If you want to drink like a Viking, first, you need to know what it was that they drank! We'd like to imagine the Norsemen as noble savages, drinking the blood of their enemies from the skulls of their defeated foes. Though this would fit in with the glamorized image of the Vikings that we've crafted in the past few hundred years, this is simply not a reality. The reality is that fresh water was the most common drink of the time, just like today. Besides water, though, the Vikings drank beer (ale) and mead on a regular basis, and very occasionally drank wine.
If you want to drink like a Viking, first, you need to know what it was that they drank! We'd like to imagine the Norsemen as noble savages, drinking the blood of their enemies from the skulls of their defeated foes. Though this would fit in with the glamorized image of the Vikings that we've crafted in the past few hundred years, this is simply not a reality. The reality is that fresh water was the most common drink of the time, just like today. Besides water, though, the Vikings drank beer (ale) and mead on a regular basis, and very occasionally drank wine.
Beer is any beverage brewed from the fermentation of grain, while mead is brewed from fermenting honey and fruits. Both of these alcoholic beverages were drank by the Norsemen, sometimes even in hybrid forms. We know from written records that beer and mead were commonly drunk throughout Europe during the Early Medieval Period and into the Viking Age (775-1050 A.D.). However, some scholars maintain that the first domesticated grains didn't begin to arrive in Scandinavia until the 7th century. There is documented evidence, though, of mead being drank by early age Scandinavians. Hence, mead likely preceded beer in Viking culture.
Still, this didn't mean that the Vikings didn't love their ale! By the 8th century, Vikings were likely drinking an abundance of brewskis. In the Hávamál and other Norse works of literature and poetry, beer and mead are often mentioned as being an integral part of Norse society.
There is evidence that the majority of the brewing was done by women in Viking society. Women were highly respected in Norse society, so it no surprise that they were entrusted with this important task! Essentially, they were in charge of everything inside the home, including cooking and brewing ale.
Beer was also a perfect beverage to bring on long seaborne journeys, as the raiding warriors (Vikings) were prone to do. Beer, mead and ale are fermented, allowing a longer shelf life, which in turn allowed raiders to embark on longer expeditions without having to stop for fresh water. Additionally, beer, mead and ale contained much needed calories, making it more beneficial for energy (arguably). Fetch me my dinner of ALE!!!
There were likely hundreds or even thousands of different beers and mead produced across the region, as each village may have had their own fermentation and brewing process. One might start to think that there were brewing competitions and rivalries! We're not sure about that, but what we know from archaeological evidence that sahti was brewed in parts Finland during the Viking Age. Barrels have been found inside of sunken Viking ships that contained residues of its contents. We know that this brew contained hops, malted barley, malted rye and juniper.
Additionally, there were different brews for different occasions, for example, feasts called for a more potent beer than brews drank on an everyday basis. There is also evidence that women and men sometimes drank ales of different strengths. Sorry feminists; we didn't write history, we are just recounting it...
It would be inaccurate, to picture the Norsemen as drunken brutes, as most beers of the age were much lower in alcohol content than they are in modern times. It is almost certain that the Norse people had an understanding of the dangers of drunkenness and intoxication. The Viking Hávamál often voices these warnings, for example:
Less good than they say
for the sons of men
is the drinking oft of ale:
for the more they drink,
the less they can think
and keep a watch over their wits.
The brewing of alcoholic beverages should not be looked at as a sign of a carnal society, but rather a testament to the sophistication of the Norse peoples. Anyone who has ever brewed their own beer knows this! The Norsemen traveled and traded throughout Europe, Africa, Asia and even North America. On their travels, they discovered grains and brewing techniques never before seen in their homeland. The domestication of cereals that enabled them to brew beer was a feat of ingenuity, technology and societal structure.
So let us continue celebrating our ingenious forefathers by raising our horns and drinking deeply of our home brewed mead! We are all drinking home brewed mead, right? No? Well, then drink whatever beverage you have on hand. Skål!
The reason the brew was lower alcohol content is because they wild fermented. They didn’t have isolated strains of yeast. 99% of wild yeast is only tolerant of an ABV of 2 or 3% a bit higher if you are lucky and/or are in a special area with yeast that has higher alcohol tolerance. I’ve been practicing wild ethanol fermentation for years now and 90% of the time I can never get over 4%. 3 batches out of 100 I was able to get a roughly 7 to 7.5% abv from natural raw honey mead with local grapes or apples mixed into the primary fermentation
I find this very interesting. However, I am curious how we can measure the percentage of their alcohol without any recipes or samples.
The lower alcohol percentage in the beer could be because alcohol was often consumed instead of water as it was safer.
I find it so much more satisfied drinking what I make .Home brew is the life for me!
