Virginia, USA: Best breweries located inside a meadery

From styleweekly.com

SetBreak Brewing Company (1313 Altamont Ave.) and Funktastic Beer (1212 Alverser Plaza) 

When a business already has the local market pretty much cornered with its product, as Funktastic Meads and Black Heath Meadery do, it takes a special brand of confidence to add beer to the menu. But that’s what they did. And so far, their decision appears to be paying off.

SetBreak Brewing owners Rob Quicke (left) and Bill Cavender, who also owns Black Heath Meadery. Photo by Scott Elmquist

Funktastic Beer celebrated its two-year anniversary in April, and Black Heath’s SetBreak Brewing Company opened in February. Both fit nicely into the Richmond beer spectrum: SetBreak seems to favor light, refreshing beers and solid IPAs, while Funktastic often leans toward highly experimental stouts. SetBreak gets its name from a band’s pause between sets, as Black Heath Meadery owner Bill Cavender and head brewer Rob Quicke are huge music lovers.

“It feels like we are past the tuning and into full-on practices now,” Cavender says in an email, continuing the metaphor. “We’ve pushed a couple ‘tunes’ out, but we’re not really comfortable enough for any tasty jams and improv yet.” He adds that the approach has exposed strictly mead drinkers to beer, and vice versa, offering more variety. “We are working on the true mashups, the braggots,” he says. “A beer-mead hybrid that we couldn’t make with a wine license. Coming this summer!”

                                                                Exterior of Black Heath Meadery in Scott’s Addition

Matt Carroll is the owner and head brewer of Funktastic Meads. Before he became known as the guy who makes off-the-wall meads, he was the home brewer who made off-the-wall adjunct beers with friends. For him, the boomerang back to beer was a logical step.

Besides crafting pastry stouts that give The Answer and The Veil runs for their money, Carroll’s anniversary beer – a double IPA collaboration with a brewery in Zimbabwe, where he took a family trip – illustrates his willingness to experiment. After trying a popular orange concentrate there called mazoe, he thought it would work great in a beer. Clearly, he was right: it was the third-highest rated beer on Untappd in the country when it came out in early April.

                                                                                                    Funktastic Meads interior

“Our focus is still mead,” Carroll says. “But beer is something that people know… It’s a small portion of our business, but it works well. It brings people in.”

https://www.styleweekly.com/best-breweries-located-inside-a-meadery/

Massachusetts: Zydeco Meadery Honors Juneteenth Traditions with Hibiscus Mead Rooted in Red-Drink History

From blackprwire.com

Many American holidays are closely tied to celebratory foods and drinks such as turkey at Thanksgiving, pumpkins at Halloween, and eggs at Easter. Juneteenth, the nation’s newest federal holiday, carries its own deeply rooted food and beverage traditions, particularly the sharing of red-coloured drinks that symbolize resilience, remembrance, and freedom.

Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when General Order No. 3 announced the emancipation of enslaved people in Texas, nearly two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation. At the time, enslaved laborers made up roughly 30 percent of Texas’s population. Many had been forcibly relocated from other Southern states, while others were illegally trafficked through Havana from West Africa and West Central Africa during the final decades of slavery.

These communities carried with them culinary memories and ritual practices shaped by African traditions. In many West African cultures, red foods and beverages were shared during important celebrations as offerings to ancestors and as symbols of spiritual continuity. Tart, cranberry-like drinks made from fresh and dried hibiscus calyces (roselle) and beverages derived from kola nut were common in celebratory contexts long before emancipation.

In Texas, newly freed families adapted these traditions using available ingredients, giving rise to red lemonade, strawberry drinks, and watermelon beverages that became synonymous with Juneteenth gatherings. Over time, these red drinks evolved into enduring symbols of joy, remembrance, and communal celebration.

Zydeco Meadery’s hibiscus mead is called Carnival Rose and draws inspiration from this diasporic history. Carnival Rose is crafted from a Trinidadian recipe using with dried hibiscus flowers and Louisiana wildflower honey.  It reflects a centuries-old tradition of red celebratory drinks while reimagining them through the lens of modern, small-batch fermentation. The result is a vibrant mead that honours the past while offering a contemporary way to toast freedom.

As communities across the country gather to mark Juneteenth, Zydeco Meadery invites families and friends to reflect on the holiday’s history, share a meal, and raise a glass of hibiscus mead in recognition of emancipation, endurance, and the sweetness of freedom. 

