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! 

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.

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

Virginia Tonight

Musical Inspiration: Virginia Moon, by the Foo Fighters and Norah Jones

A semi-sweet traditional mead fermented with Virginia Wildflower and Appalachian honey and aged in bourbon barrels. 12% ABV

Heart of Gold Christmas Berry

Musical Inspiration: Heart of Gold by Neil Young

A semi-sweet traditional mead made with Hawaiian Christmas Berry honey. 12.5% ABV

Heart of Gold

Quartet Collection

Musical Inspiration: Heart of Gold by Neil Young

This limited edition 4-pack features one bottle each of all of our Heart of Gold Series traditionals: Zambian Wildflower, Alfalfa, Blackberry Blossom, and the new Christmas Berry Blossom.

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Scarborough Fair

Musical Inspiration: Scarborough Fair by Simon and Garfunkel

Dry metheglin made with star thistle honey, rosemary, thyme, and green tea. 13% ABV

Bochet

Mead made with cooked honey

Terres Brûlées 

Musical Inspiration: Ne Me Quitte Pas

by Nina Simone

A semi-sweet bochet made with cooked clover honey and a touch of vanilla and cloves.

14% ABV

Metheglin/Melomel

Hybrid Mead made with spices and fruit

Gettin' Figgy

Musical Inspiration: Gettin' Jiggy Wit it

by Will Smith 

A semi-sweet hybrid mead made with orange blossom honey, figs, cardamon, and nutmeg. 13.5% ABV

Cyser

Honey blended with apple cider and fermented together

Dream by the Fire

Musical Inspiration: Winter Wonderland

A semi-sweet cyser made with a blend of four honeys and freshly pressed Virginia apple cider from Showalters Orchard in Harrisonburg, VA, flavored with apple pie spices and aged in new French oak barrels. 12.5% ABV

Pyment

Honey blended with grapes and fermented together

Pyment 2nd Edition

A semi-sweet pyment created in collaboration with the Williamsburg Winery featuring the Winery's Wessex Hundred Vidal Blanc grapes blended with three varietals of honey: Appalachian Wildflower, Orange Blossom, and Raspberry Blossom.

13.25% ABV

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