Latest Buzz in the World of Mead

Nottingham Nectar aims to make mead more accessible to Madisonians and beyond

Nottingham Nectar creates a sparkling session style mead in four different flavors using Wisconsin fermented honey as the base.

Patrick Nottingham always wanted a winery, brewery or meadery included in his retirement plans. The self-proclaimed “beverage nerd” still has a ways to go before retirement, but his meadery, Nottingham Nectar, is already up and running in Madison, WI.

For those unfamiliar, mead is alcohol made from fermented honey, instead of hops or grapes. Wisconsin happens to be renowned for its wild prairie honey, which Nottingham says has a distinct light color and flowery notes. 

Mead is essentially just water and honey, but based on what you add to the mead, the type of honey and when the honey is fermented, there are all kinds of different styles. Nottingham Nectar creates a sparkling session style, which basically just means the drink is slightly carbonated. All Nottingham’s meads are naturally gluten free as well.

The Madison-based meadery has been around since 2016 as Colony Nectar Co., but went through a rebrand during COVID-19 as the former owner transitioned out, and Nottingham transitioned in. All four Nottingham Nectar meads are Colony Nectar Co. recipes, but with new branding.

Each of Nottingham Nectar’s meads are uniquely branded. Nottingham Nectar has four different meads available. Hexes & Hijinx is made from Door County cherries, so it is sweet and tart. Bonfires & Battlecries is made for fans of pilsner and lager beers, but with a light, crisp finish reminiscent of a cider. Folklores & Fairytales is similar to Bonfires and Battlecries, but with a sweeter finish, almost like a sparkling white wine. Sagas & Serenades is the sour option, with acidity from strawberries paired with sweetness from honey.

The full article by Madison Magazine can be found here.

Finding ‘Lost History’ in Your Glass

Alum Helps Continue Family’s Mead-Making Tradition, Honoring Holocaust Survivor and Winery Founder

The sweetness and light of fermented honey blend with crisp flavors of Frederick County-grown apples or richly sweet grapes, evoking notes of cinnamon or honeysuckle … well, that sounds intriguing. But what is it, you might be asking?

In a country where wine frequently means well-structured (i.e. pricey) French vintages or fruity blasts from California or Australia, it’s a fair question. The answer: a different kind of wine entirely, known as mead. After a heyday hundreds (or thousands) of years ago and being relegated more recently to renaissance fairs, it’s now “on the rise,” according to Vogue.

It’s never really fallen from favor, however, in Eastern Europe, where the Loew family began crafting it more than 150 years ago, a tradition it continues today at Loew Vineyards in Mt. Airy, Md.

Rachel Loew-Lipman ‘15, winemaker and vineyard manager, is working to uphold the Loew legacy and share her family’s story through every glass of mead (or grape-based vintage) that’s poured. 

“I want to reconnect people to a beautiful but lost history,” said Loew-Lipman, who graduated with degrees in plant science, horticulture and crop production and in communication.

The full article by Maryland Today can be found here.

Sweetgale Meadery wins medals

Homer meadery wins first-place, best of show awards in Texas Mead Cup.

Photo by Sweetgale Meadworks & Cider House owner Jason Davis

Continuing a Homer [AK] tradition of crafting award-winning meads, Sweetgale Meadworks & Cider House won two awards in the ninth annual Texas Mead Cup. According to a press release from Sweetgale owner Jason Davis, Sweetgale took first place in the berry melomel category for its Alpine Blueberry Mead and then won the grand prize in the Best in Show category.

Another Homer meadery, Odin Meads, also won second place in the varietal meads category for its oak-aged blackberry and honey mead. The results were announced live on Feb. 27 in La Grange, Texas.

Davis wrote that the “Best in Show” award is “further evidence that Alaskan honey and berries are world-class, and worth promoting.”

The full article by Homer News can be found here.

Daggers Meadery is Granville’s first farm winery, crafting wines from honey

Honeybees are amazing insects, and one small business in Western Massachusetts is growing thanks to the bees’ tireless work, coupled with a big dose of curiosity.

In 2009, Mimi’s Hilltop Apiary was born from harvesting honey and beeswax atop Prospect Mountain in the Hampden County hilltown of Granville.

There, Mark and Tammy Cressotti, along with their son, Austin, and daughter, Jessica Haas, worked to bring their aged apple orchard back to life by beekeeping.

Last August, they opened Daggers Meadery at 35 North Lane, where customers come to sample their creations.

Daggers Meadery now has eight still and two sparkling varieties of mead. “Our traditional meads like ‘Berserker Mead,’ are made with golden honey, while our ‘Prediction Mead’ is made with dark amber honey from Japanese knotweed,” Cressotti says.

