aye broon ale is the [censored] boy like, thats what I'll be sipping on when im playing skyrim.

Yup, being 'macho' is just an 'image' and pointless. The Vikings were real people, and on top of that as is noted above if someone is actually rough and tough what they drink has no bearing on it.

I'm just sticking with some nice bottles of beer and will be drinking them out my ceramic stein.

http://greatbrewers.com/sites/default/files/images/Product%20-%20Ommegang%20Ommegang.preview.jpg

http://definitiveale.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/unibroue-maudite-750.jpg

I have a tough time with mead, or any really sweet drinks... I'd love to have some just to help set the mood, but I think I'll just pour good ol homemade pale ale into my giant mug.

If you live near Quebec, http://www.saq.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=2960601&langId=-2&storeId=10001&catalogId=10001 comes in a heavy clay (or stoneware?) bottle with a wax top. More close-up pic http://www.fm1017.ca/univers-des-vins/5512

Pairs well with brie, chicken, or pillaging.

"Mead" is actually a honey wine, so it's often supposed to be sweet (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mead). There are different types though obviously. People nowadays often will say "mead" when they really mean "ale" and similar strong drinks.

Vikings or not, it got the women drunk and, well...

Does anybody know of any reputable meaderies in the home counties?

Should just get a nice stout and ignore the mead.

Yes, I understand what it is. I didn't expect the sweetness to be magnified by fermentation since doing so consumes sugars. I also thought that mead might have a dry to sweet scale like sake does, and wondered if the stuff I tried was at the extreme of the sweet scale.

A point I did not consider.

Just a warning note, Mead has more often than not a higher alcohol percentage than regular wine and beer. Wines are usually around 8% but Mead is around 12%. So use smaller glasses (or stone cups if you want to go the dark-ages tour) when you drink it. Just a heads up.

What kind of wines are you drinking? Wine is typically 12%-13%.

I found a nearby brewer.


http://www.texasmeadworks.com/

Anyone here from texas ever had their mead before? They're close enough that I could make a daytrip to pick up some if it's worth it.

One word. A proper cup of tea. Yeah, baby.

Good...mead?

Do those two words even work together?

If you get the good stuff, then yes.

This store, which ships, offers some good mead. I can vouch for it.

http://meaderyoftherockies.com/

I always mod "Blue Moon Belgium Wheat Ale" into the game.
When we had attributes it would fortify personality 20 points and Drain Intelligence and Willpower 20 Points all for for 120 secs. Along with restoring 2 Health and Magicka for 60 secs.

I love my Blue Moon.
http://www.thebrewskireport.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/blue-moon-belgian-white.jpg
Mmmm, so good.

Alcohol puts me to sleep if I attempt to play video games. I'll grab some apple cider, cheese, and crackers instead.

8%? Sounds like someone's been drinking Arbor Mist

Blue Moon is 5.4% iirc.

They don't ship to TX

I recommend Barenjager, it is hard liquor though, 40% alcohol, but very good, like they just poured alcohol into a large vat of honey. I plan on sipping it (to get more of the honey taste), then doing a shot for every dragon I kill. Seems like the Nordic thing to do.

Hey, if you want to drink what basically amounts to honey and urine, bee my guest.

Ehm, some of them are African wines, some from Argentine. My mother is a teacher at the waitress/cook department and because of that we get a lot of wine when they get rid of the old shipment. Most are around 8% and only a few are 12,5%. I know for certain that wine doesn't go over 12,5% but Mead can go over 14%. It's brewed differently and is mostly stronger than wine.

or maybe Dutch folks just don't sell wine that goes over that limit. But my teacher said that 12,5% is considered strong for a wine while it's considered weak for Mead.

I think I'm all out of mead (drank the last of it during vacation and haven't replaced it yet) so this may be my best option. I like the idea of a shot for taking down a dragon too!

Scroll down to wine:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcohol_by_volume
"Wine 9%–16% (most often 12.5%–14.5%)"

Right above it is mead, which is maxes around 16% also. They are made essentially the same way. It all depends on the type of yeast you use, the nutrients you give it, and how much food it has (sugar). I had a mead made with Champagne yeast (which is very hardy and can survive in very high alcohol conditions, which is why Champagne is higher alcohol than most wine, the yeast continues to consume sugar long after the environment would be toxic to many other yeasts) and it was around 18% abv... it tasted a lot like Champagne and it was bad.

Mead does have a dry to sweet scale. Many people will let mead go for a first fermentation and then add additional honey. This will reactive the yeast and produce a higher alcohol percentage. However, typically, there will be more sugar left over than after the initial fermentation, leaving behind a higher sugar content, and a sweeter mead. My brother has made some fairly dry mead before. It's not bad, though I prefer somewhere in the middle. Not cloyingly sweet, but not entirely dry either. Fruit based meads are fantastic. I especially like blueberry meads.