Is it still possible to purchase barrels of mead? The feasts typically portrayed in medieval movies, tv shows, and video games, whether fantasy or historical fiction, look like a hell of a lot of fun. I feel like Renaissance fairs ruin the experience of a medieval feast with their family friendly atmosphere, so the obvious remedy is to plan a massive medieval themed party. Would it be possible, not to mention fairly cheap, to purchase a large quantity of mead today for such an event?
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Making basic Mead is pretty easy but expensive as honey is pretty spendy per pound. If you were to do a whole barrel (a used spirits barrel runs about $130, newer barrels a bit more) you would need around 18 gallons of honey (spirits barrels are 53 gallons and you want a ratio of honey to water to be 1:2). On Amazon that would run about $680. Plus a little bit of yeast to start it all off, but that's a nominal cost at this point. So making a big wooden barrel of Mead at home would cost you just under a grand, an afternoon's work, and about a month of waiting. But if you really just want to make some Mead at home: Buy a cheap carboy on Amazon with a chamber lock, buy a gallon and a half of honey, mix it with three gallons of water, add some yeast from a homebrew shop, put it in a dark, cool place and wait a month or so. It's really easy to start making it and once you get it down you can tweak the recipe with fruits, teas, or spices.