Dogfish Head Revived a 2,700-Year-Old Beer. Its Real Advantage Isn’t the Ancient Recipe

From inc.com

Midas Touch combines archaeology, ancient ingredients, and nostalgia, giving the craft brewer a story competitors can’t easily recreate 

An archaeologist discovered a 2,700-year-old beer. Soon, it may be available at grocery stores across the U.S.

Earlier this month, Dogfish Head brought back one of its most-requested beers, Midas Touch. The beer-wine-mead hybrid was inspired by remnants found in ancient drinking vessels associated with King Midas. It was originally released by the brewer in 1999 as part of its Ancient Ales series.

The series re-created historic beverages through archaeological research and traditional ingredients. Patrick McGovern, a biomolecular archaeologist, oversaw the research.

“Of all our rare beers, Midas Touch is by-far the most beloved by drinkers,” Sam Calagione, the founder and brewer of Dogfish Head, told Inc. “Since we last brewed Midas, we’ve received countless messages and comments from our followers across our social media channels, as well as from guests that have visited our properties in Delaware, all begging us to bring this deliciously complex beer back.”

The brew is 9 percent alcohol by volume. A company press release highlights its notes of barley, honey, white Muscat grapes, and saffron. Those elements are inspired by a millennia-old beverage enjoyed by King Midas, the ruler of Phrygia, in what is now Turkey.

During the excavation of a tomb associated with King Midas, McGovern found a preserved drinking vessel containing remnants of the original drink. Through chemical analysis, the researchers were able to determine the liquid’s likely composition and ingredients.

“While Dogfish Head was one of the first modern craft breweries to brew with interesting, exotic ingredients, it was so cool learning that millennia ago, our ancestors were doing that very same thing,” Calagione told Inc.

Illustration: Inc.; Photos: Courtesy Dogfish

Why this ancient beer matters to Dogfish Head now

The revival of this beloved brew is a reminder of what has made Dogfish Head so distinctive for so many years, Neil Reid, a professor at the University of Toledo and craft beer researcher, told Inc. 

“Long before today’s craft market became saturated with hazy IPAs, hard seltzers, and limited-edition variants, Dogfish Head established its reputation through experimentation, unusual ingredients, and historically inspired brewing projects,” he said. “Bringing back one of its most iconic beers reinforces that identity and helps the brewery stand apart from competitors.”

He added that the beer’s greatest asset is its story.

“While many breweries can promote quality ingredients and skilled brewing, very few can connect their product to archaeology, ancient history, and scientific research. In an era when consumers are often buying experiences and stories as much as flavour, that kind of authenticity is a powerful differentiator.”

A larger industry shift

Reid added that this revival also reflects a larger shift within the craft beer industry.

“As category growth has slowed and competition for consumer attention has intensified, breweries have increasingly turned to limited releases, anniversary beers, collaborations, and revived favourites to create excitement. Scarcity encourages immediate purchases, while nostalgia provides a marketing advantage that entirely new products rarely enjoy.”

The success of this revival will come down to three drivers of consumer interest, Reid said: nostalgia, scarcity, and storytelling.

“Long-time fans remember it, newer drinkers discover it, and its archaeological origin gives it a compelling and credible narrative,” Reid told Inc. “Together, those qualities help explain why revivals and limited-edition releases have become increasingly valuable tools for established craft breweries seeking to maintain relevance and stand out in a highly competitive marketplace.”

Calagione agreed, telling Inc. that “there’s definitely interest in the lore of drinking a beer similar to what King Midas himself would have been drinking almost 3,000 years ago, but it’s the beer’s flavour profile that I believe keeps people coming back for more.”

https://www.inc.com/lucia-auerbach/dogfish-head-revived-2700-year-old-beer-real-advantage-isnt-recipe/91425448

New Jersey Meadery Expands Beyond Somerville Taproom: Now Available in Local Bars, Liquor Stores, and 40 States

From tapinto.net

SOMERVILLE, NJ – Big things are brewing at Middlemist Meadery! We're excited to announce a major milestone in our journey: Middlemist honey wines are beginning to make their way into local bars and liquor stores, and we're now able to ship directly to customers in 40 states across the country.

What began as a passion for crafting exceptional honey wines in Somerville, New Jersey, is growing into something much bigger. Our mission has always been simple: to introduce more people to the remarkable flavours and possibilities of honey wine, also known as mead. With expanded distribution and shipping, we're bringing that experience beyond our taproom and into homes, restaurants, and neighbourhood establishments.

