Wyoming Businesses Expand To Asia Markets That Can’t Get Enough Cowboy Culture

From cowboystatedaily.com 

More Wyoming businesses are finding eager buyers for their products in Asia markets that can’t get enough cowboy culture. That success has the state exploring more ways to bolster Wyoming trade with countries in Asia

Wyoming and southeast Asia aren’t exactly two peas in a pod, but the cowboy culture has a way of bringing together people of disparate backgrounds.

A handful of small Wyoming companies are expanding their businesses to Taiwan and southeast Asia and are experiencing great success there.

“There’s an allure to the West, into Wyoming and that kind of cowboy ethos, which made a pretty good transition for building a new market,” said Sam Clikeman, owner of Big Lost Meadery. 

So much so that Gov. Mark Gordon gave them a shoutout during a press conference last week after touring the region.

Gordon said the small to medium nature of these businesses blends well with the Taiwanese economy, which is predominantly made up by these sizes of businesses. “It’s just very exciting to see those kinds of efforts on the small-medium enterprise front that are coming to fruition in Taiwan,” he said.

A big reason behind this success can be credited to the Wyoming - Asia Pacific Trade Office, which was established in Taiwan in 2018 to help promote exchanges in agriculture, technology, tourism and education. Its director Chester Chu has been instrumental in facilitating partnerships with Wyoming brands in his homeland.

“The state of Wyoming has helped initiate us and many other businesses to get that going,” said Powell resident Seaton Smith, CEO and co-founder of LEO Verification Systems, which are manufactured in Taiwan.

Sam Klikeman, left, showcases his Big Lost Meadery product in Taiwan. The labels are designed specifically for the overseas market. (Courtesy Photo)

Taiwan had been due to be hit with a 32% U.S. import tax until President Donald Trump last month put all his reciprocal tariffs on pause for 90 days. 

Taiwan's government said Saturday that it had recently concluded its first round of "substantive" tariff talks with the United States, describing the atmosphere as frank and cordial, Reuters reported. Taiwan has responded to Trump's tariffs by proposing a zero-tariff regime and offering to massively ramp up purchases from and investment in the United States.

Big Lost Meadery

Big Lost Meadery in Gillette is selling its mead in Taiwan and Hong Kong, which Clikeman describes as part of his mission to bring mead to the world, “one step at a time.” 

Mead is an alcoholic beverage made by fermenting honey with water and yeast, also sometimes known as "honey wine." An obscure off-branch of alcohol, mead is usually an item limited to at-home settings

Selling this product for the first time, Clikeman described as creating a brand-new market not only in Asia but everywhere.

“Mead is not a well-known or well-consumed product,” he said.

The Taiwan trade office helped Big Lost get into some trade shows out in Taiwan where the company was able to start making connections. Promoting the brand in Taiwan, Clikeman said, is an enjoyable experience as they sometimes get to do cross-promotion with other Wyoming brands trying to make it big there.

“We get to go out there and sell the concept of Wyoming, not just what it is that we do,” he said.

After laying the groundwork for selling their mead out there in 2019, plans to distribute the product in March 2020 fell apart with the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Clikeman started revisiting the opportunity in 2023 and this time the venture clicked. Now, they’re already looking at expanding further into Asia.

Although it doesn’t make up a significant portion of their revenue now, Clikeman said they expect that to change in the next 6 months-1 year because of a rebrand they just released for the Asian market. 

Recently, Big Lost unveiled new labels specifically for its Taiwanese-sold products of its Crazy Woman, Wild Man and Forgotten Philosopher meads to better match the Asian clientele, while still showcasing their product’s Western roots. 

“It’s actually a little more Greek but still has the Wyoming ethos behind it,” Clikeman said.

Their Taiwanese product labels are still written in English, which Clikeman said is critical for American goods sold there, in order to differentiate themselves from American brands sold in China.

“Which has a very different connotation,” he said.

Big Lost also just expanded domestically as well, recently opening their second brewery in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. 

Backwards Distilling Co. of Casper is also very popular in Taiwan, Gordon said.

https://cowboystatedaily.com/2025/05/06/wyoming-businesses-expand-to-asia-markets-that-cant-get-enough-cowboy-culture/

Mead and honey wine – everything you need to know

From specialityfoodmagazine.com

Honey-based drinks such as mead are coming out of the shadows and appealing to consumers all over the world. Speciality Food investigates what’s behind this surprising success story

The UK drinks scene has had its feathers ruffled in more ways than one in recent years. Functional, gut-friendly, adaptogenic, superfood-infused, low alcohol – these buzzwords have infiltrated the industry, as producers and manufacturers latch on to the fast-growing desire from consumers for ‘quick wins’ when it comes to their health.

The ‘noise’ from this new wave of wellbeing-focused RTDs may have dampened down the messaging of spirits such as gin (a market which industry insiders say is stagnating), but shows no sign of stopping other, more niche, innovative makers coming up on the inside lane.

Botanical and spiced rum sales, for example, are proving strong. And there’s a new contender powering alongside them – mead.

