From exposedmagazine.co.uk
Sheffield, UK: The Kelham Island area has long been synonymous with craft beer and real ale, but Timothy Young, founder of Paradise Garage Brewing Co., aims to bring another drink to prominence in the neighbourhood.
The beverage in question is mead, the oldest alcoholic drink in the world. At his recently launched meadery, located within the charming Merchant’s Court courtyard (formerly Caledonia Works) at 43 Mowbray Street, Tim currently offers three varieties of homemade mead. Guests can enjoy these options by the glass, bottle, or in creatively crafted cocktails.
“All mead is honey-based, but the flavours and styles can vary tremendously,” explains Tim. “People are often surprised by how versatile mead can be; my favourite feedback is when customers tell me it’s like nothing they’ve ever tried before.”
Tim’s mead-making journey began in Vietnam, where he was teaching English. When the first Covid lockdown came around, Tim found himself with time on his hands and access to the required ingredients from local markets. Inspired by the country’s booming craft brewing scene, he delved into experimentation. Encouraged by the promising early results, the seeds of a potential business model were sown.
“All mead is honey-based, but the flavours and styles can vary tremendously”
Following his return to the UK, he began making mead from a London-based brewery before realising he needed a space of his own. A quick search online revealed a brand-new courtyard unit in a thriving area of Sheffield. After researching the local craft drinks scene’s popularity, he decided that the S3 would be the perfect destination.
Named in homage to the iconic New York nightclub, the Paradise Garage taproom combines some of the founder’s passions: brewing and disco. Swing by between 6pm-9pm on Thursdays or Fridays, or 2pm-6pm on Saturdays, and catch Tim spinning his favourite disco tunes while pouring glasses of his finest creations.
There are three meads on offer: Salvation, a traditional-style mead known for its light and balanced flavour profile; Roxy, a sweet and fruity concoction infused with blackcurrants and red Kampot peppercorns, providing a subtle kick; and the intriguing Funhouse, which combines the sweetness of honey and dried apricots with the heat of habanero and guajillo chili and hibiscus.
A fourth mead – a plum-infused concoction – will be arriving towards the end of the summer, stymied slightly by a disappointing harvest last year. However, there are two mead cocktails to try in the meantime, the Funhouse Negroni and the Roxy Royale – both ideal sipping partners to while away a summer’s afternoon.
“It is an ancient drink, but what I’m doing with it is quite modern,” says Tim. “Mead is drank in many countries across the world and there’s a growing craft mead scene over in the States. Sheffield appealed to me partly because of the community spirit here; you can already find our mead in places like The Old Shoe, The Crow, Lost in West Bar, Nook Bar and Starmore Boss. Now, we’re focusing on getting people into this taproom to try our stuff from the source!”
Follow Paradise Garage Brewing Co. on socials to find out more: @pgbrewing.
PARADISE GARAGE BREWING CO.
UNIT 1C, 43 MOWBRAY STREET (LOOK FOR MERCHANT’S COURT)
S3 8EN
Taproom opening hours: Thursdays & Fridays: 6pm-9pm Saturdays: 2pm-6pm
https://www.exposedmagazine.co.uk/archived/mead-your-maker-spotlight-on-paradise-garage-brewing-co/
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