California: Sonoma County’s only mead producer launches first taproom

From pressdemocrat.com

If the word “mead” brings to mind brawny Vikings or medieval kings clinking oversized mugs of sweet, heavy honey wine, HiveWorks Mead would like to change that image.

The Rohnert Park company is making a lighter, drier and effervescent version of the ancient drink — and now has a taproom where customers can try it.

HiveWorks opened its new tasting room July 15 on State Farm Drive, next to its production facility. The taproom gives the two-year-old company an expanded home as it looks to build its following for session-style meads.

“Our customers have consistently asked for a dedicated place they can hang out and enjoy our mead,” said Alexander Mendoza, HiveWorks’ co-founder, head mead-maker and CEO. “When the perfect spot opened up right next to our production space, everything just clicked. It felt like the exact right time to take this next step.” 

HiveWorks Mead Company launches new mead taproom in Rohnert Park. (Gunther Kirsch)

Made by fermenting honey with water and yeast, mead has long occupied a niche corner of the alcoholic beverage world. But producers are increasingly experimenting with sparkling, fruit-infused and lower-alcohol versions aimed at drinkers accustomed to craft beer, cider and wine.

The global mead beverage market is projected to reach $720.93 million in 2026 and nearly $1.89 billion by 2036, growing at an annual rate of 10.1%, according to Future Market Insights.

“People are definitely looking for craft alternatives to traditional beer and wine, and we feel our mead hits the mark,” Mendoza said. “It’s genuinely delicious and very approachable for all palates.”

From home brewing to mead

Mendoza and co-founder Sean Duckworth, both Sebastopol natives, met in second grade. Years later, while attending Sonoma State University, the two began making beer and cider in the closet of their small apartment. Their friend Julian Frank was experimenting with mead.

“We just loved the process of mead-making and found the history really interesting,” Duckworth said in a 2024 interview with The Press Democrat. “The fermentation process is really complex, and you have to use a lot of science and math to get the results you want.”

The trio eventually set out to create something different: a session-style mead that would be dry, carbonated and lower in alcohol than many traditional versions. Since founding HiveWorks in 2024, Frank has left the company while Duckworth remains a shareholder and Mendoza the chief executive.

HiveWorks uses Oregon honey and filters its mead to prevent re-fermentation in the can. The mead is produced without sulfites or preservatives — selling points Mendoza and Duckworth have banked on.

“It checks a lot of boxes for modern consumers,” Mendoza said.

HiveWorks Mead Company launches new mead taproom in Rohnert Park. (Gunther Kirsch)

HiveWorks currently offers several meads, including its flagship Skyborne, a dry session mead; Crimson Queen, made with blueberries; and Emerald Swarm, a dry-hopped version. Seasonal and experimental releases rotate through the line-up.

“Opening a taproom is a dream come true,” Mendoza said. “We’re so excited to finally have a brick-and-mortar home to share with the local community, and we can’t wait to welcome our neighbours and the supporters who have championed us from the start.”

The details

HiveWorks plans to celebrate the new taproom with a grand-opening party from noon to 9 p.m. Sept. 19, featuring live music, Dino’s Greek Food Truck and a new mead release.

The taproom is open 3-9 p.m. Thursday, noon-9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and noon-6 p.m. Sunday.

HiveWorks Mead Company: 5701 State Farm Drive, Suite 116, Rohnert Park; 707-241-3143; hiveworksmead.com

https://www.pressdemocrat.com/2026/09/02/sonoma-countys-only-mead-producer-launches-first-taproom/

Alberta: Meadery in Mountain View County feeling ripple effect from U.S. tariffs

From thealbertan.com

Following past substantial growth, Fallentimber refocusing amid tariff uncertainty and reduced consumption 

MOUNTAIN VIEW COUNTY – Staying afloat as a business amid the economic turmoil created by U.S. tariffs as well as other factors like evolving consumer trends necessitates not only an ability to find opportunity in challenge but especially a willingness to adapt.

That kind of entrepreneurial spirit is one Nathan Ryan endeavours to embrace.