To celebrate this exciting expansion, we're introducing five of our signature honey wines in bottles, each showcasing a different expression of this ancient beverage with a modern twist.

Middlemist Meadery

Sun Sugar: Our traditional wildflower mead celebrates the delicate complexity of New Jersey wildflower honey, allowing its natural floral aromas and nuanced flavours to shine. An elegant introduction to mead in its purest form.

Lemon Grove: Bright, refreshing, and bursting with citrus zest, Lemon Grove balances the richness of honey with the lively zest of lemon, reminiscent of a limoncello liqueur. A vibrant choice for warm afternoons or whenever you're craving something refreshing.

Blueberry Bloom: Subtle blueberry flavours meet the smooth sweetness of honey in this finely-aged honey wine. A celebration of ripe summer fruit with an inviting depth of flavour.

Raspberry Blush: Vibrant and expressive, our raspberry honey wine combines the fragrance of ripe raspberries with a balanced profile of sweetness and tartness.

Peak-Season Peach: Fragrant and fruity, our peach honey wine captures the luscious character of sun-ripened peaches, complemented by the gentle sweetness of honey.

Humans have been drinking mead for millenia, yet it remains an unfamiliar beverage to many modern drinkers. Middlemist is introducing honey wine to new people. We hope to earn a place alongside craft beer, cider, and traditional grape wines.

Our expansion into local bars and liquor stores represents an important step toward making that vision a reality. Whether you're discovering Middlemist mead on tap, grabbing a bottle from your neighbourhood liquor store, or ordering from another state, enjoying our honey wines is becoming easier than ever.

Currently, we’re ready to ship our 375 mL bottles of our flagship flavours, but we’ll have our shareable 750 mL bottles of all five flavours soon, and we are working on 22 oz bottles of our signature honey-sweetened apple cider, too.

Look for Middlemist bottles at local establishments and farmer’s markets, or explore our shipping options to have your favourites delivered directly to your door in eligible states, including within New Jersey.

From our tanks in Somerville to your glass, here's to the next chapter of Middlemist Meadery. Cheers!

Paid promotional content provided by Middlemist Meadery

https://www.tapinto.net/towns/somerville/articles/middlemist-meadery-expands-beyond-somerville-taproom-now-available-in-local-bars-liquor-stores-and-40-states 

India: Lucknow's Meadery Experience brings a new dimension to experiential tourism

From travtalkindia.com

By Suraj Chaudhary

Uttah Pradesh: As experiential travel continues to gain momentum, destinations are looking beyond traditional sightseeing to offer immersive, story-led experiences. Lucknow’s Meadery Experience is one such initiative, blending history, gastronomy, agriculture and rural tourism into a single offering. Designed for curious travellers seeking authentic local experiences, it also presents travel agents with a distinctive product that diversifies Uttar Pradesh’s tourism portfolio. 

Curated by Tornos in partnership with Mbrosia Meadery, the experience introduces visitors to mead, often referred to as honey wine, through an immersive journey that explores its history, production process and cultural significance. Set amid the countryside on the outskirts of Lucknow, the experience includes guided tours of the meadery, honey tasting and curated mead tastings, while showcasing innovative variants crafted from locally sourced ingredients such as honey, mango, mulberry, mint, jamun and chillies.

Beyond showcasing one of the world’s oldest fermented beverages, the initiative highlights sustainable agriculture, local craftsmanship and rural entrepreneurship. With most ingredients sourced from the estate’s own farms, the experience reflects a commitment to responsible tourism while creating meaningful engagement with local communities.

Highlighting the role of the Uttar Pradesh Tourism Department in supporting the initiative, Prateek Hira, Founder, President & CEO, Tornos, said the project has received consistent encouragement from the state government. He believes such backing is instrumental in developing niche tourism products that showcase Uttar Pradesh beyond its conventional attractions.

“UP Tourism has extended its full support to this initiative. This is a Government of Uttar Pradesh-supported horticulture project, and the department has assured us of its continued encouragement. Mridul Chaudhary, Special Secretary to the Government of Uttar Pradesh, Tourism Department, and Director Tourism, Uttar Pradesh, visited the meadery, experienced the product first-hand and appreciated its potential. We are confident that, with the continued support of UP Tourism, this unique tourism product will reach a wider audience and further strengthen experiential tourism in the state,” said Hira.

Explaining the vision behind the initiative, Madhvendra Deo Singh, CEO, Maeve Meadery, said the concept was born from a desire to showcase Uttar Pradesh’s rich horticultural produce through a unique tourism and hospitality experience. He believes mead offers an opportunity to create distinctive beverages using locally grown ingredients while adding value to the state’s agricultural heritage.

