Chouchen, the traditional mead of Brittany

Chouchen is a mead from the Breton tradition, whose origins are lost in the mists of time. Gallic meads were probably very different from today's, but we know they existed long before wine and ale.

Breton mead makers since the Middle Ages

In the Middle Ages, the lords of Brittany had their own mead makers. The lords are gone, but the mead makers remain: some have revived these ancestral drinks.

Chouchen or mead: what is the difference?

In the past, apple juice was sometimes added to chouchen. Since 1921, French law has reserved the name chouchen for mead made the traditional way: water and honey only. All the chouchens we sell follow this tradition.

Our chouchens: handcrafted in limited quantities

Our chouchens are made by a Breton producer established since 1960. They are premium drinks, produced in deliberately limited quantities, so a cuvée may sometimes be out of stock for several months. A good chouchen takes time: time to ferment, to mature, then to refine, which can take long. Some cuvées are aged in barrels, sometimes for several years.

The range goes from mellow to dry, through sweet and medium-dry, so everyone can find the chouchen that suits them.

How to drink chouchen

A convivial drink that pleases almost everyone, chouchen is enjoyed chilled, as an aperitif or at the end of a meal, for example with melon or a dessert. Some chouchens are also served very hot, with a dash of lemon.

To learn more, read our article The history of Breton chouchen.