Actually the oft repeated statement that beers/ales are stronger today is wholly inaccurate. Until the advent of modern craft brewing average domestic beers tend to be lower in alcohol content than in prior centuries. We repeat these statements so often and keep carrying them forward most without actually even checking into it.
Thanks for the great info really good read and nice to know more about the real vikings thank you again
I’ve started brewing my own mead and it’s very rich and potent. I’m actually getting an alcohol content of 23%.
My question is, was it common for mead to be diluted with water? (as was practiced by the ancient Greeks & Romans)
Hops was never the main ingredient in real beer, it consisted mostly of herbs. It was used as medicine due to the healing herbs in it. Its intoxication effects were not like today. Much later hops dominated brewing when men took over. Many of the herbs used in real beer have been forgotten about or lost through time.
THIS IS RUBBISH
Really enjoyed the read! It’s nice to see an article that informs and also paints a true picture of the unforgettable viking age.
Interesting read.
In reality, its fairly common knowledge that a lot of what the vikings drank was what we would called watered down, just as Grog was a watered down rum or rum/beer, at sea.
Watered down ale was fairly well known. Maybe even so mead … ( to what we call session mead today )
Do come by my site, and read more there…
http://www.viking-mjod.no
good article. I think its also wize to point out that a lot of the use of mead and beer were probably mixed, as we know much of the written documentation of vikigns were written far alter than the viking age itself.
much beer/ale was sweetened with honey, and as suchcould also have been called mead …
come visit me at my mead site:
http://www.viking-mjod.no
( its in english :) )
Skal! Geetings from your South Slavic borthers!
Good morning,
I was wondering where did you get the images for your website, specifically the one with the viking and the girls in the Tavern.
Great article! Very informative, thank you.
Beer is any beverage brewed from the fermentation of grain, while mead is brewed from fermenting honey and fruits. Both of these alcoholic beverages were drank by the Norsemen, sometimes even in hybrid forms. We know from written records that beer and mead were commonly drunk throughout Europe during the Early Medieval Period and into the Viking Age (775-1050 A.D.). However, some scholars maintain that the first domesticated grains didn't begin to arrive in Scandinavia until the 7th century. There is documented evidence, though, of mead being drank by early age Scandinavians. Hence, mead likely preceded beer in Viking culture.
Still, this didn't mean that the Vikings didn't love their ale! By the 8th century, Vikings were likely drinking an abundance of brewskis. In the Hávamál and other Norse works of literature and poetry, beer and mead are often mentioned as being an integral part of Norse society.
There is evidence that the majority of the brewing was done by women in Viking society. Women were highly respected in Norse society, so it no surprise that they were entrusted with this important task! Essentially, they were in charge of everything inside the home, including cooking and brewing ale.
Beer was also a perfect beverage to bring on long seaborne journeys, as the raiding warriors (Vikings) were prone to do. Beer, mead and ale are fermented, allowing a longer shelf life, which in turn allowed raiders to embark on longer expeditions without having to stop for fresh water. Additionally, beer, mead and ale contained much needed calories, making it more beneficial for energy (arguably). Fetch me my dinner of ALE!!!
There were likely hundreds or even thousands of different beers and mead produced across the region, as each village may have had their own fermentation and brewing process. One might start to think that there were brewing competitions and rivalries! We're not sure about that, but what we know from archaeological evidence that sahti was brewed in parts Finland during the Viking Age. Barrels have been found inside of sunken Viking ships that contained residues of its contents. We know that this brew contained hops, malted barley, malted rye and juniper.
Additionally, there were different brews for different occasions, for example, feasts called for a more potent beer than brews drank on an everyday basis. There is also evidence that women and men sometimes drank ales of different strengths. Sorry feminists; we didn't write history, we are just recounting it...
It would be inaccurate, to picture the Norsemen as drunken brutes, as most beers of the age were much lower in alcohol content than they are in modern times. It is almost certain that the Norse people had an understanding of the dangers of drunkenness and intoxication. The Viking Hávamál often voices these warnings, for example:
Less good than they say
for the sons of men
is the drinking oft of ale:
for the more they drink,
the less they can think
and keep a watch over their wits.
The brewing of alcoholic beverages should not be looked at as a sign of a carnal society, but rather a testament to the sophistication of the Norse peoples. Anyone who has ever brewed their own beer knows this! The Norsemen traveled and traded throughout Europe, Africa, Asia and even North America. On their travels, they discovered grains and brewing techniques never before seen in their homeland. The domestication of cereals that enabled them to brew beer was a feat of ingenuity, technology and societal structure.
So let us continue celebrating our ingenious forefathers by raising our horns and drinking deeply of our home brewed mead! We are all drinking home brewed mead, right? No? Well, then drink whatever beverage you have on hand. Skål!