Mead and honey wine (for a long time associated with hooded monks and armour-clad knights) have had a ‘facelift’, with modern producers bringing shelf appeal to one of the world’s oldest drinks, attracting a demographic beyond Medieval re-enactors and hardened enthusiasts.

According to Fortune Business Insights, the global market size for mead in 2023 was $533.3 million – a figure projected to grow to $591.5 million this year, and to reach $1,395.7 million by 2032. A forecasted category growth of 11.33% is not something retailers should ignore, especially when Europe is dominating mead, with a market share of over 40%.

Fortune attributes the unending climb of mead to its relatively low alcohol content, which appeals to low and no-alcohol seekers, and points too to mead’s ‘clean’ credentials. It also factors in Millennials’ constant search for ‘newness’ and love of fruit beers and ciders, with fruit-infused meads being a natural ‘next step’ on their thirst-quenching quest.

The number of meaderies globally is expanding in response, largely in Europe and in North America, where mead and honey wine have generated a hive of excitement.

“Mead is truly enjoying a genuine renaissance, which is great for what is believed to be the very first alcoholic drink,” says Steven Sturgeon of Lyme Bay Winery, which produces a range of mead-style bottles.

Peter Taylor, founder of Yorkshire’s Nidhoggr Mead, is just one homegrown producer who’s noticing the stratospheric demand for mead. The Viking and Medieval re-enactor started making mead at home for fun three-and-a-half years ago. Fast forward to today, and he’s got a partnership with Warhammer, supplies the Jorvik Viking Centre and National Trust, employs 11 people, and is exporting 100,000 litres of mead per year to the USA – and growing.

London-based Gosnells says it is on track to exceed last year’s full year revenue already – looking to double its sales in 2024.

And Wales’ Hive Mind Mead reports that its sales have doubled every year, with no returns from ‘sale and return’ contracts with retailers.

What is mead?

According to records, there’s evidence of honey being fermented into a drink as far back as 9,000BC, with ancient civilisations spanning Asia, Europe and Africa developing and enjoying their own versions.

The ‘nectar of the gods’ (according to Greek mythology) is “at heart honey and water fermented with yeast”, says Steven. It’s ABV ranges from around 3-6% upwards meaning the drink “suits the growing trend for sweeter, lower alcohol products as an indulgent treat, or alternative to long alcohol drinks.”

Medieval mead, says Kit Newell from Hive Mind Mead, “was weak and dry. It was a by-product of monks making candles. They would wash beeswax in a trough of water. In doing so they’d make mead, because the wild yeast in the air would ferment the water.”

What does mead taste like?

Also known as hydromel or honey wine, a true, traditional mead lets the honey do the talking. It can range from off dry to sweet, and its flavour is informed by the flowers the bees forage amongst. Producers are bringing added interest to the bottle/can by infusing mead with fruits, spices, grains and hops too.

Why are mead and honey wine taking off?

Simon Cooper from the Great British Mead Company admits mead has most usually been popular with re-enactors and the Pagan community. But, he says, “it is a wonderful natural drink, and a great alternative to the mass-produced alcohols available. Due in part to TV shows such as Game of Thrones and Vikings, the global awareness of mead is on the rise, leading to an uptake in mead drinkers, home brewers and, ultimately, more retail mead makers.”

“They’ve become hip and trendy again,” adds Peter. “Also, it’s completely natural, with no chemicals or sulphites. Customers like that.” Peter also reflects that there’s concern around protecting Britain’s bees. “There’s a big campaign at the moment to save the bees, and the best way is to buy more ethical honey, mead and honey wine.”

Kit agrees. “Everyone hears about the bees, and they want to help, but they don’t know what they can do practically. We can say we are beekeepers, and the more mead we sell, the more bees we can keep. We had 20 hives, and now we’ve got 180, which directly boosts biodiversity.”

Kit is also noticing, as in other sectors, a shift towards whole foods, and more natural products. “It’s that drive to move away from ingredients we don’t understand,” he says. “Mead is as simple as it gets.”

And “people want something exciting,” says Peter. “Sparkling meads are breaking through and doing well in RTD, hitting that market. Rum has seen a rise, but not as big as it probably should have been, and mead is smashing it out of the park.”

Social media has had a part to play as well, explains Kit. “There’s a guy on Instagram and TikTik – Golden Hive Mead. That account’s got millions of followers and has brought mead into the consciousness of a younger demographic. It’s made mead more accessible and taken away the mystery around it.”

Consumers being more mindful of processed sugar is another buying factor, says Tom Gosnell of Gosnells. He thinks they’re looking for “alternatives such as honey, which is known to have additional health benefits too. Honey is a complex, premium ingredient and consumers like to experience the different flavours different types of honey can provide. We like to describe this as the terroir of the honey, and it provides a great link between the natural world and a cold, fizzy pint.”

Anna Chalov from Bemuse Drinks (which makes alcohol-free honey wine) agrees that the driving force behind mead’s revival is the re-discovery of honey as a base for “premium, quality drinks which can rival conventional grape wine”.

