Embracing the Art of Unfiltered Mead: A Look Inside Dragonfire Meadery’s Approach
At Dragonfire Meadery in Coventry, CT, we believe in crafting meads that honor tradition, flavor, and the distinct character of every ingredient. Part of our approach includes offering some unfiltered meads, allowing drinkers to experience an authentic and natural taste. For many, unfiltered mead provides a sensory depth and complexity that’s hard to achieve with modern filtering techniques. So, what are the benefits of leaving mead unfiltered, and why might it be the perfect choice for your next glass?
The Filtering Process: What It Does and What It Leaves Behind
In mead and winemaking, filtering is often used to clarify the drink by removing particles, yeast, and even some microscopic tannins left from fermentation. Filtering can give the mead a more polished, transparent look, which some people prefer for aesthetic reasons. However, there’s a trade-off. When we remove those tiny particles, we also lose some of the natural aromas, flavors, and mouthfeel that give the drink its unique character.
At Dragonfire Meadery, we used primarily unfiltered approaches to showcase the unique qualities of each batch and flavor profile. Each mead is handcrafted to offer an experience that speaks to the honey, fruits, or herbs used in the process.
While clear wines and meads are a more modern concept, filtration has been around for a while. In ancient times the Egyptians, Sumarians and Romans would use cloth or similar to filter wine. In the Middle Ages they used a cloth called “Manica Hippocratis” to remove the flavoring spices from their wine.
Now this type of filtration would really only take out the chunkier bits, so it would not clear the wine like today's filtration does. Starting the the 1960’s wine filtration became widely used to remove yeast and bacteria. In the 1980’s Asbestos pads were used for filtration…..I am not sure if this passed bad things into the wine too or just removed particles, but remind me not to drink wine from the 80’s. As mentioned earlier the modern techniques for filtration are much more advanced and more common. I suspect that it is used more often in the larger producing places since they would need to have more uniformity in the product. Smaller wineries and meaderies work more in small batches that will vary slightly depending on the conditions when it was being processed.
Filtration is important because it clarifies wine, removes suspended molecules, and makes a wine's fruit characteristics clearer. It also plays a role in the microbiological stability of wine by eliminating the risk of microbes fermenting sugar after bottling.
Filtration is important because it clarifies wine, removes suspended particles, and makes a wine's fruit characteristics clearer. It also plays a role in the microbiological stability of wine by eliminating the risk of microbes fermenting sugar after bottling.
Here at Dragonfire Meadery, in the early test batch days, Derek made a beet and carrot mead. Initially, it was horrible but when we found a bottle years later and tried it, it was amazing. Like red wine, mead ages well so if you want to see the difference a few years can make, pick up a second bottle and tuck it away for a down the line or a special occasion.
Why We Love Unfiltered Mead
Unfiltered mead keeps more of the original fermentation elements—yeast, microscopic particles of fruit, and natural tannins—intact. This offers several distinct advantages, making each bottle of unfiltered mead a sensory journey. Skipping the filtering process also helps us keep costs and labor down. Being a small 2 person operation going through all the extra steps and purchasing all of the additional equipment is a big undertaking. Plus why filter it when we like it natural?
Here’s what makes it special:
Rich, Layered Flavor Profiles
Unfiltered meads retain more of their natural flavors because they aren’t stripped of the particles that hold those notes. For instance, our elderberry mead, Muirdris, holds onto a deep, fruit-forward taste, enhanced by the richness of the natural body that lends it a unique “red wine” feel. This results in a complex, layered profile that fully captures the essence of the elderberries and honey.
Fuller Body and Mouthfeel
The molecules in unfiltered meads contribute to a fuller, more textured mouthfeel, giving each sip a satisfying weight. In meads like Puck, our maple-infused blend, the unfiltered touch adds a subtle viscosity, complementing the woody, white-wine-inspired flavors. This fuller body enhances the drinking experience, making the mead feel rounded and substantial.
Nutritional Benefits in Every Sip
Unfiltered mead often retains extra nutrients from the yeast and raw ingredients, such as B vitamins, amino acids, and minerals. In addition to these nutritional benefits, our unfiltered meads, like the berry-rich Weewilmekq blueberry mead, provide a sense of well-being that feels as wholesome as it tastes.
Age and Complexity in the Bottle
With the right storage, unfiltered meads continue to age gracefully in the bottle. The remaining particles interact over time, often developing new, subtle flavor notes as the mead matures. Ekhidna, our raspberry-chocolate mead, for instance, can develop new layers of depth in storage, with the chocolate evolving to complement the fruity base in nuanced ways.
A Natural and Traditional Experience
At Dragonfire Meadery, we honor traditional mead-making methods, and leaving meads unfiltered is part of this approach. Unfiltered meads provide an experience closer to what ancient mead drinkers may have enjoyed—natural, authentic, and full of character. From the cranberry-tart Storcie to the maple-kissed Puck, each sip of unfiltered mead tells a story of the raw ingredients, the craftsmanship, and the land where it was created.
But what is sediment in mead and wine anyway?
Sediment is the solid material that has settled to the bottom of any mead or wine container, like the bottle, tank, vat, etc. The sediment has different names depending on what stage the mead is in. The sediment at the bottom of a glass or bottle is called dregs. The lees is the sediment in the barrel or vat. There are also tartrates, which are a type of sediment that forms when tartaric acid binds with potassium when it is in colder conditions.
Sediment is a natural byproduct of wine and mead making. Drinking it is not harmful in any way. Some even welcome the sediment as it is the sign of a high quality wine or mead. The sediment is not that common in most bottled wines and meads. It usually signals that it has been aged in the bottle for some years. Leaving the sediments and natural tannins in the bottle helps it develop more aromatic compounds.
Decanting and Serving Unfiltered Mead
While some drinkers love the rustic feel of sediment, others prefer a clearer glass. To balance both worlds, consider decanting an unfiltered mead: pour the mead slowly into a glass or carafe to leave the sediment behind, or enjoy it as is for the full flavor experience. Either way, the rich taste remains, offering the depth that filtering would typically remove.
But don’t forget you can still enjoy it as is for the full flavor experience. Either way, the rich taste remains, offering the depth that filtering would typically remove.
Whether you’re drawn to the layered notes of elderberry in Muirdris or the bold flavor of Ekhidna’s raspberry-chocolate fusion, unfiltered mead offers a unique drinking experience that’s both natural and exciting. Come visit Dragonfire Meadery in Coventry, CT, to explore the full range of our handcrafted meads, and discover the beauty of mead left as it was intended—full of flavor, body, and character.
Cheers to the unfiltered life!
Comments