Ryan is the general manager at Fallentimber Meadery, a family-operated business that he and his brothers established some 16 years ago.

“I’ve been working full-time in Fallentimber since 2010,” he told the Albertan when contacted for comment on Aug. 25 in light of trade negotiations between the U.S. and Canada breaking down when Prime Minister Mark Carney had just days prior opted to walk away preferring “no deal to a bad deal.”

ON Aug. 22, the U.S. instituted tariffs of 50 per cent on various Canadian products.

All of Fallentimber’s sales of mead, honey and soda are primarily in Alberta, he said. 

“There is a small token amount of special order products that leave the province.”

However, even though Fallentimber currently does not directly do business anywhere in the U.S., the meadery has felt the ripple effect from recent U.S. tariffs, which increase costs for certain supplies crucial to their production line.

“We’ve seen price increases on things like cardboard,” he said.

“Now we’re starting to see aluminium increases. It took longer than I expected with aluminium, but it’s not insignificant,” he said, citing a close to 25 per cent increase since current tariffs went into effect earlier this summer.

“The cans went from about 21 cents to 28 cents starting the first of July,” he said. “That was a big jump.”

To date, Fallentimber has done what it can to eat those costs rather than pass them on to consumers. 

“Through the majority of all of the cost increases we have experienced over the last five to six years, we have absorbed it,” he said.

“Our observations on retail spending lately have led us to believe holding the line is all we can do. Honey is maybe our exception, where we don't really follow market pricing; we have a finite amount of honey that meets our desired quality for sale.”

Yet while Fallentimber is finding a way forward, the situation is a far cry from what before the pandemic was a much more promising future.

“We made huge moves towards growth in 2019,” said Ryan.

“We had talks with distributors happening from the U.S. and Asia and other places,” he said.

“COVID just kind of shut all those conversations down.”

The uncertainty of 2020 and 2021 also took a bite out of their bottom line, but there was “a huge surge in growth” going into 2022, he said.

“And then we started to see people sort of recoiling and clamming up in terms of alcohol consumption, it felt like,” he said.

“It also kind of correlated with when a lot of the Health Canada guidelines started coming out,” he said, referring to revised consumption guidelines that changed from a recommended maximum of two daily alcoholic beverages to two weekly drinks to minimize adverse health effects.

“I really didn’t expect it to have any sort of effect, but I feel like it did,” he said.

“I think it was an eye opener from, you know, the end of COVID days where everybody was letting loose and happy to be out and socializing.”

As to the latest round of tariffs imposed by the U.S. on Canada, which came into effect Aug. 22 with Canada set to impose dollar-for-dollar counter-tariffs that come into effect Sept. 8, Ryan can for now only speculate how Fallentimber will feel the impact.

“I don’t know where that’s going to go just yet,” he said, anticipating at the least an impact on honey pricing.

“We’ll keep our eye on the tariff side of things,” he said.

“But that’s all pretty new for us. It’ll take a while to realize what’s going on.”

https://www.thealbertan.com/mountain-view-county-news/meadery-in-mountain-view-county-feeling-ripple-effect-from-us-tariffs-12708489

New Jersey: Somerville Meadery Middlemist Launches Morning Coffee Service to Become All-Day Gathering Space

From communitynews.org

Middlemist Honey Wine & Cider, Somerset County's first meadery, has added a full-service coffee program to its downtown Somerville taproom, expanding operations to reach customers from morning through evening.

The business, located at 30 East Main St., first opened on April 18 and introduced coffee service last week after receiving municipal approval to begin operating earlier in the day. The venue now opens at 7 a.m.

Owner Ilija Melentijevic told Patch that the addition reflects the business's original intent for the space: to function as a community third space rather than purely an evening destination.

The coffee program allows Middlemist to serve guests who do not drink alcohol and to create a daytime atmosphere suited to remote work, casual meetups, and social gatherings. The taproom holds up to 130 people.