Like Tom, she believes honey has great potential in terms of complexity of flavour and diversity of profiles. “Traditional mead was a source of inspiration for us. We got fascinated by the opportunity to put honey to the front and centre of our drink,” Anna explains, talking about the decision to leap into the honey-based drinks business. “We also felt that there was no limit to creating new, intriguing flavours in the mead category.”

Why should retailers consider stocking honey wine and mead?

Health has a part to play in the upwards trajectory of mead, says Tom, who believes shoppers are looking for ‘better for you’ options across all categories. “We have seen this in the growth of oat milk versus dairy cow’s milk, in bread with reduced sugar and salt varieties, and low sugar soft drinks like Coke Zero. The same applies to alcohol. Consumers still want to drink, but would prefer gluten free, lower sugar, and no added chemicals or artificial flavours.”

This chimes with Anna, who thinks the environment has a massive part to play in the interest around and purchasing of mead and honey wine. “In our experience, the modern consumer is looking for variety,” she explains. “More healthy and delicious drink options which are also sustainable and good for the planet. Honey wines are probably some of the most sustainable drinks on earth. As we all know, we rely on pollinators for our food supply. With the population of wild bees dwindling, we will increasingly depend on local beekeepers and domesticated bees to stand as the last line of defence for all the plant-based foods we love.”

Anna believes apiaries have a lower footprint than vineyards too. “And while a lot of food production goes down the route of mechanization and minimising human labour, honey cultivation requires direct human interaction with hives and the beekeeping industry proud itself in creating jobs.”

“You don’t have to buy in additions like hops,” adds Kit. “Everyone seems to be looking for those lower intervention wines, and natural alternatives, and mead fits in nicely.”

Producers of mead moving to different formats, such as 330ml cans and bottles, have been successful in delivering RTD mead to younger drinkers, making it an attractive proposition in mainstream and speciality retail, adds Steven.

“The next step is to encourage major retailers to list mead, and so widen category penetration still further,” he says. By doing this “they will be offering a versatile and exciting drink that meets so many of their shoppers’ demands.”

How to sell mead

Anyone in food and drink retail knows that sampling is the key to unlocking success, more often than not leading to a sale, or at the very least raising brand and product awareness.

If you happen to have a local mead producer nearby, now’s the time to invite them in to explain the how and why of mead, discuss the habitat and sustainability of their bees, and, ultimately, to express, first-hand, through tasting, just what mead tastes like.

Tom says Gosnells doesn’t have any difficulty getting customers to try its products. In fact, he says, they are going directly to the brand. “The alcohol market is changing. Alcohol-free is booming. We’re all looking for ways to be healthier, and live a balanced, happy lifestyle,” he explains. “This often means drinking less volume, but when we do choose to drink, we’re looking for better, higher-quality options.”

Kit thinks Hive Mind’s RTD mead is being seen more and more as a refreshing, lighter alternative to cider or beer that’s not too strong, while its traditional mead is being picked up for cocktails, spritzers, or as an alternative to dessert wine with puddings or cheese. Trialling it in store, as a spritz, at the cheese counter, or even on your cafe or restaurant menu is a good starting point. “Our stockists are nearly all off-trade,” Kit says, pointing out that the brand sits very well in farm shops, delis and garden centres, as well as the likes of Selfridges, which sought out Hive Mind, selling it in store alongside other RTD products. “I think that’s where it naturally fits,” he says. “Retailers should give it a chance here. There’s a massive demand for it.”

What’s next for mead?

Honey spirits, cans of sparkling honey wine, mead and beer will be seen at industry events everywhere in the months and years to come, with the RTD format predicted to prove a big hit. Brands such as Hive Mind are also experimenting with melomel – a type of fruit fermented mead – which is coming down the line too, and worth looking out for. “It’s a style that’s getting really popular in the US, so we thought we’d trial it to see if people liked it,” Kit says. “We used 20% raspberry, 80% honey, and aged it on vanilla pods.” Consumers have loved the bottle conditioned drink, with more trials underway – most recently strawberries and cream. “It’s like an Eton Mess. This is just such an exciting time for experimenting,” Kit adds.

https://www.specialityfoodmagazine.com/food-and-drink/what-is-mead-and-honey-wine

USA: CEA Retail & Hospitality Winner: Marketing Mead To The Masses

From wilmingtonbiz.com

As Southeastern North Carolina’s only commercial mead maker, Retro Meadery has given many local customers their first taste of mead – a fermented mixture of honey, water and yeast.

Many first-time customers have never heard of mead before, said Michael Fields, who co-founded Retro Meadery in 2020 with friend Matthew Clemmons. Others come with assumptions about how the mead will taste.

Many people think of mead as really sweet, Fields said.

“In reality, it’s just like wine – you can make it really dry, you can make it semi-dry, semi-sweet to sweet to dessert wine,” he said. “We kind of have a range of that for every flavour palate.”

The Burgaw-based company started to form in 2020 when Fields, Clemmons, and a few other friends made a beer kit and mead kit.

“The beer kit came out fantastic,” Fields said. “The mead kit did not.”

They decided to give mead another try, using a higher-quality honey. They continued to experiment with mead-making, giving samples to their family and friends. Eventually, they started hosting larger tasting events and began fundraising to support a mead-making company.

