This drink is very popular in Russia. Especially in Suzdal.
Honey drinks in Russia - for a thousand years. Initially, honey was made, which, with the addition of berry juice, could ferment by itself and infuse in barrels for several years. Later, in the XVI-XVII centuries, the technology was simplified and they began to add sourdough (and then yeast). Due to which the drink was ready in a month or two. And with the advent of cheap sugar in the late 19th - early 20th centuries, they began to generously pour it into honey wort. It was then that the term “mead” appeared. More info.
Looking through your recipe I was going to ask whether you could use something other than bakers yeast (which is a relatively recent invention) and then saw Anatolii’s post:
I would have guessed it might have been sourdough type yeasts - have you tried that Dave? I would definitely consider it - sourdough yeasts are said to be more beneficial than bakers yeast since they are a natural fermented food, containing wild yeasts and lactic acid bacteria
I have heard of sour mead being done on purpose (and accidentally due to vinegar infection), but don’t much like the idea, so I don’t think I’ll be doing that. However, I have used three different varieties of wine yeast and a yeast actually meant for mead.