They also have fruit mead, called melomel, that is made with pear, blueberry and berry blends. Their pyments, mead crafted from grapes, include “Revenge,” made with red grapes and is naturally carbonated, and they have a white grape called “Longship.”

To learn more, visit the website, daggersmeadery.com, or call 413-214-5245 to book reservations.

The full article by Mass Live can be found here.

Austin meadery files for Ch. 11 bankruptcy

Meridian Hive tries to stay in business; Assets could be sold off, attorney says

Austin-based Meridian Hive has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in an effort to reorganize its debts and keep producing alcoholic mead.

Under the legal name Mars Colony LLC, it filed in late February for bankruptcy protection in the Western District of Texas. An amended petition was filed March 9.

Meridian Hive, one of a handful of meaderies in the Austin area making alcohol from fermented honey, was founded in 2013. It's led by CEO Cayce Rivers and sells its products on retail shelves in several states. In 2019, the company raised nearly $250,000 from 69 investors on WeFunder.

Meridian Hive continues to produce mead, according to the attorney representing the company in bankruptcy court, Todd Headden of Hayward PLLC

The full article by Austin Business Journal can be found here.

Magic potion in Midlothian: Funktastic Meads brings an age-old craft brew to the county

Nearly 10,000 years after humans discovered how to make mead – fermenting honey water and yeast to produce a pleasant and tasty alcoholic beverage – there’s finally a tap room devoted to wine’s less popular cousin in Chesterfield’s Alverser Plaza shopping center. It’s called Funktastic Meads.

Owners Matthew and Heather Carroll are ready to create a buzz.

Matthew is a specialty chemical salesman with a penchant for craft brewing. After years of making beer, he turned his talents to mead, determined to elevate the ancient beverage to modern standards. Heather is an accountant. After years of watching Matthew experiment at home, the CPA crunched a few numbers. Would it be possible to move the operation out of their home? At the time, the Carroll's had partnered with Lazy Days Winery in Amherst. They were selling 200 bottles per month, but it was 90 minutes away from home. Heather recalls the calculation.

“Sometimes they’d sell out in 30 seconds. Sometimes they’d sell out in an hour, but they were selling out every Saturday, once a month.” Promising numbers. Plus, adds Heather, “he just really wanted his own tap room. And I love the mead, and everybody we share with thinks it’s good. And so, here we are.”

Moving into their own space would also spare the Carrolls and their 8-year-old daughter, Aliza, the stress of running a meadery at home. The CPA sighs with a smile. “I’m super happy about having the mead out of my house because there was honey everywhere. I would go to open up a drawer and get honey on my hands. It was all over the kitchen. There’s mead on our ceiling.”

The Carrolls produce both still and carbonated meads on tap and switch stock regularly. They say customers appreciate the variety. “One of reasons they come back is because our board is constantly rotating. So every week we have at least two new meads on tap. If somebody’s getting a flight, every time they come, they can get two new selections. Every time they come.”

They also sell bottles of mead online.

And don’t fall for the fallacy that mead, because it’s made from honey, has to be sweet. Heather Caroll puts that to rest: “Pretty much everybody that comes in here can find something that they like, and usually it surprises them. It’s fun to watch them taste it and go, ‘Whoa, that’s really good.’” She laughs. “I’m like, ‘Did you expect it not to be good?’”

The full article by Chesterfield Observer can be found here.

 

Honeytree Meadery: The Place to Bee in Nashville

What's buzzin', cousin? Check it out! A week ago, I had the opportunity to be part of history here in Nashville. It was Thursday night, May 23rd and I had gotten off work a few hours before. I anxiously walked up to the door of the quaint, white building on Woodland Avenue in what is known as East Nashville. As I walked through the door, I was immediately greeted with a warm smile and friendly welcome by a charming woman whose name escapes me. She welcomed me to Honeytree Meadery, the first meadery in Nashville and one of the few in the state of Tennessee. I spoke with my “hostess” for a minute or two as she gave me an itinerary for the night’s festivities and a general layout of the meadery. While she spoke, my eyes scanned left and right trying to soak in all the sights and the ambience of what I knew would be my new favorite spot. To my left was an area with these wonderful hanging basket chairs. To the right were several seating areas with padded benches that just looked so comfortable. Immediately in front of me and off to the left was the bar area where a few people were sampling various meads. I thanked my “hostess” and made my way to the bar.