Although they hoped to establish a tasting room early on, those plans didn’t pan out. But that gave them time to introduce the area to the mead they make, Fields said.

RETAIL & HOSPITALITY | Retro Meadery | Michael Fields, Co-Founder | Year Founded: 2020 | Employees: 5 (Photo By Madeline Gray)


Retro Meadery produces its mead in a facility retrofitted with five 79-gallon tanks. The process of making mead is simple, according to Fields, who serves as the company’s head mead-maker.

“Depending on how you make your mead, you can change it up a little bit,” he said, “but it’s still pretty much honey, water and yeast.”

Retro Meadery adds fresh ingredients, ranging from elderberries and apples to limes, lemons and oranges, to the mead to create its signature flavours. The mead typically ferments for about two weeks and then ages for one to four months before it’s ready to be bottled.

The aging process helps remove carbon dioxide from the mead, which can improve its taste, Fields said.

“The longer you let the mead age, that alcohol bite tapers off and makes it really a smooth mead to have,” he said.

Retro Meadery currently has nine different mead flavours in production, including Cinnapede, its most popular apple and cinnamon-flavoured mead. The name and branding for each flavour taps into retro themes and nostalgia from the ’80s and ’90s, Fields said.

Cinnapede, for instance, references the classic Atari game Centipede, while other flavours include references to Monty Python and Saved by the Bell.

Fields said Retro Meadery is in the process of outfitting its own tasting room across from the Burgaw Train Depot in downtown Burgaw, with plans to open the space in June. The company is also in talks with a distributor to expand its reach within North Carolina and hopes to begin distributing outside of the state in the future.

https://www.wilmingtonbiz.com/cea_retail_and_hospitality_winner_marketing_mead_to_the_masses/2024/05/03/cea_retail_and_hospitality_winner_marketing_mead_to_the_masses/25560 

Mead is on the rise as brewers target a younger crowd

From thecaterer.com 

Mead is growing in popularity due to a new wave of brewers targeting a younger crowd. Meet producer Tom Gosnell

What does Norse mythology have in common with an industrial estate in London's Peckham? The answer is mead, the honey-flavoured drink believed to be one of the world's oldest alcoholic beverages. Archaeologists have found evidence of its presence in Chinese pottery dating from 7000 BCE and it's mentioned in the works of Ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle and the Old English epic poem Beowulf. But can mead be marketed to a 21st-century crowd?

That's the mission of Tom Gosnell, who founded London's first and only meadery, Gosnells, in 2014. Although its mead is produced in Peckham, in 2022 the team opened their first taproom on the Bermondsey Beer Mile, joining the craft beer and cider brewers that make up the popular drinking trail.

"I'd always been interested in fermentation and making alcohol," says Gosnell. "I used to make cider and started getting interested in honey. Bees are amazing creatures that are important to all our ecosystems. I wanted to take that natural product and turn it into drink and that's where we started from."

In its simplest form, mead is made by fermenting honey and water to create a pale-yellow alcohol, sometimes with the addition of fruits or spices. Its alcohol content can range from around 3.5% ABV to more than 20% ABV and it can be still, carbonated or naturally sparkling.

Mead can take on different flavours depending on the diet of the bees producing the honey. Gosnell's core range is created using honey from an area full of orange blossom, which gives the drink a light, crisp citrus flavour at 5.5% ABV. Other varieties include a pink Hibiscus mead, made with European blossom honey packed with dried hibiscus flowers (4% ABV), and a Citrus Sea mead blended with lemon, tarragon and hops with a saltier finish (4% ABV).

The global mead market was worth $432m (£345m) in 2020 and is projected to grow to over $1.6b (£1.3b) in 2028, according to Fortune Business Insights. Gosnell says there is a rise in brands entering the space and he is keen to market mead as a modern, sustainable drink, rather than focusing on its history.

Sweet success

Since its opening last year, the Bermondsey tap room has helped the mead brand reach a wider, urban crowd.

"It gets absolutely packed [there] on a sunny day," says Gosnell. "It's been really good for us to broaden our audience a bit. We talk about bees and honey more than we talk about any of the negative historical connotations around Beowulf or Vikings. We're really far away from that. We're really proud of the liquid we make and want everyone to enjoy it and understand the link with the honey and the natural world."

The bid to broaden mead's appeal so far seems to have paid off. Gosnells is stocked in around 75 hospitality venues, including the Daisy Green Collection, Drake & Morgan and BrewDog. Some 70% of the sites, which are mostly in London, pour Gosnells on draught while the other 30% stock its cans.

Gosnell is passionate about sustainability and is keen for the business to remain ethical as it grows. The company is in the midst of an audit by B Corp, a non-profit which gives accreditation to businesses aiming to have a positive impact on people and the planet. This rigorous assessment of its environmental, social and governance policies is expected to take around 18 months and Gosnell hopes the meadery will gain certification by the end of the year.

"Something we are constantly working to is looking at how we reduce our [carbon] footprint as a business," he explains. "It's hard to make a specific claim against other products, but, compared to beer, [mead] is a lot less energy-intensive. You're not breaking down the grain to make sugar – the sugar is there in the honey. From that perspective, it's probably slightly more sustainable in terms of carbon footprint."