A Coffee Menu Rooted in Honey

Somerville native Seth Jay-Choynake is leading the coffee program. According to TAPinto Somerville, he began his coffee career in 2015 at the former Dragonfly Café on Main Street, later working at Starbucks in Bedminster and Ambee Coffee in Warren.

He connected with the Middlemist owners on the taproom's first public day, and three months later took charge of all non-alcoholic beverages.

Choynake sources beans from regional roasteries and incorporates Middlemist's own local honey into signature drinks.

Current offerings include espresso drinks, drip coffee, cold brew, cappuccinos, specialty lattes, loose-leaf teas, honey sodas, and fresh-squeezed lemonades. Two standout items are a Honey Nut Latte and a Honey Cinnamon Churro Latte.

Honey-inspired foams are also available, with additional varietal honey options planned. Espresso drinks are prepared on a Nuova Simonelli three-head espresso machine imported from Italy through a local supplier.

Coffee flights featuring signature lattes and fall seasonal flavours are coming soon, TAPinto reported.

Daytime Events and Private Bookings

The earlier hours open the door to a broader event calendar. Middlemist is planning daytime programming such as open mics, mahjong, and pilates sessions alongside its existing lineup of trivia nights, live music, workshops, and social gatherings.

The venue is also available for private bookings beginning at 7 a.m.

Melentijevic told Patch he wants Middlemist to feel like a whole-day hangout rather than a space that only activates in the evening.

As covered in a prior report on Somerset County's growing small-business scene — Mother and Daughter Expand Mercer County Restaurant Presence With New Sandwich Shop, independent operators across central New Jersey have been building community-centred concepts into their expansions.

A Natural Extension of the Mead Brand

Melentijevic described the coffee launch as an evolution of what Middlemist already does rather than a departure from it.

He told TAPinto that the business has always aimed to make great gathering spaces available throughout the day, and that sourcing exceptional ingredients for coffee fits the same standard applied to the meadery's honey wine and cider production.

As morning coffee hours wind down, the space transitions into the mead tasting room that has drawn enthusiasts from across central New Jersey.

https://communitynews.org/sections/articles/somerville-meadery-middlemist-launches-morning-coffee/ 

UK: How traditional mead is being modernised in East Devon

From greatbritishlife.co.uk

An East Devon winery is breathing new life into history’s oldest drink, blending honey, heritage and craft for a modern palate

Lyme Bay Winery’s managing director Wolfgang Sieg-Hogg is reflecting on how this historic honeyed drink has found a modern home in Devon and why mead is enjoying a remarkable renaissance.

‘Lyme Bay Winery began back in 1991,’ he says. ‘What started as a small, passionate team making cider and fruit wines has grown into a winery producing award-winning English wines, meads, fruit wines and liqueurs. From the beginning, everything we’ve done has been driven by people who genuinely care about flavour, craftsmanship and doing things properly.’

                                                 You can visit the winery near Shute Barton. (Image: Lyme Bay Winery)

Mead entered the picture in the early 2000s, long before it became fashionable. ‘It felt like the perfect blend of tradition and craftsmanship,’ says Wolfgang. ‘We saw an opportunity to revive something truly British, but to do it with care and respect. Mead is part history, part creativity. We didn’t want to recreate a museum piece, we wanted to make it beautifully balanced and suited to modern drinking tastes.’

This philosophy has shaped the evolution of Lyme Bay’s mead range. What began with traditional styles gradually expanded into fruit-led, botanical and spiced expressions and more recently, sparkling meads. 

‘The journey has been slow and thoughtful,’ he says. ‘Each new style came from curiosity and a desire to create something delicious and genuinely well made. Honey has extraordinary character, it deserves to shine.’

                     Mead 'feels familiar, yet completely different' says Wolfgang Sieg-Hogg. (Image: Lyme Bay Winery)

Today, the winery crafts on average 1,559 bottles per day and sells more than 311,914 bottles annually, exporting as far afield as Finland and Canada. Around 35 people are employed at its Devon winery where modern production techniques sit comfortably alongside age-old traditions. Despite becoming the UK’s largest producer, Wolfgang insists scale was never the goal.

