The Viking Alchemist Introduces Its Line of Sour Meads

Smyrna, Georgia – March, 2023 -  This month, the Viking Alchemist Meadery, producer of the Best Mead in Georgia since 2015, will release its first line of Sour Meads through distribution in Georgia. The mead is the accidental invention from the meadery as a result of a batch of honey containing lactobacillus being used in the brew process. Since the discovery, the Viking Alchemist has found the happy accident a boon for product development. For the 3 years following the discovery, the meadery has been experimenting with flavors in it’s Smyrna tap room, seeking to identify flavor profiles that would appeal to the widest audience.

“We have a history of pushing mead outside the norm and offering very approachable flavor profiles that makes mead something anyone can enjoy” says Tamara Kosoris, owner. “The Sour Mead was a sharp turn that nobody was looking for and nobody expected. It fundamentally changes the mead experience.”

Lactobacillus is a common culture used in food production as well as beer. Sour beers have gained popularity among the craft culture, as the industry sought to expand the customer base to younger drinkers and alternative flavor seekers. But, before now, the culture has not been used in a production mead. In cooperation with local labs and brewers, the Viking Alchemist Meadery has been able to grow a strain of the culture that is both reliable and unique in the market, particularly adapted for mead production.

While the meadery has tested more than a dozen flavor profiles, there are four that have risen as favorites among the public. After performing well in competition in 2021 and 2022, these meads have been put into production and distribution. Four flavors will come to market in the first quarter of 2023.

Ch-Ch-Cherry Bomb
A Sour Mead made with dark sweet cherry, mango, and habanero. Ch-Ch-Cherry Bomb is less sweet with a fruity flavor and a spicy follow. The habenero adds a kick to this mead, making it a fan favorite in the tap room.

Laid Back
One of the first sours we produced, Laid Back is an easy sipping mead, less sweet and tangy. The orange, grapefruit and juniper add a summer vibe to the Sour Mead making it ideal for backyard, hot weather.

TONE LŌKI
Inspired by our session mead Mints of Persia but made with a spearmint tea. It’s light, fresh and spirited. Maybe a little chaotic, but still a treat. Lighter than some of the other Sour Meads.

TYPE O
It’s open, approachable and compatible with nearly every person who has tried it. Made with blood orange, TYPE-O is a fruitier Sour Mead with a strong kick of citrus. Less sweet, but full of flavor, TYPE-O goes down easy and pairs well with everything and everybody.

While each flavor is distinct, they all share the same traits of Sour Meads. Like wine, mead can be sweet or fermented all the way to dry, but Sour Meads bring a new layer to the flavor profile that will balance even the sweeter meads. The Viking Alchemist Meadery’s line of Sour Meads present an off-dry profile that allows the flavor profiles to strongly stand out. All the Viking Alchemist Meadery' s Sour Meads are based off their show mead, coming in at 11% ABV.

Sour Meads will be available in 500 ML bottles throughout Georgia bottle stores with cooperation from Savannah Distribution.

About the Viking Alchemist Meadery
The Viking Alchemist is a family and veteran owned Meadery and Cidery, established in 2015, Marietta GA. The Mead is sold and distributed throughout Georgia with a tasting room open Thursday-Sunday. Over the 7 years of operation, the Meadery has developed a reputation for merging modern sensibilities with the ancient craft of mead making, earning the reputation of an “alchemist.”

What is Lactobacillus?
Lactobacillus is a type of bacteria that is commonly used in food production, particularly in the production of fermented foods. This bacteria is known for its ability to convert sugars and carbohydrates into lactic acid, which gives fermented foods their characteristic sour taste and helps to preserve them.

What is Mead?
Mead is likely the oldest alcoholic beverage humans have enjoyed. Cultures, around the world, independently discovered the art of fermenting honey into mead. Each culture is slightly different, but the basic formula is the same: Water, honey and yeast.