This sustainable ethos has extended into several of Gosnells' partnerships. For every pint of its Wild Flower Mead sold, the meadery donates 5p to support the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, a charity which works to protect bees and other pollinators from a decline in their numbers.

Fishy business

Over the summer, the Bermondsey taproom has been hosting crawfish boils, serving customers the invasive American signal crayfish by the bucket. These events have seen Gosnells team up with Bob Ring, also known as ‘Crayfish Bob', an expert who has a licence to harvest the species from UK waters to protect the indigenous population.

Gosnell admits his sustainable focus can sometimes clash with the company's commercial aims, but says the meadery tries to marry the two together.

"Recycling is a classic example, it makes good financial sense because it's cheaper than normal waste. Or making sure the lights are turned off and reducing our energy consumption because it saves us money. There are a lot of things that go hand in hand."

Gosnells is looking at securing investment to help it expand into more pubs and restaurants and has plans to open a second retail location next year.

"It's really important for us as a young company to build a good company that people want to work for and want to buy from," adds Gosnell. "We're definitely not making the world a worse place."

https://www.thecaterer.com/sector/pub-bar/mead-on-the-rise-target-younger-crowd

Gosnells ramps up collaborations

From harpers.co.uk

London meadery Gosnells of Peckham has unveiled a series of new collaborations. 

Next month, the business is set to launch a 0% sparkling fruit ‘shrub’ with Square Root Soda of Hackney, which will be followed by a collaboration with Cloudwater Brewery of Manchester that will see Gosnells’ meads blended with pale ales in cherry, beer and port barrels. 

Last year, Gosnells took the unusual step of collaborating with a Sake, conjuring up an unconventional Kanpai Bee Sake at 13% abv in collaboration with Kanpai Sake of Peckham.  

Having “not looked back since”, it followed this launch up with a tie-in with Hawkes cider in February this year, blending Dabinett cider apples with Gosnells’ Hopped mead to produce a 5.5% ‘Cyser’.

“Collaborations are a Key strategy for us in 2021,” said founder Tom Gosnell.

“Collaborations are exhilarating as both we and our partners want to coax different nuances from the final liquid. So, it’s a give and take, and that often leads to the creation of an out-of-the-normal mead,” he said. 

“Our honeys are such a great elixir. They provide sweetness and depth all in one – and the meads they create add complexity to cocktails and to an astonishing range of drinks.”

Looking ahead, Gosnell added that the business would also start more collaborations with bees, “rather than just expecting them to help us”, with the aim to help them and other pollinators in central London through new nectar-rich plantings.

“Bees are amazing creatures, and we all need to understand their needs better, so as to ensure that they have the right food supplies all the way through the year,” he said.

In July 2019, Gosnells claimed a European first with the launch of mead in cans.

https://harpers.co.uk/news/fullstory.php/aid/28647/Gosnells_ramps_up_collaborations.html

Kiwi uni students create a buzz in the market with mead RTDs

From nzherald.co.nz

A couple of university students are taking the craft Ready To Drink (RTD) industry back to the future with one of the world's oldest beverages.

With the market booming throughout New Zealand, many are entering the game with new twists on the classic mixer.

Wilbur Morrison and Edward Eaton, however, are doing something different, and are stirring the honey pot, instead of the drum.

"Traditionally mead is a sort of desert style wine, very sweet and high in alcohol," Eaton said.

Wilbur Morrison and Edward Eaton are producing something unique in the RTD market.     Photo / Supplied 

 

"But we're trying to modernise that and bring it into the 21st century by creating a low alcohol sparkling mead, that's low in sugar."

Dating back thousands of years, brewing mead from honey is an age old classic.

Consisting of Native Kamahi Honey and Hawke's Bay lemon, The Buzz Club's Session Mead revolutionises the historic drink, and instead sits uniquely on New Zealand shelves.

"It's a got a light honey nose, a sort of touch of floral," Morrison said. "A lot of people expect it to be really rich and sweet but actually it's light and refreshing."

After becoming part of his parents' bee keeping business, Morrison said the inspiration for mead came out of pure chance.

The Buzz Club has begun distributing throughout areas of Christchurch.

Photo / Supplied

"My parents started beekeeping about three years ago and it wasn't going very well, so I jumped in and used my life savings to buy into the business which I ran while I was at uni. I used to get my mates out to come and help keep the bees, and one day one of them said have you heard of mead, to which I said never."

Morrison paired up with longtime family friend Eaton, and they then together began experimenting with their new found fascination.

"So it started out with just a couple of months of us brewing in Wilbur's parents' office," Eaton said. "Lockdown put a bit of a hold on things, but then as we started to get more serious we started creating products that we thought were really good, and it's been a learning curve ever since."

Now marketing their first final product, the friends produce what they believe to be something special.

Eaton said showing New Zealanders that mead and honey can be used for something different, was a key part of what drove them.

"We aren't trying to make another 10-pack that's there to be binged on and just to be drunk. It's a mead first and we want to show that, we really want to bring something different to the table."