At the bar, I was greeted by a very enthusiastic young lady who proceeded to run down the list of meads available and offered me samples of each. There were seven different meads available but I only tried six of them. Up first was Honeytree’s Basic Batch which I thought was wonderful. Not too sweet and was as smooth as could be. My “bartender,” no that doesn’t seem right…. “bar hostess” …. no that’s not right either. Wait, I’ve got it… my new friend explained to me that the Wildflower Honey used was from Johnson’s Honey Farm in Goodlettsville, Tennessee, just a few miles to the north of our location. The Basic Batch is the building block on which all the other meads are built. Then I tried a sample of what she called the Small Batch, which was the same as the Basic Batch but with a slightly lower alcohol content. Where the Basic Batch ferments out to about 11% ABV, the Little Batch only hits about 8% ABV. The Little Batch was served chilled and had a slight effervescence to it. I enjoyed the Basic but this Little Batch blew me away. Next, I tried Sweet Baby Ginger, a honey-candied ginger mead. It had a nice refreshing crispness to it with just a bit of heat from the ginger. There was also an underlying flavor that I couldn’t pinpoint until Matt, the mazer or as he proclaims, the Resident Mad Scientist, explained to me later. Apparently this mead had originated as a bochet and the caramelized honey gave it hints of toasted marshmallow. My next sample was a rhodomel they named, quite appropriately, Bouquet Toss. This enticing nectar had rose hips, linden flower and hibiscus in the mix that not only gave it a rosé color but also delivered a citrusy-floral taste with just a bit of bite. My next savory sip came thanks to Honeytree’s Signature Series which they hope to use to highlight small-batch honeys. This particular mead used honey sourced from Honeytree’s own colonies and had a very different flavor profile from the Basic Batch sourced from Johnson’s Honey Farm. The terroir from the two were similar but still different if that makes sense? The final mead, or meads I should say, were from the meadery’s Sneaky Batch. That’s what they call their experimental batches they brew in secret as a way of surprising the other members of their leadership team. On opening night, the Sneaky Batch I tried was a Pineapple Sage while the one I missed out on was a tomato mead. The Pineapple Sage was highly flavorful with the pineapple up front on the initial tasting but then you get the earthiness and a little heat from the sage. I would never of thought about combining these two flavors in a mead but then again, I don’t run a meadery. So, who am I to argue with the experts?

After I tried all the samples, I eventually settled on the Little Batch to start with but then switched over to the Signature Series release. While enjoying my drinks, I wandered out back to the fenced-in patio area then back inside where I checked out the fermenting area which is closed off by a wall and glass panels. Eventually I had to leave, just before the trivia began, but not before I snagged a bottle of the Basic Batch which I will sit down and review in the near future. I want to see if the bottled version lives up to the kegged expression. But that’s a post for another time.

In case you couldn’t tell, I thoroughly enjoyed my trip to Honeytree and I was glad I could participate in this historical night. I talked briefly to Matt and Ross, the men behind the meadery, and they have big things planned for the future and we all need to get onboard because I think it will be a hell of a ride. With that said, if you are ever in Nashville, make your way over to 918 Woodland and pay the guys a visit. For now, they are open Thursday through Sunday from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. (subject to change but they will announce any changes). Hit up their website and make sure to follow them on Twitter and Instagram as well for all the latest news. Trust me, you won’t regret it.

Caught on COLA - Mead

Our second installment of Caught on COLA - Mead features five newly approved labels from four meaderies ranging from the Northeast all the way to Texas. So, without beating around the bush, let's see what's buzzing with mead (and yes I really went there).

Our first new mead label is for Homestead from Slate Point Meadery in Pleasant Valley, New York. This mead featuring apples, vanilla and cinnamon comes in at 7% Alc./Vol. and, according to the label, is their homage to apple pie. I couldn't find any mention of Homestead on their website so I am unsure of a release date.

Next up is an intriguing entry with Texas-based Black's Fairy Meadery's Lemon Meringue which is bottled in 375 ml bottles at 14% Alc./Vol. This release is just the latest entry in what is already a very fruit flavored lineup. As with most of these labels, there is no mention yet on their website so the release date is still pending.

Up next is one of two meads from Delaware's own Brimming Horn Meadery. A Gift of Venus is a quince flavored mead and hits the bottle between 11%-14% Alc./Vol. Brimming Horn has no mention on their website for A Gift of Venus so will say the release date is pending.

The second entry from Brimming Horn Meadery is Midnight Oath. An unique melomel flavored with blackberries, lemon zest, orange zest, basil and sage, this mead also hits your glass between 11%-14% Alc./Vol. As with A Gift of Venus, there is no mention of Midnight Oath on their website so we can only wait in anticipation for its release.

