want to know, is mead gluten-free?
Yes and no – while this is a little bit of a confusing answer, we’ll dig deeper into it. Whether or not mead is gluten-free depends on two factors.
Are All Brands of Mead Gluten-Free?
The two factors that determine whether or not mead is gluten-free are the ingredients and the fermentation process.
Ingredients
Firstly, for a majority of meads, the only ingredients used would be honey and water, and therefore, it’s considered gluten-free. But, some brands add barley or wild yeasts, which consequently, wouldn’t be suitable for people with gluten intolerances or allergies.
(Note: Avoid braggots as these are malted meads that certainly aren’t gluten-free)
Fermentation Process
The fermentation process will affect whether mead is declared gluten-free. There is always the risk of cross-contamination during this process, as typically, they’re fermenting other products that may contain gluten.
Brands of Mead
Here is a compiled list of gluten-free meads that would be suitable for consumption:
- BeeHaven
- Charm City Meadworks
- Hidden Legend
- Chaucer’s
- Ethereal Meads
Essentially, the bottom line is that you’d have to check the specific mead that you’re drinking. Each one may have slightly different ingredients and fermentation processes, and this will massively impact whether or not it’s suitable.
If you can’t check for whatever reason, then it’s probably best to avoid mead as there is quite a high probability that it could contain traces of gluten.