Robert Ratliff
Janette Ratliff
Robert Ratliff is a PebbleCreek resident since 2018, IT professional, former military reservist with both the U.S. Navy and Army National Guard, and author of The Big Book of Mead Recipes and Let There Be Melomels, popular books of mead recipes. Rob’s next book will be Let There be Session Meads. You may have seen him, his wife Janette, or his in-laws (also PC residents) Stan and Elaine Zdunczyk, around the area wearing his “Let There Be Mead” shirts and hats.
Mead, in simple terms, is a honey-based wine. It’s honey and water fermented by yeast and can be flavored with fruits, spices, grains, and/or hops. It’s a distinct category of alcohol, somewhere between beer and wine. Some are carbonated, some aren’t. It can range from very sweet to very dry. The ABV can range from 3% to 20%. It’s a very versatile drink. You may have tried it at a Renaissance Fair as it was made popular in the Middle Ages, but it goes back to the ancient Greeks who called it “the drink of the Gods,” and the Vikings who popularized it. It predates beer and wine with origins back to 3000 BC.
An experienced mead maker, Rob has been studying mead and its creative aspects since 2006. He has won multiple awards during competition with his meads at the annual Mazer Cup International Mead Competition over the years, and is regularly sought out for his input on recipe ideas. As a certified Beer Judge Certification Program Mead Judge, Rob also enjoys offering pointers to entrants in upcoming competitions. His extensive collection of meads, and mead recipes, has been gathered from around the world. A retired soldier (and former sailor), he is a veteran of the Kuwait, Iraq, and Afghanistan wars, has lived in seven states, and visited most of the rest. Between his civilian and military careers, he has lived in or travelled to approximately 20 countries spanning the globe. Wherever he goes, he looks for local meads to sample, and local mead makers with whom to share his knowledge and learn unique local brewing techniques.
When travelling, he tries to pick up a local varietal honey from each country and region. He plans to use these to make small batches of traditional meads for his growing collection that he plans to enjoy with his wife and friends throughout PebbleCreek and the local area.
You can find Rob’s books on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited.