Pfeiffer's Commemorative Mead

Following is a post from the HBD on Bill Pfeiffer and the commemorative mead he made for the AHA MIY2K Natl Conference. The following letter, and other tributes to Bill Pfeiffer are posted on the home page of the HBD web site at http://www.hbd.org As you can tell from the tone of these letters, Bill was an important part of the brewing community and he will be missed by many.

I had the opportunity to taste this mead at the conference. And you'll have the opportunity to taste it as well ·. at least if you come to the August meeting. We will be having a mead presentation and tasting, and I will bring the bottle of commemorative mead that each conference attendee was given.

Date: Mon, 17 Jul 2000 22:26:45 -0500
From: eric and SUSAN 
Subject: Commemorative Mead created by Dr. Bill Pfeiffer

At a recent Ames' Brewers' League meeting  I had the opportunity to
sample a small amount of the Commemorative Mead served at the 2000 AHA
National Homebrewers Convention created by Dr. Bill Pfeiffer.  I must
say that I was not prepared for, nor did I correctly anticipate, what was set
before me.  As I consumed the most astonishing drink I had ever tasted I was
told a saddening story of how this mead came into existence.  I would
just like to comment on the mead and Dr. Pfeiffer's great achievment.

As a recent newlywed my wife and I were given a small bottle of
commecially produced mead as a sort of traditional wedding gift.  We had
never before tasted mead and we were both looking forward to tasting
this honey brew which came so highly recommended by my homebrewering
friends. When we opened the bottle our experience was, well, less than
expected and down right terrible.  The mead had the flavor of old
socks.  It was all I could do to finish a small glass. Susan took one
taste and gave up.  We were both dumbfounded and confused as to the hype
and regard for such a concoction.  Needless to say, I vowed never to
drink mead again and gave up every thought of creating my own.

When it comes to beer and wine I am pretty open minded so at the club
meeting I decide to join my fellow brewers in tasting the commemorative
drink and toasting Bill Pfeiffer.  After tasting the mead, I was shocked
and elated by what I had consumed.  As a new brewer I can not correctly
describe what I tasted, but I can say that this drink was without a
doubt one of the finest beverages to ever cross my palate.  What made
this mead so much better than the previous mead?  How was it made?
Could I reproduce the results, if even partially?  Who was the fellow
who made this?  Was there any more?  I did some reseach on the web and
in past Zymurgy magazines to learn more about Bill and his exceptional
talent for brewing.  I learned of Dr. Pfeiffer's accomplishments, his
stewardship and his great following of friends.  While I never knew Dr.
Pfeiffer, he has inspired me to follow in his footsteps.  I wanted to
find the recipe for his commemorative mead, but I have since decided to
let that small sample be my introduction to Dr. Pfeiffer.  I am now
planning on fermenting my own version of a cherry mead and only hope
that it will turn out half as good.  Thanks, Bill, for sharing your
talents and allowing me to taste the Nectar of the Gods.


Eric Armstrong
Ames, Iowa

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