At St. Ambrose Cellars, we get asked a lot of questions about our beverages but the one we seem to get the most is, “What’s the difference between a mead and a cyser?” While there is a short answer, we always feel that we’re not giving our customers the whole story. So here it is folks! Let’s dive into what sets these drinks apart!
What is Mead?
Mead is one of the oldest alcoholic beverages in the world, often referred to as “honey wine.” It’s made by fermenting honey with water and sometimes adding fruits, herbs, spices, or grains. The flavor of mead can range from sweet to dry, depending on the type of honey and the fermentation process. At St. Ambrose, we experiment with different blends to create unique meads like Rhythm & Blues (our blueberry and black currant mead) and Black Madonna (a sour blackberry mead).
What is Cyser?
Cyser is a specific type of mead, made by fermenting honey and apple juice together. It’s essentially a hybrid of mead and hard cider, resulting in a drink that’s often crisp and refreshing with the sweetness of honey and the tartness of apples. Our “X.R. Cyser”, for example, blends honey, cinnamon and maple syrup with apple for a punchy flavor.
How Are They Different?
While both beverages rely on honey for their base, the addition of apple juice is what defines cyser. Mead, on the other hand, is made with just honey and water as its foundation. Cysers tend to have a fruitier, more cider-like profile, while meads are more versatile in their flavor possibilities, depending on the ingredients used. Cysers also often have a slightly lower alcohol content than some meads.
Which Should You Try?
If you’re a fan of apple-forward flavors with a honeyed twist, cyser is a great option. It’s perfect for sipping on a crisp fall day or pairing with lighter dishes like salads or roasted chicken. Mead, on the other hand, offers a wider range of styles—from sweet and floral to dry and complex—making it a fun choice for those looking to explore something new. To see our full list of cysers and meads, CLICK HERE.
Whether you’re team cyser or mead (or both!), St. Ambrose Cellars has a variety of options to suit your taste. Stop by the tasting room and discover your next favorite drink!
Have any more questions about mead, cyser, or anything else? Drop by St. Ambrose Cellars or visit us online!.
Asiago w/ Rosemary
From Wisconsin, Asiago with Rosemary is a sweet and savory cows’ milk cheese. The rosemary gives this cheese just the right finish.
Paired with Razzputin
Lemon Stilton
From England, this cows’ milk cheese is a young white stilton. Long Clawson adds lemon citron. It tastes like cheesecake anis a perfect match for fresh fruit.
Paired with Rhythm & Blues
Prairie Breeze
Cows’ milk, from small family farms in Iowa. Pleasant, nutty tones and crystal crunches make this something special.
Paired with XR Cyser
Peppadew Spread
A peppadew is a sweet, hot pepper grown in the Limpopo province of South Africa. Blended with a mixture of cheeses it makes a spreadable snack.
Paired with Grateful Head
Mango & Ginger Stilton
From England, a young white Stilton with sweet mango and spicy ginger pieces. Like cheese cake without the crust. Delightful.
A disc rises with its thrower in the morning, anxious and rearing to get to the next 9. Together, thrower and disc will become one unit, to fly between baskets like a majestic, nearly-flightless bird.
We are getting ahead of ourselves though, for someone who has yet to try playing disc golf, and travel the path of the many frisbee samurai who have come before them, let us first explain what the game is and how to perform, nay, excel in the craft.
While the sport of disc golf as we know it has only been standardized by the Professional Disc Golf Association in the 1970s, the concept has been around since the early Greek Olympic games, when innovators were flogged for lobbing discuses between a series of olive trees. While there is little historical evidence to back up this legend, we personally hold these early origins to be gospel.
Exchange a ball and club with a narrow-ledged frisbee and you have essentially the same golf gameplay: begin at the starting tee box, aim toward the target (usually a metal post with a chain-link goblet structure on top called a “basket”), and try to reach it in the least number of throws, picking up the disc where it lands anywhere short of the target to toss again.
The goal is to have the least number of throws by the end of the round, usually a whole or half- course of 9-18 baskets.
There are three variations on the main disc used in the sport which, again not unlike switching between clubs in golf, serve distinct purposes on the course.
The driver is used for distance shots when the basket is still a ways away, its sharp edges allow for dangerously fast flight, cutting through wind and the occasional dragonfly.
The mid-range disc has duller edges which allow for easier control between trees and obstacles, it is generally switched out for the driver after tee-off.
The putter was designed for strategic handling while on final approach to the basket.
There are quite a few variations off these main three disc types which professionals keep in their bags for more specified conditions and throws.
So, you purchased one of St Ambrose Cellars’ signature meads, wines, ciders, or brews but now hesitate at the fridge with the plaguing question: ‘what food pairs best with my beverage?’
No worries, we got you covered with a comprehensive list of drink pairing that will help no matter where your tastebuds meander.
Mead
Imagine a canvas on which it is your job to elegantly paint only two of the many pigments on the palette spectrum-ing robust, dark, sweet, bitter, fruity, or dry. It might seem overwhelming.
However, there is a trick to blending a beautiful mead portrait – which is to pair light meads (such as our Dancing Bare Ambrosia) with light foods (i.e. fish, chicken, etc.), dark melomels (AKA fruit meads such as Cherry Amore or Rhythm & Blues) with heavier foods (think stews and beef), and light melomels (John Lemon, Razzputin, and Razzmatazz) with fresh and popping flavors (perhaps salads or spicy shrimp tacos).
There is some room for play here but, to continue this painting metaphor, as you shade your landscape of sunset over Lake Michigan, restrain from smearing too much yellow into the waves.
Wine
No pressure here except the taped lines your art teacher has placed between colors. Meads have guidelines, wines have laws.
Chardonnay (a rich white) pairs well with cheeses, most fish, and lighter meats.
Merlot and Cabernet Franc (and all dark reds) pair well with heavier meats and cheeses.
It should be said that most wines love bread and other starches so if you ever feel lost in the nitpicking, grab a baguette and enjoy the rest of your evening daydreaming of the cobblestone avenues in Paris.
Beer
Pairing beer to food is less a chore and more an exciting experiment. Even lighter ales can shine with the spicy or dark meals and darker brews can work wonderfully with fish. Our recommendation is to order a pizza and pick at the toppings between swigs.
How about you?
Do you have any favorite mead, wine, or beer pairings using St. Ambrose products? We’d love to see them!
Join us this Sunday for another visit from Tina the Cheese Lady – who brings awesome cheese and great energy every time she visits. And, once again, we’ll be joined by Fantail Farms with their beautiful horses for free carriage rides through the woods!
For $15, you’ll get:
#1
Unoaked Chardonnay paired with Young Manchego
Young manchego is a creamy sheep’s milk cheese
#2
Spyzer Cyser with Prima Donna Aged & Piave’ Vecchio
Prima Donna Aged gouda style cow’s milk, firm, nutty, and sweet. Piave Vecchip is dense, sweet, almost almondy.
#3
Secret Beach with Le Roule
Le Roule is a velvety soft cow’s milk cheese with herbs and garlic.
#4
Cherry Amore with Delft Blue
Delft blue is a Holland cow’s milk cheese with blue cultures added – creamy, buttery, and incredible.
#5
Third IPA with Barber’s 1833 Full Cheddar and Covadonga
Barber’s 1833 Full Cheddar is a full-flavored and sharp cheddar from England, and Covadonga is a tangy and slightly sweet rich blue cheese.
NO TICKETS NEEDED!
Pairing menu starts at 12PM – and will be available til 4PM or while supplies last. Horse carriage rides are free and will be leaving from the parking lot approximately every half hour from 1230-3.