“I wanted the produce of Uttar Pradesh, especially the world-renowned Malihabadi mangoes, to reach people across the world. Mead allows us to go beyond grapes and create unique beverages using local produce such as honey, mango, mulberry, mint, jamun and even chillies. It opens up exciting possibilities while celebrating the state’s rich horticultural heritage,” said Singh.

The initiative highlights sustainable agriculture, local craftsmanship and rural entrepreneurship, with most ingredients sourced from the estate’s own farms. By combining traditional knowledge with modern craft fermentation, the Meadery Experience offers travellers an authentic insight into one of the world’s oldest beverages while supporting local communities and showcasing Uttar Pradesh’s agricultural wealth. As travellers increasingly seek immersive experiences, the Meadery Experience adds a distinctive dimension to Lucknow’s tourism portfolio, blending heritage, innovation and sustainability.

https://travtalkindia.com/lucknows-meadery-experience-brings-a-new-dimension-to-experiential-tourism/

Welsh Mead Maker Hive Mind Mead Wins Gold at Great British Food Awards

From businessnewswales.com

October 2026 offers yet another milestone in the wider Hive Mind Mead story, with its Dark Cherry Melomel (fruit infused mead) winning the Sustainability category at the Great British Food Awards, recognising not simply the mead itself but the company’s wider sustainability vision, as well as being recognised as a regional champion for Wales.

According to the judges: 

“The dark cherry flavour comes through beautifully, rich and fruity without overwhelming the natural honeyed base of the mead. It strikes a lovely balance between sweetness and depth, making it smooth and enjoyable to drink.

 

“Beyond the taste, there’s real reassurance in knowing this has been produced with sustainability in mind, adding an extra layer of appeal for anyone conscious of where their drink comes from. A well-crafted mead that manages to be both indulgent and responsible. Definitely one worth seeking out!”

Hive Mind has committed to making mead the authentic way, fermenting 100% real British honey rather than using a wine or refined-sugar base. This draws on brothers Kit and Matt Newell’s shared love of beekeeping and brewing, whilst supporting the rural economy with a clear sustainability agenda geared around supporting pollinators and the wider beekeeper community, which supplies the honey Hive Mind’s own 200+ hives can’t provide, alongside fully recyclable packaging and carbon-neutral canning.

Hive Mind deliberately promotes mead in a modern, artisanal style, distancing itself from the plethora of novelty medieval offerings and their use of wine bases and flavourings. The business can now count M&S, The Co-op, The National Trust, Selfridges and a nationwide network of Michelin-starred restaurants amongst its many prestigious listings.

According to co-founder Kit Newell:

“Today our expanding offer accommodates classic meads, melomels, honey-based soft drinks, lower-ABV sparkling meads and even an introductory ‘Tavern’ mead that appeals to an inquisitive younger demographic who place greater emphasis on discovery, authenticity and real ingredients rather than purely on alcoholic strength.”

Although this Welsh family business has won a number of prestigious taste and sustainability awards in the past, including the Great Taste Golden Fork for Wales, this latest recognition is particularly significant in highlighting that great taste and responsible production can go hand in hand.

https://businessnewswales.com/welsh-mead-maker-hive-mind-mead-wins-gold-at-great-british-food-awards/ 

UK: Locally sourced mead arrives in Leamington this weekend

From leamington.nub.news

Leamington is set to welcome a new meadery this weekend.

The Hive Meadery and Taproom, which is named to reflect the connection between mead and the honey used to make it, will celebrate its opening weekend under the arches on 10 and 11 October.

Founded by two friends, Simon and Colin both from Coventry, The Hive was a passion project for the pair.

Colin shared: "We both retired early and found ourselves sat around, not doing a heck of a lot and we decided to do something we were both passionate about - brewing mead."

Discussing the location, Colin highlighted the arches was a perfect venue for The Hive, given its existing brewery culture, with Windmill Hill Brewery a few doors away and other existing businesses close by.

"We got to know some of the owners here, including some of the brewers. And, it's a fantastic community and we decided, if we are going to start a brewery anywhere, we would like it to be here."

Leamington welcomes The Hive Meadery and Taproom this weekend (images via The Hive)

Circling back to the brewery's name (The Hive), Colin further touched on the importance of community and social interaction, with bee hives being a collective space for gathering together.

He went on to express the importance of tackling the topic of male isolation, which he shared strongly resonates with both him and Simon.