Finally, we have Erie, Pennsylvania's Ironstone Meadery and their newest mead, Assimilated. This blackberry-based mead is tipping the scales somewhere between 14%-16% Alc./Vol. The playful label features a robot (Viking robot?) with a flaming hand while the back label hints to not only the Borg from Star Trek lore but also the Cybermen from Doctor Who (just more reasons to list it here). As with all our other entries, there is no listing for Assimilate among the large list of meads on Ironstone's website so we will just have to wait for the release date.

Okay, folks. That wraps up this edition of Caught on COLA - Mead. I'll see you next week with more COLA entries. Skål!

Mead Review: Dansk Mjød Viking Blod

Several months ago, while reading up on bourbon, I came across an article about mead and it piqued my interest. So I started reading as much as I could about mead. The more I read, the more I wanted to try it. This lead me to hitting up all the local liquor stores in search of this divine nectar. I found a few different brands from a few places to start. One of the first stops was at my favorite store, Pour Vous, where I found Viking Blod from Dansk Mjød. Now being new to mead, I wasn't sure what to expect but I had read some good things about Viking Blod so I was excited to try it. I was not prepared for what I experienced but needless to say, I am hooked on mead!!!!

Now that we got all that out of the way, let's get on with my review. First, let me say that I am not a professional reviewer, a sommelier, bartender or in anyway associated with the alcohol industry. I am just someone who enjoys a casual drink and I like what I like whether it is mead, bourbon, beer or some other intoxicating elixir. So with the disclaimer out of the way, here is my review (opinion) about Dansk Mjød's Viking Blod.

Viking Blod is a metheglin labeled as "Nordic honey wine with hibiscus and hops added" and claims to be "based on a recipe from about year 1700." It comes in at a strong 19% Alc./Vol. but does not drink like it. It's bottled in a stoneware looking bottle (it's probably glass though) which adds to the experience that it's from days of yore.

Appearance: In the glass, we have a clear, reddish tinted mead bordering on an orange color. This mead showed light to medium legs... I'm sorry, with wine I think it's called tearing. 

Nose: The initial nosing gave a moderate honey aroma but then additional scents of possibly stone-fruit along with a floral essence (from the hibiscus maybe). I couldn't detect the hops or at least it didn't have that hoppy aroma to me.

Palate: My initial thoughts on the palate were sweetness and strong notes of honey but then I started tasting some floral notes with a background of the stone-fruit once again. The mouthfeel was creamy with a very light tannin quality that ended in a medium finish. Still no discernible hops to my untrained palate.

Conclusion:  Viking Blod is a really nice mead and like I said earlier, it drinks nowhere near its 19% Alc./Vol. which could be a dangerous thing. It has the ability to sneak up on you if you aren't careful. There is the obvious sweetness from the honey but it isn't cloyingly sweet. The hibiscus helps level the flavor profile some and though there are hops in there somewhere, I'm not for sure if they came into play. I know this won't be every one's cup of tea... errr, mead, but I think you should definitely try it if you get the chance. Just my thoughts.

Well, that's it for this time. Make sure to check back later for more mead (and bourbon) reviews. Until then, nunc est bibendum (translated: now is the time to drink)!

Caught on COLA - Mead

Hey folks! Welcome to the initial installment of the Caught on COLA - Mead edition. As I explained in the previous COLA post, I'm bringing you information and labels on interesting releases I've found on the COLA registry. I'm not going to go into a lot of detail about it all but if you tuned in while the show was already in progress, just go back and check the previous post and it explains everything. Now, on with the show.

The first mead is Bochet from Honnibrook Craft Meadery and is 25 proof (12.5% Alc./Vol.). According to the label, after caramelizing the clover honey and fermenting the mead, Honnibrook backsweatened with some meadowfoam honey (my mouth is already watering) adding toasted marshmallow notes before aging it in oak. Anyone in Colorado want to track this down and send me a bottle?

Our second entry is from The Colony Meadery in Allentown, PA, and is called 911 is an Oak. Not much is known about this release yet as there is no information about it on their website and the label only states that its mead aged in oak. I've included it here for the simple fact The Colony pays homage to Public Enemy, not only in the selection of the name, but also the rhyme on the label.  Given I am sucker for oaked mead, I'll well probably hunt this down when its released.

Last, but not least, is another mead from The Colony Meadery that pays homage to Captain Picard and Star Trek. The Earle is a light dry mead that is flavored with Earl Grey tea giving it the citrusy flavors from the bergamot in the tea. The label features a space ship (not the Enterprise) and the lettering is reminiscent of Star Trek. The Earle is weighing in a 19 proof (9.5% Alc./Vol.) and comes in a 375 ml bottle. Like most entries in Caught on COLA, there is no information on a release date but I will definitely be looking for it.

Okay all you meadheads, that's it for now but keep your eyes open because I will be back soon with another edition of Caught on COLA. Until then, skål!