Iliotepia Mead

There are but a few things in this world that brighten up the atmosphere as much as the Ilio' Mead does. It's not just the sweet taste of fruit it holds, the usual effect of alcohol that it is, nor even the honey-like consistency or gold colour that make it look like flowing molten gold. Oh no, dear friends, that's not it. A part of its magic is that of invoking the thoughts of the sunbathed rolling hills, those from which the fruit to make it came from. Believe me, it's like having a nice vacation in your head. a shop clerk advertising the mead to Erieyal and her student friends on the monthly "Market of Specialities", held within the premises of the Unicademia

Iliotepia mead or more commonly ilio' mead is an alcoholic beverage that is very popular among all societies on Aon.

Manufacturing process

Harvesting the iliomoura berries

The first part of the process of producing the mead is obviously acquiring the resources necessary for it. Here, the most vital element in manufacturing is the iliomoura berry, a fruit that is usually cultivated in hilly regions with a warm climate. The harvest of the fruit happens in late summer after the biggest heat waves are already over, which ensures that the berries are already ripe and juicy. They are usually collected by hand, as the nature of the bush they grow on disallows the usage of any machines to carry out that work. The berries are then put through a special washing machine that gently sprays them with water and then dries them using built-in fans. Afterwards, they get stored in a moist, heated underground cellar for a few days and then await their further transport.

Brewing the mead

Breweries are usually located near plantations so that the berries can be used quickly in the brewing process. It begins with preparing a brew of honey and yeast, that both have been fermented for at least 4 weeks. In the meantime, the berries are peeled by a special machine that uses hot steam and then get pressed so that the juice can be collected. It is then added alongside a small amount of sugar to the honey-yeast mix which is then poured into special brewing pots containing boiling water that's between 180-200 degrees. This concoction remains in the enclosed pots for around fifteen to twenty minutes, so that any unwanted elements are eliminated from it. After this is done, the unfermented mead is dripped down to another container where it is slowly cooled to room temperature.

Fermentation

When the brew reaches room temperature it is once more transported, this time to a primary fermentation vessel, that has been previously thoroughly cleaned. The mead spends between six to nine weeks fermenting. During this time, it is racked (transferred to another container) to a secondary vessel, after a characteristic bubbling froth stops appearing on the mead's surface. Contact with oxygen is minimised to the maximum extent possible during the transfer, as introducing it to the mead would cause it to oxidize.

Aging

After the fermentation process is deemed as complete, the mead can be aged. It is thus racked once more, this time into a special keg. This process can take from a few weeks to hundreds of years if one so desires. The common, easy-to-get mead usually is aged for about five to six weeks, while the more luxurious ones - from two to four years. When the time comes, the mead is taken out of the keg, bottled and then shipped to its distributor.

Item type

Consumable, Food / Drink

Raw materials & Components

The mead is composed of these main ingredients:

• Juice from the iliomoura berry - it is what gives the mead a distinctly fruity and "warm" taste.
• Honey - usually from beehives that belong to the brewery, it gives the mead its dense and flowy consistency.
• Yeasts - the mead ferments thanks to them.
• Sugar - an additional sweeterner.
• Water - responsible for the dilution of the brew, so it's easier to drink.

Tools

The more specialized tools necessary for the creation of the mead can be divided into those that take part in:

1. Harvesting - washing machine with built-in fans that can safely clean and dry the harvested berries.
2. Brewing - peeling machine that uses hot water vapour to shrivel the peel of the berry, so it comes off the fruit; brewing pots that can resist temperatures up to around 250 degrees; cooling container that allows for a slow cooling of the mixture enclosed in it
3. Fermentation - prime and secondary vessles that ensure proper conditions for fermentation to take place
4. Aging - special kegs that can hold the mead for long periods of time

Ah, ilio' mead, one of my personal favourites. The one you can get on a typical market or shop is good in itself, but by heavens' believe me, if you are lucky enough to be invited to a party at the Tsarist court... Oh, then you will be drinking mead that is at the very least a few decades old! Pyotr Tkachyov, First Lieutenant to the Supreme Admiral of the Tsarist Areoflotta