Of The Gods

Nick Jeffrey

Everything old is new again. King Solomon told us there was nothing new under the sun. Yogi Berra told us about déjà vu all over again. The wise philosophers in Iron Maiden told us that life is like a wheel.

Yes, gentle reader, it seems everything is cyclical. The fashions from decades past pop up on runway models with striking frequency. The disco beats of the 70s reappear on the radio. Politicians make the same old speeches from bygone eras.

Booze is no exception. Our fair province is experiencing a resurgence in what may be the oldest of tipples, made from nothing but water and fermented honey, better known as mead.

For those not in the know, mead is that most ancient of all fermented beverages, with archeological evidence of production as early as 7000BC.

While mead was independently discovered by many ancient cultures, it was the Greek island of Crete that boasts the oldest known records of mead production. Since honey contains naturally occurring wild yeasts, simply leaving a mixture of water and honey out in the summer heat would cause fermentation.

No longer will the local mead enthusiast need to wait for a Renaissance Faire to come to town, as mead has gone mainstream in Alberta.

The mead resurgence started back in 2008, just as the world economy was crashing, when a family-operated beekeeping operation in Okotoks decided to make a few extra bucks by producing some hooch from their honey.

Lest you think these pioneers from the Chinook Arch Meadery had it easy, it was a grueling battle with the provincial government, as the Vogon-esque bureaucrats had never heard of mead before, and were libations@theanchor.ca loathe to license anything outside of their comfort zone.

Luckily for us, the beekeepers-turnedboozekeepers prevailed, and ended up with the same type of cottage winery license used by the Fieldstone Fruit Winery near Strathmore.

Since Chinook Arch Meadery paved the way back in 2008, Alberta has also been blessed with the Fallentimber Meadery opening their doors in Water Valley in 2010, followed by the Spirit Hills Honey Winery in Millarville in 2012.

Most recently, the tiny hamlet of New Serepta, located just 30km east of the Edmonton International Airport, saw a new meadery open its doors the public. The old town firehall had been decommissioned for years, but is now the home to Old Station Honey & Mead, who opened their doors in June.

As luck would have it, I recently made a weekend trip to Edmonton, so I made a quick detour to visit the Old Station Honey & Mead taproom to sample their wares directly at the source. Family owned and operated, the site was originally operated as a berry farm, and had onsite beehives to aid pollination. When a neighbour decided to produce some homebrew mead from the honey, it was such a hit that it kickstarted the owners to start up a commercial meadery.

Unsurprisingly, Alberta is one of the nation’s top producers of honey, with over 50% of honey in Canada being produced right here in Wild Rose Country. It seems the same rolling prairies that make for great barley production for the beer industry is also optimal for honey production for mead.

While there are hundreds of different styles of mead, they all break down into four major types.

Traditional mead is made from water, honey, and yeast. This style tastes sort of like a light white wine, often compared to a Riesling.

Melomel is a traditional mead that has been flavored with fruits such as apricot, blackberry, blueberry, cranberry grapefruit, mulberry, peach, plum, strawberry, raspberry, pear, and many others. Think of this as the yuk-a-flux of the ancient world.

Metheglin is a traditional mead that has been flavored with herbs or spices such as lavender, nutmeg, vanilla, jasmine, and many others. Adding aromatic spices helps mask the flavor of fermentation contamination, making it popular in a pre-refrigerator ancient Greece.

Braggot is a traditional mead that has been brewed with malted barley and sometimes hops as a bittering agent to make it more beer-like. The hops act as a preservative to help prevent spoilage.

Old Station is currently producing four different styles of Mead, with the semi-sweet offering made from honey and Saskatoon berries being my favourite on a hot summer day, tasting reminiscent of a rosé wine.

Look for mead at the Sobeys Liquor in Chestermere, or check www.liquorconnect.com to search for retailers across the province.

Chestermere Lions Club

Meets on the 4th Wednesday of each month at 7:00pm Meetings are currently by zoom. Checkout our facebook page for more information,

OLder AdULts CoaLition of Chestermere Meeting

When: Wednesday, August 16th Time: 1:30pm – 3:30pm

Where: • Lakeshore Manor, 200 Marina Drive, Chestermere

RSVP: • jumpmaster2@shaw.ca • illingw8@telus.net

Walk-ins welcome, RSVP appreciated

Chestermere Christian Fellowship Services: Sunday 10:00 am

Pastor Vince VanderVeen 403-204-2079

1.6 km north of Hwy 1 on Conrich Road

Where

Registriation for the 2023/2024 School Year is Open!

PLAYING AND LEARNING GO HAND IN HAND!

Registration will be available on a continuous basis until all classes are full

Located in: the the Indus Recreation Centre (Bill Herron Arena) in Indus Alberta, this not for profit preschool has been serving the community and surrounding area for 25 years.

Indus Preschool offeres a dynamic, hands-on learning approach that offers: art • Imagination stations • earLy LiteraCy • & physiCaL aCtivity

Our program gives some of Rocky View’s youngest residents a chance to connect in a fun and positive environment while helping them to develop a sense of self and independence.

We help kids prepare for kindergarten and learn important skills that will help them in their daily lives.

Camp Chestermere Camp Chestermere is OPEN for Day Care, Rentals, and Community Events! We’ve even opened up registration for Summer 2021 Day and Overnight Camps! We are constantly reviewing and updating our policies to fall in line with current COVID protocols. Contact us today to find out how we can serve you and your needs. More at www.campchestermere.com https://induspreschool.com

The Chestermere Fine Art Guild

The Chestermere Fine Art Guild meets every Thursday at 1pm, at the Recreation Centre North side, upstairs in room 2. Come and explore your artistic potential. Welcoming new members beginner to advanced. Like us on Facebook and email chestermereartguild@gmail.com

Lakeside Quilters’ Guild Meeting each month at the Chestermere Recreation Centre on the first Wednesday of each month. Sew days are on the third Wednesday of each month and a sew Saturday each month, including summer. Quilting experience not required, new members welcome. For more information please contact Joyce at 403-383-1940.

St. Gabriel's the Archangel Parish

Catholics in Chestermere: Weekend masses are now open for public celebration without seating restrictions at St. Gabriel’s Catholic School (197 Invermere Dr.). There is no longer advanced registration required to attend mass (Saturday 5 pm, Sunday 9 am, and 10:30 am), but please stay home if you feel sick that day. For more information please call 403-455-0196

The Rotary Club Of Chestermere

Holds virtual meetings via Zoom on the 1st & 3rd Wednesday of the Month at 5:00pm and hosts in-person “Socials” at local venues on the last Wednesday of the month.

Guests are warmly welcomed to “Zoom in” to our virtual meeting or join us for some social time when they can!

Please email us for more information at: rotarychestermere@gmail.com

Check out our website at: www.rotarychestermere.org

Coldwell Agencies

Home Auto Farm Bonding Commercial

Coldwell Agencies have been servicing the Strathmore area community for the last 40 years! We are family-owned and operated. We provide farm insurance, auto insurance, commercial insurance, home insurance and much more. Providing bundle packages, our insurance brokers will get you the coverage you need. Give us a call to learn more about our services at Coldwell Agencies Ltd.