About Zydeco Meadery

Zydeco Meadery is a family-run meadery based in North Attleboro, Massachusetts, producing small-batch meads inspired by African American, Caribbean, and Creole foodways using local honey and thoughtfully sourced ingredients.

https://www.blackprwire.com/press-releases/zydeco-meadery-honors-juneteenth-traditions-with-hibiscus-mead-rooted-in-red-drink-history 

Alberta, Canada: Why You Need Mead

From edifyedmonton.com

Your next big pour is 7,000 years old. But a local meadery is bringing a modern twist to the ancient sip

We’re familiar with fermented grapes in wine, but what about fermented honey? Few people realize that this drink exists, let alone that our province thrives in its production of high-quality honey.

Mead, known in ancient times as golden nectar, was a drink deemed worthy of gods and kings. Interesting fact: this drink predates beer and wine. Pottery containers dating to 7000 B.C.E in China show evidence of the fermentation of honey-based alcoholic beverages, a similar process to what we use now.

Fermentation is nature’s culinary wizardry, a perfect combination of science and art. The technicalities behind it are not lost on Curtis Foreman, who studied molecular biology. It was that and his father’s winemaking background that inspired him to own a meadery.

The Grey Owl Meadery was established in 2015 by the Schwengler family before Foreman and his family took over in 2023. The business remains a family affair through and through.

                                                                                                        courtesy Grey Owl Meadery

Even though mead was once held in high regard, its production declined in the 1600s as honey became more expensive to make. But within the past decade, it has made a comeback (we can probably thank Game of Thrones for that). And meaderies like Foreman’s are helping bring it to everyone’s table. “I want people to know that this drink is not just for the shelf,” Foreman says.

Though it’s crafted from honey, do not assume this drink is strictly for those with a sweet tooth. There is a mead for every palate, and Foreman cannot reiterate this enough.

Grey Owl has experimented with modern recipes, offering sparkling, cysers (a combination of mead and apple cider) and fortified meads. But the meadery’s still wines are the most popular, especially the Cranberry Orange — a cranberry, clover and wildflower honey mix, infused with Turkish oranges. If you are not sure what flavour is right for you, visit the meadery near Buck Lake, about two hours’ drive southwest of Edmonton, for a free tasting.

From taking in the view of the foothills and mountains to savouring the substantial charcuterie board, Grey Owl’s Tasting Room offers more than drinks. “We want the atmosphere to feel like a nice winery in Tuscany,” Foreman says. If mead is not your thing, bring someone who would partake in every sip and you can relax with a gourmet coffee — the scenery itself will make the experience worth it.

                                                                           courtesy Grey Owl Meadery

Grey Owl mead is also available at liquor stores across Alberta.

Grey Owl Meadery
452036 Hwy 22, Alder Flats, AB | 403.890.9834 | greyowlmeadery.com

https://edifyedmonton.com/food/drinks/why-you-need-mead/

UK: New Low-Alcohol Meads

From thecaterer.com

Lyme Bay Winery  has introduced two low-alcohol (3.5% abv) sparkling meads. Lyme Bay’s Traditional Mead is made from a blend of honey and water fermented with yeast to create a smooth mead base. Raspberry Lemonade Sparkling Mead balances sweet-tart raspberries with citrus notes and honey, while Strawberry & Elderflower Sparkling Mead combines strawberry juice with elderflowers.

 

Price 330ml can, £2.57

https://www.thecaterer.com/all-content/indian-craft-beer-nootropics-in-a-can-and-sparkling-fruit-mead-the-best-new-low-and-no-alcohol-drinks 

Ulster Mead toasts to SuperValu deal

From donegaldaily.com

Donegal mead maker Jakub Blaszczok is raising a glass to joining SuperValu's Food Academy programme

The Convoy-produced Ulster Mead will be on selected SuperValu shelves nationwide for a year.

Alongside the opportunity to win over new tipplers across the island, Jakub also secured a place on Ireland’s only accredited producer development programme at TU Dublin, studying for a Certificate in Food Entrepreneurship. 

Founded by Polish natives Jakub Blaszczok and Tomasz Rotuski, Ulster Mead Co. launched in 2021 with Ireland's first herbal wines, and the first wines of this kind to be made in Donegal.

The mead and botanical drinks business has grown steadily since then, moving from early test batches to a fully operating meadery at the former Convoy Woollen Mills building where all production now takes place.

