From eu.mycentraljersey.com
Most people’s only taste of mead – one of mankind's first alcoholic drinks – has been out of a drinking horn at a Renaissance fair while adorned in peasant garb.
But Middlemist, which just became one of just four meaderies in New Jersey and the first in Somerset County, is showing that what’s old is new again.
The meadery is now open at 30 E Main St. in Somerville, which was shuttered since the closure of Arusuvai Indian Restaurant. Hours are 2-11 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, noon to 1 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sundays.
Its flagship offering is mead, a fermented, naturally gluten-free alcoholic beverage made with honey that ancient Greeks called “nectar of the gods.”
“Thousands of years ago people accidentally made the first mead when some rainwater got into harvested honey that fermented and it’s been a long tradition ever since,” said co-owner Ryan Guasp. “We also like to think of it as a new beverage because it’s been out of style for so long. We want to reintroduce mead to the public through lots of different flavours of mead that we have developed ourselves.”
Mead has fallen by the wayside in favour of alcoholic beverages that are cheaper to produce, like wine and beer, as honey is relatively expensive. But Guasp, as well as Middlemist co-owners Ilija Melentijevic and Caleb Ahles, believe people will be interested in the novelty of the new-to-the-public drink sometimes referred to as honey wine.
Middlemist offers meads made with honey from Stiles Apiary, a honey farm in the Fords section of Woodbridge.
The meads include various types of honey, fruits, hops, herbs, teas and spices to make them reminiscent of wine, beer or a drink in a class of its own, with ABVs from 4.5% to 17% and tasting notes ranging from sweet to dry.
None of the meads served in Middlemist's tasting room contain sulfites, which are preservatives used in food and drinks that people sometimes blame for hangover headaches.
“Our meads are going as far as from the tanks in the back to the tanks and kegs in the front,” said Guasp.
Middlemist is also exploring options to keep sulfites out of to-go bottles of mead, which will be offered in several months, followed by bar distribution. The meadery is currently only selling its mead for onsite consumption.
Middlemist will offer house-brewed honey sodas, juices, teas and coffee in the future, filling the space for today’s desire for non-alcoholic options, as U.S. alcohol drinking levels are at an all-time low.
“Part of what we are envisioning here is not just a place where you can taste mead but also a community gathering spot where you can drink non-alcoholic options and just hang out,” said Melentijevic. “There are a lot of people looking for happy hour locations but if a few team members don’t drink, they’re left out. We wanted to make it inclusive so we can host anyone.”
The 115-seat, 6,500 square foot space is inspired by European-style bars and cafes as well as the solarpunk movement, which involves handmade items and achieving harmony between manmade structures and nature, said Guasp.
The tasting room includes 400 plants sourced and cared for by a neighbouring East Main Street business, Spotted Leaf Plant Company, intermingled with wooden furniture crafted by Melentijevic and steel mead tanks.
“It’s emblematic of mead because you take this wonderful natural product – honey – and combine it with high technology,” said Guasp. “We are trying to merge that ethos of nature and futurism with a very pleasant welcoming space where people can just relax.”
The idea for the meadery was planted after the trio met at Rutgers University and began homebrewing with Melentijevic and Guasp’s expertise in microbiology, in which they both earned PhDs in at the university.
During the pandemic, that homebrewing morphed into making mead, which “was the best thing we’ve ever made,” said Melentijevic.
As they racked up mead awards, they realized that they – and their friends – liked their mead better than what was on the market.
They later decided to open their own meadery in Somerville, which became a conundrum that even the scientists struggled to solve as bureaucratic obstacles and New Jersey’s infamous arcane liquor laws stood in their way. They had hoped to have their meadery open nearly a year ago.
Each U.S. state has an average of 10-11 meaderies, while New Jersey only has four – Beach Bee Meadery in Long Branch, Armageddon Brewing in Somerdale, Rag and Bone Meadery in South Harrison, and Beetopia Meadery in Cherry Hill. New Jersey created a specific mead and cider license in 2017 – less than a decade ago.
“We haven’t had an easy time and there have been a lot of shifting goal posts to this day,” said Guasp. “But the community has been very welcoming and people are excited to have us.”
Go: 30 E Main St., Somerville; middlemistmead.com.
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