‘We never set out with that ambition. Our focus has always been simple, to craft great-tasting products, make them with integrity and to keep improving each year. The real moment of pride wasn’t about size, it was when customers came back for another bottle, told friends about us, or wrote to say how much they enjoyed our meads. Leadership in the category happened naturally because people appreciated the care behind every bottle.’

At the heart of that care lies a deceptively simple process.

‘We take water and honey. Using a blend of honeys gives us our unique flavour profile; we then ferment the water and honey with yeast.

‘But managing fermentation is delicate. Temperature and yeast nutrition must be carefully controlled. If fermentation goes too fast, the yeast becomes overactive and exhausts itself, if it’s too cold, it struggles. We keep everything at just the right temperature so that, in about four weeks, the mead is ready to be racked off.’

Further stages, including filtering and maturation, follow before bottling. Some styles take months to reach their full depth and smoothness. ‘Honey is a living ingredient,’ he adds. ‘It changes with the flowers, the seasons and the bees themselves. Working with something so variable means constant tasting, adjusting and blending. Consistency requires patience and a deep understanding of the ingredient.’

The result is a drink far more diverse than many expect.

                                                                                                        (Image: Nick Hook)

Wolfgang says: ‘Honey is always at the heart, but mead’s flavour spectrum is wide. It can be floral, fruity, warming, citrusy or gently spiced. Traditional Mead is silky and floral, while fruit styles burst with freshness and colour.’

Traditional Mead remains Lyme Bay’s biggest seller, but fruit expressions are becoming increasingly popular. New ways to serve mead are also being discovered and a favourite serve at the winery is a mead spritz, chilled mead topped with soda water, ice and a garnish of lime or rosemary. It is light, aromatic and perfect for summer.

Versatility is central to mead’s resurgence. Consumers are increasingly seeking drinks with authenticity, provenance and character, qualities mead naturally possesses in abundance.

‘It feels familiar, yet completely different,’ Wolfgang reflects. ‘There’s warmth and richness from the honey, but also freshness and vibrancy depending on the style.’

The winery is also reaching new audiences with a new contemporary canned mead range. At 3.5% ABV and sold in single serve ready-to-drink cans, the collection sheds medieval imagery in favour of adventurous younger drinkers discovering mead for the first time.

The fun new sparkling mead flavours include Raspberry Lemonade and Strawberry & Elderflower. ‘It’s about showing that mead isn’t stuck in the past,’ says Wolfgang. ‘It can be fresh, sociable and easy to enjoy.’

Growing mainstream recognition supports Wolfgang’s mission. The winery’s meads are now stocked by Majestic Wine. ‘Seeing our Traditional Mead on Majestic’s shelves and online is a proud moment for the team and a major step forward for the category, it brings it firmly into the mainstream.’

‘If you enjoy wine, cider or cocktails, mead will feel both familiar and excitingly different,’ he says. ‘It’s a drink with depth, story and character, and you might just discover a new favourite.’

His advice for celebrating at home is simple: keep it relaxed and sociable. ‘Chill a bottle, pair it with a cheeseboard, try a mead spritz, or explore a couple of styles side by side and simply enjoy.’

                                                    Lyme Bay has a new range of sparkling meads. (Image: Nick Hook)

Cheers to mead

Lyme Bay Winery produces the UK’s widest range of meads, from silky Traditional Mead to vibrant fruit favourites such as Black Cherry and Rhubarb.

Try a refreshing mead spritz, chilled mead poured over ice, topped with soda water and finished with a slice of lime or sprig of rosemary.

Mead pairs beautifully with food, especially cheese. Fruit meads complement creamy brie, while spiced or chilli meads stand up beautifully to bold cheddars and blue cheeses. Traditional Mead pairs well with charcuterie or desserts, as honey’s natural sweetness balances richness, salt and spice.

New to mead? Start with a fruit-led style served chilled like a white wine, or, their new sparkling meads are also a great entry to mead.