"We are very big on the idea of people gathering around and forming a collective and the issue of male isolation, because we were both retired and sat at home doing nothing and we really felt that sense of isolation ourselves. So, as well as being a meadery, The Hive will also be a space for social sessions, and talking groups to "bring people out and try and reduce social isolation amongst groups of people in the local area" said Colin.

In terms of its produce, The Hive will focus on bringing locally sourced mead to the area, with several partnerships in place, including one with a local beekeeper.

Colin noted the business will not be wholesaling to begin with either, and the products will be exclusively available at The Hive initially.

With the Leamington Beer Festival just around the corner (15 to 18 October,) The Hive's opening comes at an ideal time, and provides an addition to an already buzzing community, under the arches. 

https://leamington.nub.news/news/local-news/locally-sourced-mead-arrives-in-leamington-this-weekend-310097

Orlando, Florida: Zymarium Meadery gets (more) spooky with Dark Ritual

From orlandoweekly.com

“Blood of the Elder Gods, courtesy of the gentleman at the bar”

If there were ever a space made for a Halloween makeover, it would be the imposing gothic bunker that houses Zymarium Meadery. So fittingly, the Mills 50 spot that already looks like a possible set from an unfinished Hellraiser film brings back its spooky season celebration “Dark Ritual” this week. Starting Oct. 1, patrons will not only be surrounded by even more stately vampiric flair, but a new menu will debut. 

Aside from copious spooky-slash-sinister flair covering most available surfaces for an immersive feel of dread, the co-main event is the new Halloween-centric drinks on offer. There will be Pumpkin Spice Coquito Mead, Forbidden Orchard yuzu mead, Ultraviolet Binding Elixir ube mead, Blood of the Elder Gods served up in a blood bag (!) and several others.

Throughout the monthlong run of Dark Ritual, there will be added diversions like tarot readings and scary movie events. Spirits of all types, doubtless, will be plentiful. Dark Ritual runs through Nov. 7.

Various times beginning Thursday, Oct. 1, Zymarium Meadery, 1121 N. Mills Ave., zymarium.com, free.

https://www.orlandoweekly.com/arts/things-to-do/zymarium-meadery-gets-more-spooky-with-dark-ritual/

India: Honey, We Made Mead

From spiritz.in

Mead isn’t merely a beverage business; it’s a personal exploration of flavour, fermentation and the limitless possibilities of craft, says AMAR Shrivastav, Co-Founder, HIK! Craft Meads 

Once an ancient drink, mead is finding a new audience in India. The beverage is being given a distinctly contemporary identity, with brewer-turned-mead-maker AMAR Shrivastava experimenting with honey, fruits and fermentation. Through HIK! Craft Meads, the mead maverick, Amar is helping create a culture of curiosity around a category that is still waiting to find its place on India’s drinking map, writes Bishan Kumar.

There are drinks that announce themselves with swagger, and then there are drinks that invite curiosity. Mead belongs firmly to the latter category. Made from fermented honey, mead has an ancient pedigree, yet in contemporary India it remains an intriguing newcomer: one that is slowly finding its way into the glasses of consumers looking for something other than the familiar beer, wine and other spirits. In Pune, Amar is betting on that curiosity

For Amar, mead isn’t merely a beverage business; it’s a personal exploration of flavour, fermentation and the limitless possibilities of craft. His meadery, HIK! Craft Meads, represents the meeting point of science and imagination: honey forms the foundation, fermentation gives it character, while fruits, herbs and unconventional combinations provide the element of surprise.

 Curiosity built a brand

When he was young, Amar heard about a wine-taster; but he couldn’t fathom how “a beverage could have so much depth that studying, evaluating and creating it could become someone’s profession.”

That question would eventually become a career. As his professional life drew him to breweries, microbreweries, wineries and different forms of fermentation, he was presented with a front row view of the craft beverage revolution. That sparked a desire to explore the unknown.

“I began to feel that I wanted to explore something beyond what was already established,” he recalls. “In many traditional beer styles, there are defined parameters and guidelines. There is definitely room for creativity, but I wanted to work in a space where we could experiment more freely with ingredients, flavours and processes,” he adds.

Moving towards mead

HIK! Craft Meads was created in 2022 by Amar, along with his partner Hemant Jadhav. They had known each other for years, having been in the microbrewery industry — their shared passion for the craft becoming the foundation for HIK! — the first product being a Mango Mead produced in July 2023.

