Does the mead go bad?

Whenever you open a drink and leave the bottle half full, you wonder how long it will last. And mead is no exception, as this drink that looks like a cross between wine and beer can cause some confusion.

Does the mead go bad?

Commercially made mead doesn’t exactly go bad, but its flavor deteriorates over time until it’s no longer safe to eat. It can last years without opening or several months after opening it, preserving its best flavor. Homemade mead can go bad if it gets infected. 

This article is your guide to mead storage conditions and how to tell if the mead is still good or not.

What is mead?

You may have seen medieval people drinking mead in movies, but you have always avoided drinking it because you don’t really know what mead is.

Mead is a fermented, wine-like drink made with honey. The mixture of water and honey undergoes fermentation with the use of some yeast. You can find mead with various aromas, from fruit to spice.

If you ask mead drinkers to describe this drink, many will say that it is a cross between wine and beer. The alcohol content of mead ranges from 6 to 20 percent.

Classic meads have a relatively high alcohol content, ranging from 15 to 20 percent. Lighter meads are perfect for people who don’t like strong alcoholic beverages, as their alcohol content ranges from 6 to 12 percent.

If the alcohol percentage doesn’t matter to you when drinking mead, we recommend checking it anyway. The higher the alcohol content, the more stable the mead will be. 

Does the mead go bad?

Like kahlua and prosecco , although commercially manufactured mead does not spoil easily in a way that is unsafe to drink, the drink gradually deteriorates and reaches a point where no one would want to drink it.

Commercial mead can keep for years, even a decade or more, if unopened. Once opened, it can last from several days (light mead) to several months (classic mead) and retain its best quality.

However, home-brewed mead is more likely to spoil. Yeast is needed to ferment the mead and it is possible for the drink to become infected . Like many foods and drinks, mold can also grow.

Although this is technically possible with commercial meads, they are usually well sealed and contain preservatives, meaning they don’t spoil often or easily.

It’s hard to gauge how long your homemade mead will last, but how you make and store it will likely make a big difference. Homemade mead should be stored in an airtight container. The more you open it, the sooner you can reasonably expect it to go bad, both in taste and safety for consumption.

Storing mead properly , whether the bottle has been opened or not, will help ensure maximum shelf life for your drink.

Does mead get better over time?

Classic meads that come in a naturally corked bottle can improve as they age. If you are going to age the classic mead, be sure to store it on the side. This will prevent the cork from drying out.

Keep in mind that not all meads that come with natural cork are good for aging. If the cork isn’t good enough and the bottle isn’t designed for aging, your attempt at aging classic mead may prove unsuccessful.

We recommend that you check the manufacturer’s guidelines to find out if the variety of mead you have purchased is suitable for aging and how best to age it.

If the mead is not suitable for aging, you will end up with the opposite effect. The quality of the drink will deteriorate over time. You will open the bottle to discover that the mead tastes worse than it did at first.

How long does the mead last?

If you want a mead that will keep its best flavor for many months and even years, buy a classic mead with an alcohol content of 15 to 20 percent.

Lighter meads are good if you are someone who finishes a bottle within a few days of opening it.

Here we explain how long the classic meads and the lighter ones last:

Unopened classic meads are very shelf stable. If you store classic mead properly, it can last 5 years or more . You do not need to refrigerate unopened classic mead unless it is very hot in your house.

After opening a bottle of Classic Mead, use it within 6 months if stored in the pantry and within 8 months if stored in the fridge.

For the best taste experience, drink the mead as soon as possible. Once opened, the drink’s flavor gradually degrades whether you store it in the fridge or at room temperature.

Lighter meads have a shorter shelf life. For light meads, it is important to check the expiration date printed on the bottle. Unopened light mead only lasts 6 months after the printed date .

After opening the bottle of light mead, we recommend drinking it as soon as possible. With some brands, you must drink the mead within a day or it will lose its flavor qualities. In general, however, you can drink light meads within 7 days of opening the bottle.

In either case, check the date on the bottle of mead and read the manufacturer’s recommendations for storage conditions for the drink.

How can you tell if the mead has gone bad?

Mead does not usually go bad like other products. More often than not, its quality simply deteriorates, so that in the end you don’t want to drink it.

If you’re not sure if the mead is still drinkable or not, look for the following signs:

• Rancid smell: Before drinking mead that has been in the fridge for a while, do the smell test. If the mead has an odd musty aroma, discard it and open a new bottle.
• Color Changes: If the bottle of mead is dark in color, pour a small amount into a glass to see if the drink has undergone any color changes. Cloudiness is another indicator that the mead is no longer fit to drink.
• Flavor Changes: If the mead smells and looks good, taste it to see if it’s good enough to drink. Mead that has been sitting in the fridge or pantry in an open bottle may not taste as good as fresh mead. However, if there are no significant flavor changes, you can safely drink the mead.

As for homemade mead , throw it away when it’s infected. Spotting infected mead can be confusing if you’re not an experienced brewer.

A sign of infected mead is the formation of a film on the surface of the concoction. The films that form on the surface of the infusion can have different shapes. Multiple bubble-like spots can form on the surface.

Keep in mind that these two key common points are not signs of infected or bad mead:

• If this is your first time making mead at home, you may think that the layer of foam on the surface is a sign of infected mead. This is a false alarm. The fermentation that occurs in the mixture is what causes the foam.
• It is completely normal for mead to develop sediment in the bottom of the bottle. Sediment at the bottom of the brewing vessel is also an indicator of quite good mead . If you don’t notice any other signs of spoilage, you can safely drink mead that has a little sediment in the bottom of the bottle.

How is mead stored?

Since mead is similar to beer, wine, and, as many think, cider, there is a lot of confusion about its storage conditions. Here’s how to properly store mead.

First of all, if you have an unopened bottle of mead, store it in a cool, dry place . It is important that you keep the bottle of mead out of direct sunlight . Although some manufacturers produce mead in dark bottles, this does not provide complete protection from sunlight.

Store unopened bottles of mead in any room or closet, as long as they meet the above criteria. Opened bottles can be kept in the fridge to help keep it tasting fresh and safe from mold and infection.

These are the basic rules that work for all types of mead.

Should mead be refrigerated?

Unopened bottles of mead do not need refrigeration. As long as the cork or stopper is not damaged, it is enough to keep the bottles in a cool and dry place so that the drink maintains its best qualities.

For open meads, you can refrigerate them, and you definitely should if it’s a light mead.

To go into more detail, here’s how to store classic and light meads, depending on whether they’re open or not:

1. Storing classic mead

As we have mentioned before, classic meads have a higher alcohol content. This makes them last longer. Therefore, if you see classic meads for sale in your nearest supermarket, you can surely take several bottles, since they keep quite well.

Once opened, you can store classic meads in a pantry or cupboard where they are cool and dark . As long as you close the bottle tightly , high-proof mead will keep well even when not refrigerated.

If it’s hot where you live and you can’t find a cool place to store your open bottle of classic mead, don’t worry. You can also store it in the fridge. Storing classic mead in the fridge will also help preserve the freshness of the drink.

Another case in which it is recommended to keep a half-full bottle of classic mead in the fridge is when you know you won’t finish it for 3 months.

2. Conservation of light mead

Due to its low alcohol content, light mead is more sensitive to imperfect storage conditions. Therefore, it is best to store an open bottle of light mead in the refrigerator.

It is important to keep the bottle tightly closed at all times, especially if it is a sparkling variety.

However, until you open it, you can store it in a cool, dark place in a pantry or closet.