The range now includes traditional mead (honey wine) and coffee-infused mead, both crafted by hand in small batches using careful fermentation and minimal intervention.

                                                      Jakub Blaszczok - Founder of Ulster Mead

King of the North Mead has become the flagship product and was recently a finalist at Blas na hÉireann 2025. Meadnight Drakkar remains Ireland’s first and only coffee mead, made using freshly roasted beans from New Kid Coffee in Donegal.

Jakub said: "Ulster Mead Co. is still a young business, but it is already contributing locally by collaborating with Chefs, restaurants, cafés, and shops, and by supporting community events whenever possible. Being part of the Food Coast Donegal network and working closely with other local producers has further strengthened our presence in the region.

"SuperValu Food Academy has been a major support for our business. It provided structure, guidance, and clear direction on how to grow in a sustainable way. Through the programme, we strengthened our branding, gained a better understanding of retail requirements, refined our costings, and prepared for expansion into additional stores. We also built valuable connections and received the support needed to bring Ulster Mead Co. to a wider audience."

https://www.donegaldaily.com/business/ulster-mead-toasts-to-supervalu-deal-633068

'We're both pretty excited': Vancouver meadery opens new tasting room

From vancouverisawesome.com

'It's been a long time for us to find a place that worked.' 

The guys behind Humblebee are eager to welcome folks to their new place.

"We're both pretty excited. I feel like it's been a long time for us to find a place that worked," says Pierre Vacheresse, who co-founded Humblebee with Jeff Gillham.

The new Humblebee space has experience as a tasting room. They're moving into 1830 Powell St. That was the home of Slow Hand Beer Company before they moved to Threefold just a couple of blocks away.

Slow Hand has actually "been super helpful" getting Humblebee set up in their new space, Vacheresse says.

The new tasting room will take advantage of the wood panelling of the space to create a cosy vibe, he adds, with the goal of making a space that feels like a familiar, friendly basement to hang out in.

"We're super excited to bring in something we're proud of and really captures what we want to put out there," says Vacheresse.

He notes the space is ideal for drinks at the end of the work week or for the weekend, with flights and glasses on the menu.

                                                          Vancouver's new mead tasting room is at 1830 Powell St.Nick Laba/V.I.A.

It's mead but brewed more like beer, founders say

On tap will be Humblebee's meads (which are brewed as braggots), like The Bee's Knees or Monkberry Moon Delight. They're bringing back one of their signature brews right now, too. Champion of the Sun, which includes orange and saffron, is coming, but only temporarily due to the war in Iran.

"This will probably be the last batch of it for a little while," Vacheresse says. "The price of saffron has skyrocketed."

Slow Hand beer is also on tap. Snacks are available, and a food program will follow later this spring or summer.

The tasting room will also operate as a retail location for anyone seeking cans of Humblebee.

Humblebee's mead is brewed as a braggot, which isn't like the typical honey wines people might think of.

"What Jeff and I decided to do is brew it more like a beer," says Vacheresse.

They keep the alcohol levels low (five per cent), use ale yeast, and integrate a gluten-free beer (all their drinks are gluten-free). 

The grand opening for Humblebee is April 30 at 4 p.m. The tasting room is located at 1830 Powell St. near Victoria Drive.

It's open Thursdays and Fridays from 4 to 10 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from 2 to 10 p.m.

https://www.vancouverisawesome.com/food-and-drink/vancouver-mead-open-new-tasting-room-12219702

Whidbey, Washington: Meadery celebrates Gaelic event

From southwhidbeyrecord.com

Whidbey’s own meadery is hosting Beltane, a Gaelic May Day festival this Saturday.

The free, family-friendly event at Hierophant Meadery, located on Double Bluff Road in Freeland, runs 2-8 p.m. on May 2, according to the business.

The event will feature live music, including performances from Mutiny Bay Brass Band and the Whidbey Island School of Music and Dance. There will also be a mobile sauna, an auction, yard games and food from Wood Fired Pizzas and Whidbey Pies.

In addition, there will be May Pole Dancing, with a pole on lend from Whidbey Waldorf School.

Hierophant Meadery

Of course, mead made from “ancient brewing techniques for the modern palate” will able be available, according to the website.

Beltane is a Gaelic May Day festival that marks the beginning of summer, fertility and the full transition into the light half of the year. It started in Ireland and Scotland to celebrate open pasturing, according the Brittanica.

https://www.southwhidbeyrecord.com/2026/04/28/meadery-celebrates-gaelic-event/