Since then, Guava, Blueberry, and Cherry Cola have emerged among the flavours consumers can encounter on tap; the wider mead range includes Belgian, Hopped, Lychee, Hazelnut Coffee, Jamun, Peach and Pineapple flavours. The brand has also ventured into stronger expressions, including its 10 per cent Karwanda Mead. More recently, Jamun Mint Mead has added another distinctly Indian twist to the portfolio.

For Amar, however, the point is not to assemble a fixed list of flavours and reproduce them indefinitely. His Meadery’s philosophy is deliberately fluid. “The philosophy behind HIK! is actually very simple. The product has to come first,” he says. “We don’t create something just because putting a new flavour out there sounds exciting. If we make something, it has to be something that we believe in,” he asserts.

There is also a more personal test. “If we cannot enjoy drinking it ourselves, it shouldn’t go out to the consumer,” Amar says. That attitude explains why he is reluctant to describe even the brand’s more popular expressions as permanently fixed. “The idea is not to create a fixed portfolio and keep making the same products forever. If tomorrow we feel like there is something more interesting to work on, we should be able to stop making one flavour and start creating something completely different,” Amar elaborates.

Making Mead an experience

HIK! has moved beyond simply selling a beverage to building occasions around it. Its flagship initiative, HIK! Fest is positioned as India’s first mead festival that offered consumers an immersive way to discover the category firsthand.

The brand has also launched the HIK! Experience Centre, debuting at Chug Biergarten in Pune’s Koregaon Park. The inaugural event brought together a Mead 101 session with Amar, a cocktail session with Vins on Tap, Mead Games, and a live performance by Sabali; it’s a format being rolled out to other outlets where HIK! meads are poured.

Then there is HIK!Nik!, an experience that would invite consumers into the meadery itself & closer to the craft behind the drink.

Where honey meets science

For Amar, quality begins at source. He, however, guards his honey sources with fervour. According to him, a good mead requires a lot more than mixing honey with water and waiting for fermentation to happen — his biotechnology background, combined with his experience in brewing, gives him a strong technical foundation to work from.

“A great mead starts with the quality of the ingredients and an understanding of what you want those ingredients to become,” he explains.

Honey, naturally, is at the heart of the process. HIK! works with some of the best honey available in the market, and for its fruit-based expressions, the team uses fresh produce to make its own fruit pulps. Fermentation typically takes around 22 to 25 days: something that Amar approaches with precision and instinct.

“Fermentation is not just about following a timeline. It is about understanding how the ingredients behave, how the flavours develop and how everything comes together,” he shares.

That same rigour shapes how HIK! approaches experimentation. Every new ingredient must earn its place — surviving fermentation, integrating with the drink, and contributing something meaningful to the final flavour. “The real challenge is understanding whether that ingredient actually works in the product, how it behaves through fermentation and whether the final drink is something people would genuinely enjoy,” he says.

Teaching India to taste Mead

The biggest challenge for any mead maker in India is building familiarity. According to Amar, consumers are accustomed to thinking in established categories: beer, wine and spirits, all occupy their own clearly understood territory. Mead, however, leaves the drinker wondering where exactly it belongs.

Amar would rather not force it into any category. “For me, the simplest answer is that it should be experienced for what it is,” he says.

The solution is not technical explanations but a recognisable starting point. A Guava Mead, for instance, uses a known flavour to open the door to an unfamiliar beverage. “They know guava. It is familiar to them. Our job is to take that familiarity and use it as a way to introduce consumers to something new,” Amar says.

And then comes the most convincing form of education: tasting. “At the end of the day, you can tell someone a lot about mead. But I think the best way to introduce them to it is to let them try a good one.”

That approach has helped HIK! attract a surprisingly diverse audience. Amar broadly places HIK!’s consumers falls in the 21–45 age group: social and outgoing, willing to experiment and explore beyond their usual beer or wine.

Can Mead become mainstream?

Amar believes it can, but not overnight. He draws the parallel with India’s microbrewery movement. When he entered that industry, microbreweries were still relatively new to Indian consumers, he says, but now they are an established part of the country’s urban craft-beverage landscape. “I believe mead has a similar opportunity,” he says.

However, he believes that the category must grow on the strength of the liquid. “You can introduce consumers to a category through branding and storytelling, but ultimately they have to enjoy what is in the glass,” he points out.

Quality and consistency will be non-negotiable as HIK! grows — organically, and on its own terms rather than in a race for scale. Consumer feedback stays central. “The category has to earn its place in the market,” Amar says.

https://spiritz.in/stories/honey-we-made-mead-12543646