Filled with rules and regulations, Morrison said alcohol and craft RTDs was an industry that towered high at first.

"It's definitely intimidating. There was a lot of nights sitting on computers and reading Government documents but I think you get your head around it in the end."

However, Eaton said the sense of community amongst the craft market is strong, and competitors aren't afraid to lend a helping hand.

"We've been in contact with a lot of helpful people in the brewing industry and found a lot of mentors that have been a massive part of getting us to where we are."

Auckland University School of Chemical Sciences senior lecturer Lisa Pilkington, is researching honey mead and said The Buzz Club's product is just what we need.

"When I talk to people about mead, it's definitely not a super fashionable drink so there's a wide open market for it to be reinvented," she said.

"It's really taking something that's traditional and turning it into a lifestyle, 21st century product and really in tune with the trends."

Pilkington said mead enables a special position in a booming industry.

"You've seen the recent growth of the craft beer industry and now the movement towards lifestyle drinks and RTDs, so I think this a very new and unique take and there's definitely not anything like it on the market. I think it will be very popular."

The Buzz Club has begun distributing throughout areas of Christchurch, and aims to fill shelves throughout the country during the New Year.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/kiwi-uni-students-create-a-buzz-in-the-market-with-mead-rtds/SLEX7UD4I64LJ76QAHUF2RALXM/ 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Meadmakers of the New School

From beerandbrewing.com

In about a decade, mead has gone from off-the-radar for beer lovers to an attention-grabbing trend driven by bold flavours and rave reviews. So, what’s all the fuss about?

Anyone who’s checked the rankings of top breweries on Untappd or Ratebeer lately might have noticed something unusual: Many of top-ranked are not breweries at all. They’re meaderies. As of this writing, meadmakers are four of the five top-rated “breweries” on Untappd. Checking the current top U.S. “beers” over at Ratebeer, 14 of the top 50 are currently meads. (Interestingly, every one of those 14 is a melomel—that is, a fruited mead.)

So, what’s this all about?

First, let’s give due credit to the creative new wave of meadmakers—more about them below—who have found a foothold and have been able to grab some well-deserved attention amid the cacophony of 8,000-plus breweries in the age of mad variety. Meanwhile, the number of commercial meaderies has grown, too: from just 30 in 2003 to more than 500 today, according to the American Mead Makers Association.

Vicky Rowe, executive director of the association, says that number looks likely to grow in the next couple of years: The group has about 200 more members registered as “meaderies in planning.” (Another 600 members are home meadmakers.)

Rowe has been watching the mead scene for a while and seen it blossom. She was enjoying mead at medieval fairs in the 1980s, and in 1996, she started what is likely to be the world’s oldest mead website: gotmead.com. She says the site is “the most complete collection of mead information anywhere on the Internet.” She has watched the scene grow from a small niche to what it is today: a growing trend attracting a growing number of enthusiasts—including many beer lovers.

 From Left : Justin D’Aloisio pours at the Misbeehavin’ taproom in Valparaiso, Indiana; Tony Qualls, founder of Manic Meadery; a boysenberry mead at Manic undergoing primary fermentation with the fruit, after punchdown

“Oh, it’s a thrill,” Rowe says. “I’ve been buying, and looking at, and learning about, and making mead—and reporting on it—since 1996. At that point in time, there were about 30, 35 meaderies in the country and not very many people making it. But oddly enough, the bulk of the folks who are in the mead world now are also beer people.

“So, we’re kind of a crossover a little bit because we get a lot of beer folks,” she says. “And I think some of that comes from the fact that beer people, they’re adventurous. They’re willing to try new things and be open-minded about stuff that they haven’t checked out yet.”

It helps that some of the new meads—she specifically mentions Schramm’s Heart of Darkness as one that has been influential—are pushing the envelope. Meadmakers are getting ideas from each other as well as from the beer world.

“All the new people coming in, a lot of them are very innovative and come up with some great ideas,” Rowe says. “And the ‘old’ folks, if you will, who have been there, have come around—like Rabbit’s Foot Meadery in Northern California. They’ve been in operation more than 20 years. And you know, they also make amazing mead. So, we’re a pretty supportive bunch, as an industry. These people have a lot of knowledge and idea-sharing going on within the commercial mead community and the home one, too. So, we’re tight because we’re not that big yet. I don’t know whether that will change when there are 5,000 meaderies, if we ever get to that point.

“I don’t know, I don’t really feel like the new guys are Johnny-come-latelies, per se. I’m happy that they’re there. They’re growing things for us.”

Another force behind the new-mead trend has been social media. On a platform such as Untappd, raters tend to reward bold flavour (if not drinkability), and many of these meads are strong, intense drinks ideal for desserts, nightcaps, or special occasions. Often colourful and visually striking, they have also played well on other platforms. “Instagram is a hotbed of meadmakers,” Rowe says. “There’s a ton of mead activity there.”

Another element of the trend is easily overlooked: In many cases, meadmakers can ship their bottles directly to your doorstep. Most states have laws that make it easier for wineries (and thus meaderies) to ship their products straight to consumers. Amid the patchwork of state laws and an entrenched three-tier distribution system, breweries often do not have that option.