Apricot & Garden Mead sorbet

                                                                                                   (Image: Lyme Bay Winery)

Preparation time:

15 minutes

(plus chilling and freezing)

Serves: 6–8

Ingredients

400g ripe apricots (frozen works well), stones removed and roughly chopped

170ml Lyme Bay Garden Mead

50ml water

120g caster sugar

1tbsp honey

1tbsp lemon juice

A small handful of fresh mint leaves, to garnish

Method

Place the apricots, water, sugar and honey into a saucepan and bring gently to a simmer.

Cook for around 8–10 minutes until the fruit has softened completely and started to break down.

Remove the saucepan from the heat and leave the mixture to infuse for about 10 minutes.

Blend the mixture until it is completely smooth, then pass it through a sieve if you would like a finer texture.

Stir in the Lyme Bay Garden Mead and lemon juice, then pour the mixture into a shallow container and freeze, stirring vigorously every 30–45 minutes for a few hours to break up ice crystals until smooth.

Use an ice-cream scoop to pull a neat ball and serve with a few mint sprigs.

A golden sorbet that balances apricot sweetness with the delicate, floral character of Lyme Bay Garden Mead. With gentle honeyed notes and a subtle herbal lift, this refreshing dessert is handy to keep in the freezer and pull out on warm days.

https://www.greatbritishlife.co.uk/magazines/devon/26291193.traditional-mead-modernised-east-devon/

Welsh mead maker secures funding to boost production and expand product range

From nation.cymru

A Welsh producer of one of the world’s oldest alcoholic drinks is set to expand its business after securing fresh investment to increase production and develop new products.

Wrexham-based Stone Circle Mead has received a £30,000 loan from the Development Bank of Wales’ Wales Flexible Investment Fund to invest in brewing equipment, label-printing machinery and a laboratory at its meadery. 

The family-run business, founded by husband-and-wife team Tony and Beth Cornish, produces traditional and flavoured meads using Welsh honey alongside locally grown and foraged fruit, flowers and herbs.

The latest funding will be used to buy bespoke fermentation and maturation tanks, increasing production capacity from 220-litre vessels to tanks capable of holding up to 1,500 litres.

The expansion will allow the company to increase stock levels, meet growing customer demand and launch a new range of products, including honey ale, beer and cider. The business also plans to create a dedicated herb garden to supply ingredients for future production.

The investment follows an earlier £23,000 loan from the Development Bank of Wales at the end of 2025, which helped the company boost production.

Stone Circle Mead’s products are stocked by a number of high-profile customers, including the Senedd, the House of Commons, the National Trust and Chester Cathedral. The company also runs a shop and tasting tours from its production site.

Tony Cornish, co-owner of Stone Circle Mead, said demand for the company’s products continued to grow.

“We’ve reached the point where we need additional production capacity to expand and take the business to the next level,” he said.

“The new equipment will allow us to increase production, develop new products and explore new routes to market.

“One of the things that sets us apart is our focus on creating authentic mead using ingredients that reflect the landscape around us. Many of our fruits, flowers and herbs are foraged locally or grown by ourselves, and we’re excited to build on that approach with new recipes and flavours inspired by historic mead-making traditions.”

Malcolm Green (L) Banc Datblygu Cymru; Anthony Cornish, Stone Circle Mead Company.  Photo Ian Cooper/Ian Cooper Photography

Growth

Malcolm Green, an investment officer with the Development Bank of Wales, said Stone Circle Mead had already demonstrated how investment could help drive growth.

“Stone Circle Mead is a distinctive Welsh producer with a strong story, a loyal customer base and clear plans for growth,” he said.

“This latest funding will help Tony and Beth expand production, strengthen their product offering and reach new customers, while continuing to promote a traditional craft with strong roots in north Wales.”

https://nation.cymru/news/welsh-mead-maker-secures-funding-to-boost-production-and-expand-product-range/

Somerville, New Jersey: Middlemist Meadery Blends Traditional Alcoholic Beverages with Contemporary Flair

From tapinto.net

SOMERVILLE, NJ – Middlemist Honey Wine and Cider, a new meadery, has opened up on 30 East Main St.

