OUR MEAD
Though mead is an old drink, we are not attempting to recreate what it once was. Our rediscovery of mead seeks to reimagine and reinvent mead, to bring it into current times, and make it relevant for today.
What is Mead?
Mead, often referred to as "honey wine," is the world's most ancient fermented beverage, with the earliest record of mead dating back to Ancient China in 7000 BC. Truth be told, mead is not wine at all, rather it is its own unique category of beverage defined by the fermentable sugars found in honey, whereas wine is defined by the fermentable sugars found in fruit. In its most basic form, mead is three ingredients: honey, water and yeast.
The foundation of any mead is of course, honey, but that's just the beginning. Like winemakers use different grapes in wine, we showcase unique honey varietals together with a myriad of fruits and spices to craft our meads. Rediscover and reimagine this historical beverage with us!
How is it Made?
Honey is blended with water or other liquids like cider, tea, or coffee. The ratio is approximately 1 part honey to 4 parts water.
Fruits (melomel) and/or spices (metheglin) are added to the honey and liquid base.
Yeast is added and the sweet mixture is fermented to the desired sweetness and alcohol levels. Mead alcohol by volume ranges from 8% to 20%. Some meads are aged in wood barrels similar to wine and spirits.
2022 Gold Medal Winners
We are excited to share with you all five of our 2022 Gold Medal-winning meads: Strawberry Swing, Dream by the Fire,
Let It Linger, Soak Up the Sun, and Virginia Tonight
Traditional
Meads simply crafted from honey, water, and yeast
Soak Up The Sun
Musical Inspiration: Soak Up the Sun by Sheryl Crow
A semi-sweet traditional mead made with orange blossom honey. Notes of citrus, peach, and grape. 12.5% ABV
Metheglin
Meads flavored with herbs and/or spices
Lavender Hill
Musical Inspiration: Lavender Hill by The Kinks
Semi-sweet metheglin made with Appalachian wildflower honey, local lavender and vanilla 12.5% ABV
That's A S'More
Musical Inspiration: That's Amore by Dean Martin
A semi-sweet metheglin made with alfalfa honey, roasted cocoa nibs, and backsweetened with meadowfoam honey and cooked Virginia wildflower honey. 14% ABV
Scarborough Fair
Musical Inspiration: Scarborough Fair by Simon and Garfunkel
Dry metheglin made with star thistle honey, freshly harvested and steeped rosemary and thyme, and green tea. Aged with French Oak 13% ABV
Melomel
Mead fermented or flavored with fruit
Black Velvet
Musical Inspiration: Black Velvet by Alannah Myles
A semi-sweet melomel made with a blend of star thistle and Appalachian wildflower honeys and black currants. 13% ABV
Strawberry Swing
Musical Inspiration: Strawberry Swing by Coldplay
A semi-sweet melomel made with alfalfa honey and local strawberries. 12% ABV
Margaritaville
Musical Inspiration: Margaritaville by
Jimmy Buffet
A semi-sweet melomel made with mesquite honey, lime juice and a touch of salt. 13% ABV
Tangerine
Musical Inspiration: Tangerine by Led Zeppelin
A semi-sweet melomel made orange blossom honey, tangerines, and Munich Classic yeast. 11% ABV