Rowe names one company in particular that has made e-commerce easier for small meaderies: VinoShipper. The platform makes it relatively simple for producers to set up an online shop and connect with customers across the country. “Given the fact that most meaderies are fairly small, it’s a huge bonus for them—especially right now,” Rowe says, referring to the closure of tasting rooms due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “So, this is a big opportunity for them.”

It also puts some of these coveted meads within reach—even when your local liquor store hasn’t (yet) heard of the stuff.

Some Rising Stars

Here is a rundown of a few of the producers among this new cast of characters, as well as a brief look at what they’re making that has drinkers excited. Note that many of these meaderies have their own tasting rooms, rare-bottle clubs, and online shops that can ship meads to most states. Also note that the meads listed below are virtually all somewhere between 12 to 18 percent ABV. No session drinks, these.

Schramm’s

Launched in 2013 in Ferndale, Michigan, Schramm’s has grabbed special attention with its rich melomels such as Heart of Darkness, packed with fruit grown on their own farm: raspberries, black currants, and Schaerbeek cherries. The Statement is a more intensely cherried melomel, while Black Agnes balances a sweet mead with loads of tart black currant. Nutmeg strikes a different sort of balance, as a metheglin—spiced mead—whose eponymous ingredient has a long track record of compatibility with honey and sweetness.

Superstition

In Prescott, Arizona, Jen and Jeff Herbert have a clear and stated mission: “to reintroduce the world’s oldest fermented beverage to mankind.” Founded in 2012, Superstition has grown since then to become the state’s largest “winery.” The drink that gets folks all atwitter is Berry White, made with raspberries and white chocolate. There are variations on that theme, such as Blackberry, Blueberry, or Strawberry White, or the Grand Cru, a blend of all four versions. Another of interest to beer enthusiasts is Samba, made in collaboration with Marble Brewing of Albuquerque, New Mexico. At 12 percent ABV, it gets a bright burst of Samba hops for a pineapple-like aroma and flavour.

Pips

Some of the most sought-after bottles in the trend come from this small producer, founded in 2016 in Beach Park, Illinois, north of Chicago. According to their own description, while most often making dessert drinks, they “are willing to push the boundaries at times and stretch past balance to bring out intense flavours and unique combinations in [their] products.” Demand greatly outstrips production (and as such, they declined to be interviewed, out of concern that the attention would make it even harder to serve their local customers). Attention grabbers have included Blue Suede Shews, made with orange-blossom honey, wild blueberries, and cashews, and Banana Pancake, made with bananas and “natural flavours” that evoke pancakes—maple syrup and all.

Boneflower

In production since 2018, Boneflower’s story would be familiar to many craft brewers: Two hobbyists start making mead because they can’t get the kind of thing they want to drink. They’re located in St. John, Indiana, a far suburb of Chicago. A darling of the fans is Slow Heavy Jam, a pyment made from wildflower honey and lots of Concord grape. Other fan favourites include Tripleberry, a melomel made with blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries, and the seasonal Holiday, made with apples, cherries, cinnamon, and vanilla.

Garagiste

Based in Tampa, Florida, since 2016, Garagiste has put out a colourful range of products. Attention-getters include several variations on peanut-butter-and-jelly flavours, variously named Goober or some variation thereof (e.g., Reboog). The most recent is Goobvee One, made with apple, grape, blueberry, strawberry, and other flavours. Another melomel that lights up eyes and palates is Cilice, made with red currants, raspberries, and cherries, then aged on Four Roses bourbon staves. Or for a wake-up, consider Blue Mountain, which gets “an absurd amount” of Jamaican coffee and has a bourbon barrel–aged variation.

Manic

Not far from Boneflower, Manic is based in Crown Point, Indiana, another Chicagoland suburb. Founded in 2017, its notables include rich Collusion (16 percent ABV), brewed with black currants, black raspberries, marionberries, vanilla, and maple syrup. Another is the Nordic Quad (17.5 percent ABV), a Viking-inspired metheglin spiced with juniper, hibiscus, coriander, and rose hips.

Misbeehavin’

More from that new-mead hotbed of northwest Indiana, this one in production since 2016 in Valparaiso. Their wide range—they say they release about 48 different meads per year—includes a jammy variety of melomels, many aged on oak. Local favourites include a series of PB&J-flavoured meads called With a Baseball Bat, or sweet, juicy Same Old Jam, getting various fruits plus flavours such as vanilla, maple, or white chocolate.