Honey wine (also known as mead) is an alcoholic drink made by fermenting honey and is often described as the world’s oldest alcoholic beverage, 

Middlemist is making mead modern. While mead is comparatively rare, it is experiencing a revival of interest and has become one of the fastest growing alcoholic beverages by demand.

Middlemist uses hundreds of gallons of local honey in their process and produces a wide array of flavoured honey-based beverages with natural fruit, hops, and spices. The ability to create such a broad range of flavours means there is something for everyone – whether you prefer beer, cider, wine, or traditional mead. 

Wine drinkers may enjoy the limon cello honey wine and beer drinkers might like the citra hop mead, the two most popular flavours. For mead purists, the local wildflower honey mead might be the most appealing drink on the menu.

 Most meads on tap at Middlemist are comparable in strength to wine, but lower alcohol content cider is available. Non-alcoholic honey sodas, coffee, and tea are also available for those who prefer to join friends without the pressure to engage in drinking alcohol. Middlemist has bottles of their most popular flavours for purchase and is planning to start shipping bottles directly to customers soon.

The large space is decorated entirely with natural materials and over 300 living plants, provided by the nearby indoor plant store, Spotted Leaf. The tanks used to produce the mead and cider are essential and are prominently displayed. The owners describe the decor as reflecting the beverage they make – a combination of nature and technology that is pleasant and enjoyable for customers. 

As a passion project, the owners - Ryan Guasp, Ilija Melentijevic and Caleb Ahles - constructed almost all the furniture and decor themselves. The comfortable seating invites a long, relaxed stay. Brand-new outdoor seating is available for those who prefer to enjoy a drink outside in the beautiful summer weather.

Middlemist is open seven days a week. If you’re looking for something to do, especially on a weeknight, Middlemist hosts frequent events including a boardgame night every Monday, trivia night every Tuesday, and live music every Friday night. The musical genres vary from rock, jazz, pop, and many performers will take requests.

Middlemist frequently holds interesting one-off events such as paint and sips, book swaps, mahjong, flower-arranging and cheese-making classes. Middlemist’s goal is to provide a space where all people can relax, socialize, meet new friends, and make long-lasting connections.

 If you’d like to host your own event, Middlemist is also available for booking private parties and can easily re-arrange the tables, chairs, and plant shelves to accommodate parties up to 120 guests.

The meadery is BYOF (bring your own food) and customers should feel free to bring in lunch, dinner, or a snack of their choice to eat while enjoying a beverage. There is a selection of pre-packaged snacks such as danishes, cookies, chips, and cheeseboards for anyone looking for a light snack.

Whether you’ve never tried a mead in your life, or whether you’re already an aficionado, come try New Jersey’s newest meadery now open in bustling downtown Somerville.

https://www.tapinto.net/towns/somerville/sections/food-and-drink/articles/something-old-something-new-something-sweet-in-downtown-somerville-middlemist-meadery-blends-traditional-alcoholic-beverages-with-contemporary-flair

Mead: History, Myths & Legends

From kinsalemeadco.ie

Mead has a long and glorious history. We have been making and drinking mead since we first managed honeybees and took their honey, since before we invented the wheel!

Learn a little about this fascinating stories, global history, myths and legends 

Mead is the oldest alcohol in the world

Mead (Miodh in Irish) or even Meade, is the world’s oldest alcoholic drink, referred to as nectar of the gods, ambrosia, honey wine or honeymoon wine. The earliest discovery of a drink fermented from honey was in northern China in 6500 BC. This means that mead is older than the wheel! In Europe, mead traces were found in ceramics from 2800-1800 BC including in Northern Scotland. This archaeological culture is known as the Beaker culture for its distinctive pottery drinking beakers.

It is the nectar of the gods in Greek mythology, drink of goddesses and was drunk in Roman times. Romans also drank wine sweetened with a spice honey syrup, technically called a Mulsum, which is often confused with authentic mead. It is the national drink of Ethiopia.

