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Mead
Spirits & brews· spirit

What it is
Mead is a fermented drink made from honey, water and yeast, sometimes with fruit or spices added.
What it tastes like
On the nose: pineapple, pear. Among its measured molecules: 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol, capric acid, phenethyl acetate, acetaldehyde, caprylic acid.
What goes with it
- Aleboth carry isoamyl acetate, pearcite
- Parmesanboth carry ethyl butyrate, pineapplecite
- Single malt Scotch (unpeated)both carry phenethyl acetate, floral rosecite
Salt and acid
Salt
Salt not measured yet.
Acid
Acid not measured yet.
Unusual pairings
Pairs the library can cite that almost nobody makes.
- Mead + Sweet cherry
both carry acetaldehyde, fruity (39 of 338 carry it)
- Mead + Parmesan
both carry ethyl butyrate, pineapple (29 of 338 carry it)
- Mead + Single malt Scotch (unpeated)
both carry phenethyl acetate, floral rose (23 of 338 carry it)
Every one of its 15 compounds carries a paper the library can cite.
acetic acidtasteacidreads as pungent (PubChem)Measured in 35 of 338 ingredients.cite
0.30 ± 0.02 g/L in the QA23 free-cell mead and 0.21 ± 0.01 in the ICV D47 free-cell mead, rising to 0.39 and 0.29 with immobilized cells; the strain and the condition are both significant (p = 0.001 and 0.002) — Pereira et al. 2019, Microorganisms (Table 2 (Concentration of sugars, glycerol, acetic acid and ethanol), row 'Acetic acid')acetaldehydearomaaldehydereads as pungent, fruity odor (PubChem)Measured in 18 of 338 ingredients.cite
OAV 31.6 (QA23 free cells) and 25.4 (ICV D47 free cells) against a threshold of 500 µg/L, falling to 7.3 and 8.6 in the immobilized-cell meads — the largest cell-format effect in the table, and larger than the difference between the two yeast strains — Pereira et al. 2019, Microorganisms (Table 4, row 'Acetaldehyde')2-methoxy-4-vinylphenolaromaphenolMeasured in 7 of 338 ingredients.cite
OAV 1.0 in the QA23 free-cell mead against a threshold of 130 µg/L, and below 1 in the other three; the only phenolic volatile in the shortlist that clears threshold at all — Pereira et al. 2019, Microorganisms (Table 4, row '4-vinylguaicol' (the paper's own spelling))caprylic acidaromaacidreads as slight odor (PubChem)Measured in 21 of 338 ingredients.cite
OAV 6.4 (QA23 free cells) and 6.2 (ICV D47 free cells) against a threshold of 500 µg/L — the largest free fatty acid of the four in the table — Pereira et al. 2019, Microorganisms (Table 4, row 'octanoic acid')glyceroltastereads as mild odor (PubChem)Measured in 1 of 338 ingredients.cite
5.23 ± 0.19 g/L in the QA23 free-cell mead and 5.07 ± 0.21 in the ICV D47 free-cell mead — the yeast's second product after ethanol, and the only compound in this profile that is not an odorant but is present in grams per litre — Pereira et al. 2019, Microorganisms (Table 2, row 'Glycerol')capric acidaromaacidMeasured in 10 of 338 ingredients.cite
OAV 1.3 (QA23 free cells) and 1.1 (ICV D47 free cells) against a threshold of 1000 µg/L — the lowest of the four fatty acids and still above threshold in all four meads — Pereira et al. 2019, Microorganisms (Table 4, row 'decanoic acid')phenylethyl alcoholaromaalcoholreads as sharp burning taste (PubChem)Measured in 41 of 338 ingredients.cite
OAV 1.8 (QA23 free cells) and 2.5 (ICV D47 free cells) against a threshold of 14,000 µg/L — Pereira et al. 2019, Microorganisms (Table 4, row '2-phenyl-ethanol')phenethyl acetatearomaesterMeasured in 13 of 338 ingredients.cite
OAV 3.0 (QA23 free cells) and 2.7 (ICV D47 free cells) against a threshold of 250 µg/L — Pereira et al. 2019, Microorganisms (Table 4, row '2-phenylethyl acetate')ethyl butyratearomaesterreads as pineapple odor (PubChem)Measured in 21 of 338 ingredients.cite
OAV 7.4 (QA23 free cells) and 4.2 (ICV D47 free cells) against a threshold of 20 µg/L — Pereira et al. 2019, Microorganisms (Table 4, row 'ethyl butyrate')ethyl octanoatearomaesterMeasured in 24 of 338 ingredients.cite
OAV 183.5 in the QA23 free-cell mead and 159.7 in the ICV D47 free-cell mead against an odour threshold of 5 µg/L — the highest odour activity value in the study by a factor of three, and the compound mead's aroma is built on — Pereira et al. 2019, Microorganisms (Table 4 (Odor activity values of volatile compounds of more influence on the aroma of mead), row 'ethyl octanoate')ethyl acetatearomaesterreads as fragrant odor (PubChem)Measured in 42 of 338 ingredients.cite
OAV 2.8 (QA23 free cells) and 2.3 (ICV D47 free cells) against a threshold of 12,300 µg/L, rising to 4.1 and 3.1 with immobilized cells — Pereira et al. 2019, Microorganisms (Table 4, row 'ethyl acetate')hexanoic acidaromaacidMeasured in 24 of 338 ingredients.cite
OAV 1.7 (QA23 free cells) and 1.8 (ICV D47 free cells) against a threshold of 420 µg/L — Pereira et al. 2019, Microorganisms (Table 4, row 'hexanoic acid')isoamyl alcoholaromaalcoholMeasured in 43 of 338 ingredients.cite
OAV 3.5 (QA23 free cells) and 4.2 (ICV D47 free cells) against a threshold of 30,000 µg/L — the highest threshold in the table, so the fusel alcohol is present in milligrams per litre and still barely audible — Pereira et al. 2019, Microorganisms (Table 4, row '3-methyl-1-butanol')ethyl hexanoatearomaesterMeasured in 36 of 338 ingredients.cite
OAV 33.6 (QA23 free cells) and 26.7 (ICV D47 free cells) against a threshold of 14 µg/L — Pereira et al. 2019, Microorganisms (Table 4, row 'ethyl hexanoate')isoamyl acetatearomaesterreads as pear-like odor (PubChem)Measured in 26 of 338 ingredients.cite
OAV 49.7 (QA23 free cells) and 38.6 (ICV D47 free cells) against a threshold of 30 µg/L; the immobilized-cell meads give 37.5 and 37.3 — Pereira et al. 2019, Microorganisms (Table 4, row 'isoamyl acetate')
Sources
- Pereira et al. 2019, Microorganisms