Types of Mead

Mead has its own sort of style vocabulary, and there is some overlap. Here’s a brief explanation of some of the most common types, though there are many variations based on various mead-making traditions around the world.
Mead: A fermented drink made of honey and water, coming in a wide range of alcoholic strengths. Honey must be at least 51 percent of the fermentable sugars.
Melomel: A fruited mead, and by far the most popular type in the new wave of craft meads.
Pyment: A type of melomel made with grapes.
Metheglin: A mead flavoured with herbs and/or spices.
Braggot: A beer-mead hybrid that may include malt and/or hops.
Cyser: A cider-mead hybrid that includes fermented apple juice.
Hydromel: A word often used for lower-alcohol mead (i.e., “water-honey”)

https://beerandbrewing.com/meadmakers-of-the-new-school/

Gosnells and Anspach & Hobday launch Peckham drinks pop-up

From thelondoneconomic.com

Available for takeaway only, for now, meaderers Gosnells and brewers Anspach & Hobday will launch a weekly Saturday pop-up outside the Peckham meadery

London's only meadery, Gosnells, has collaborated with south London brewers, Anspach & Hobday, to launch a weekly pop-up outside Gosnells’ production hub in Peckham.

Taking place from Saturday 13th June – and on every Saturday, between 12pm and 7pm –a selection of cans will be available for sale. The drinks will be solely available for takeaway at the moment, but alfresco seating will be introduced later in the summer, as lockdown restrictions are loosened.

“We have so much space outside the meadery,” said Tom Gosnell, founder of Gosnells, “and this will be a great opportunity to introduce visitors to what Anspach & Hobday and ourselves have to offer.

“I am personally besotted by honey and I want to show the flavour-inspiring cleverness of the bee.
“All of our meads are sparkling and gluten-free. Our 0.5% kombucha-like LOW ALC is our starting point, launched in January; then you move on to our brightly coloured 4% abv cans – Sour, Pink Hibiscus, Citra Sea and Hopped – launched last autumn; and our 5.5% orange blossom honey Classic.
“For real mead enthusiasts, we will also be selling our postcode-specific and vintage meads which range from 6-12% abv.

“Every Saturday, I envisage that our iced cocktail slush machine will be working overtime as we’ll be offering our iconic Meadaritas, and maybe a cocktail combining Anspach & Hobday Porter with rum and mead.”   

Anspach & Hobday Co-founder, Jack Hobday, added: “It’s going to be a collaboration with a difference. When Tom suggested it, it seemed such an obvious win-win, both for our customers and for theirs. Our Bermondsey Taproom and The Pigeon, our bar in Camberwell, are gearing up to sell takeaway draught – but this collab will allow us to get back in the real world that much sooner. And to have a bit of much missed fun.

“We will be offering 10% off ten or more cans, and we aim to have core range beers such as The Pale Ale (4.4%), The IPA (6.0%), The Cream Ale (4.5%) and The Lager (4.7%) available along with any specials, so the selection will change week on week.”

The Gosnells x Anspach & Hobday pop-up will take place each Saturday at Gosnells Meadery, Print Village, Chadwick Road, SE15 4PU. 

https://www.thelondoneconomic.com/food-drink/gosnells-anspach-hobday-pop-up/11/06/

Perhaps it's time to try some mead and support local business

From readingeagle.com

Three Berks (USA) businesses have been producing the drink, which is made of fermented honey and can be flavoured with fruits, spices or hops.

I'll admit, I've never tried mead. I do like to try different wines, though, so it's likely I'll take a sip of it sooner than later.

This week, reporter Brad Rhen visits three Berks County businesses which have been producing the drink, which is made of fermented honey and can be flavoured with fruits, spices or hops. One — Stonekeep — which has a meadery in Birdsboro and a tasting room in Ruscombmanor Township been doing it commercially for more than a decade, and the other two — Rebel Hive Meadery in Reading; and Deerfoot Vineyard and Winery in Maidencreek Township, which produces Goblin Alchemy mead ­— have come aboard recently as the popularity of the beverage has increased.

It's also a shrewd move to produce the beverage.

Though craft beers have been growing in popularity over the years, and small brewers have been opening in Berks County, the overall beer market has slowed down recently. Some have said that there's too much beer on the market these days (though many will disagree).

The local wine industry has grown, too. So much so, that wine enthusiasts have their own wine trail that covers about every corner of Berks.

However, with millennials becoming the dominant part of the economy, perhaps it's time to introduce something different from what their baby boomer and Gen X parents have imbibed over the years.
Will we see even more mead produced in the area in upcoming years? If tastes continue to evolve I'd say so.

Still, for those who still want their beer and wine, Berks does offer plenty of opportunities to sample locally produced beverages.

A cluster of those places happens to be in north eastern Berks, which is another focus of this issue.
Namely, the Northeast Berks Chamber of Commerce which recently celebrated its 30th anniversary. At the banquet, which was held Sept. 26, the chamber recognized the organization's pioneers, including Paul Lilienthal, the chamber's first executive director and Carl Ziegler, the chamber's first board president.

We have a roundup of the celebration. (And we will have profiles of a couple of those pioneers in an upcoming issue.)

The chamber has grown into organization with 245 members, including 22 that signed up when it was founded as the Kutztown Area Chamber of Commerce in 1989.

We'll also have Northeast Berks' debut column in what we hope becomes a regular rotation among the region's three chambers. John Scott, president of the chamber's board of directors, discusses how small businesses play a big impact on the county's economy. Doing business with them is the neighbourly thing to do.

https://www.readingeagle.com/business-weekly/article/perhaps-its-time-to-try-some-mead-and-support-local-business