# Mead - Chilled or Room Temperature? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 5, 2007, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mead-chilled-or-room-temperature/394632 "2007-03-05T04:07:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![GreedySmurf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a698b9/32.png) [@GreedySmurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreedySmurf)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2007, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mead-chilled-or-room-temperature/394632/1 "2007-03-05T04:07:39Z")
A recent thread on the boards about the lack of popularity of mead reminded me I’d been meaning to track down some mead to give it a try. Having now done so, and having a couple of bottles of top class\* mead now making it’s way to me in the mail a question has occured to me. What is the accepted way to drink Mead? Do you chill it like white wine, or should it be drunk at room temperature like a nice red? \*If you believe the claims on their website the mead I have found from an Australian producer is absolute top shelf - they say it won the Gold Medal at the 2006 International Mead Festival USA. ---
**Author:** ![Bobotheoptimist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/919ad9/32.png) [@Bobotheoptimist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bobotheoptimist)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2007, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mead-chilled-or-room-temperature/394632/2 "2007-03-05T06:07:29Z")
Depends on the mead. I think you chill dry and serve dessert at room temp, sparkling chilled and spiced warm. Or something like that - I stick everything in the fridge but I don’t have any class. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2007, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mead-chilled-or-room-temperature/394632/3 "2007-03-05T06:43:54Z")
I’ve made mead, and drunk the mead of others, and I’ve always had it at room temp. ---
**Author:** ![Declan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Declan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Declan)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2007, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mead-chilled-or-room-temperature/394632/4 "2007-03-05T07:25:08Z")
[QUOTE=GreedySmurf] What is the accepted way to drink Mead? [/QUOTE] From the hollowed out skulls of your enemies Declan ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Rieux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2007, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mead-chilled-or-room-temperature/394632/5 "2007-03-05T08:11:00Z")
[QUOTE=Declan] From the hollowed out skulls of your enemies [/QUOTE] Yes, yes, we’ve got that. But should the skulls be _chilled_? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![GreedySmurf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a698b9/32.png) [@GreedySmurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreedySmurf)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2007, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mead-chilled-or-room-temperature/394632/6 "2007-03-05T13:06:15Z")
[QUOTE=Declan] From the hollowed out skulls of your enemies Declan [/QUOTE] Presumably the mead should be drunk from the skulls while listening to the lamentations of their women? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![butler1850](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@butler1850](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butler1850)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2007, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mead-chilled-or-room-temperature/394632/7 "2007-03-05T16:39:56Z")
[QUOTE=GreedySmurf] Presumably the mead should be drunk from the skulls while listening to the lamentations of their women? 😉 [/QUOTE] But if you’ve crushed your enemies, doesn’t that make the skull leak? (That’s one of my favorite movie lines.. and all of 4 seconds long) ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2007, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mead-chilled-or-room-temperature/394632/8 "2007-03-05T16:47:07Z")
Light = chilled. Heavy = room temperature. Spiced = warm. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2007, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mead-chilled-or-room-temperature/394632/9 "2007-03-05T19:53:15Z")
Originally (back at the time mead was a common beverage), they did not have refrigeration, and traditional mead was generally made in late summer or fall, so ice was not available. So traditional mead was served room temperature (or warmed, for spiced or mulled mead). Today, you can serve it at whatever temp you think is best. ---
**Author:** ![GreedySmurf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a698b9/32.png) [@GreedySmurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreedySmurf)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2007, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mead-chilled-or-room-temperature/394632/10 "2007-03-05T23:56:22Z")
[QUOTE=butler1850] But if you’ve crushed your enemies, doesn’t that make the skull leak? (That’s one of my favorite movie lines.. and all of 4 seconds long) [/QUOTE] Leakage could quite possibly be a problem. I guess you just have to be careful to only crush their torsos? 😛 I love that line as well. I hope for the day when I can use that line in real life in proper context. I have wondered if you got onto a game show, and during the usual get to know you stuff at the start, if asked what you like to do "I like to crush my enemies, … 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mead-chilled-or-room-temperature/394632/11 "2007-03-06T00:20:32Z")
Room temp, out of a [horn](http://www.jelldragon.com/drinking_horns.htm). At least that is the correct way when a skull isn’t handy. (disclaimer=I have no connection with that website, it was the first one that came up on a google search for drinking horns.)