Mead is woven through global history

Another stunning discovery of mead was made in a Celtic chieftain’s wagon grave at Hochdorf near Stuttgart, Germany and dated back to 600BC. At his feet was a large bronze cauldron decorated with three lions on the rim. Mead residue was found in the cauldron and it would have held over 400 litres of mead. Along the chamber wall, eight drinking horns made of auroch horn were suspended from the chamber wall with the ninth made from iron and inlaid strips of gold and would have held five litres of mead. Luckily the celtic warrior was a giant for his time and measured at 6’2”. So he would have towered over his drinking buddies.

Ancient Irish Mead

Linguistic evidence points to bees and honey being present in Ireland prior to Christianity. Many references are made to Mead in ancient Ireland – The Tuatha De Danann Children of Lir legend references Fionnuala recalling drinking a pleasant mead of hazel nuts from four-lipped drinking cups with her family before she and her brothers were changed into swans and exiled for 900 years.

The Hill of Tara, seat of the ancient High Kings of Ireland contained the great banqueting hall known as Tech Midchuarta, The Great Mead Hall of Tara. This was a huge timber building some 45 feet high and slept up to 1,000 people. Here they drank mead from methers, large wooden mead sharing vessels with four lips and four handles.

Bealtaine or Beltane

The origins of Bealtaine or Beltane are almost as old as Irish mead itself. There are many folk beliefs some of which have pagan origins. Held at the start of May at the halfway point between the spring equinox and the summer solstice, the High King would call the local chieftains and their people together to dance around bonfires and drink mead to welcome the start of summer and generally have a good time. They would perform rituals to protect them from harm and to promote new growth and fertility. 

Cnoc Uisneach

Bealtaine or Bel taine in Old Irish, is often associated with the Hill of Uisneach (Cnoc Uisneach) in Co. Westmeath, well worth a visit. Archaeologists have confirmed the there are extensive layers of charcoal and evidence of huge fires on the hill. Though the hill is only 600 feet tall, on a clear day, you can see as far as 20 counties from the top.

St Molaga

Linguistic evidence points to honeybees and honey were present in Ireland from pre-Christian times. Beekeeping skills were bought to Ireland in the 5th century AD by a Irish monk named Modomnóc, or St Molaige, founder of the original settlement in Timoleague Tigh Molaige, not far from Kinsale along the Wild Atlantic Way.

He studied in monasteries in Iona, Scotland and in St David’s monastery in Wales, where he trained as a beekeeper. When he was sent home to start converting us to Christianity, it is said that his bees missed him and followed his ship across the Irish Sea. Irish words in for things like hive and beekeeper start to appear in the language.

St Gobnait

St Gobnait, born in the 5th-6th century, is Ireland’s patron saint of bees and beekeepers and associated with Ballyvourney in North Cork.

Gobnait is Irish for Abigail meaning ‘brings joy,’ also anglicised to Deborah. She developed a lifelong affinity with bees and was said to have control over her bees. It is believed in Celtic lore that the soul left the body as a bee or butterfly. Many legends attest to her swarms driving off raiders of her village.

It is this legend that inspired the Harry Clarke‘s stain glass window in the Honan Chapel at University College Cork. The beautiful window, finished in 1916, shows Gobnait surrounded by her bees; at her feet she is carrying a honeycomb and bees are depicted chasing away the thieves who are threatening her abbey.

Bee Judgements

Brehon Laws – Brehons were roving magistrates appointed by local kings and chieftains to arbitrate and settle disputes and help define the laws. Bechbreatha were a subset of Brehon Laws concerns with the value and protection of bees and honey. They were written down around the 7th century but were memorised and passed from Brehon to Brehon orally across the land for many centuries before that. We can learn a lot from the importance they placed on bees.

Bees were subject to laws of trespass, so a beekeeper had to give a certain amount of his honey to his neighbours where the bees foraged, depending on the quality of their meadows and orchards and abundance of nectar.

Bees that swarmed were subjected to similar rules, the original owner of the bees had rights over a certain portion of the honey. They were entitled to 1/3 of honey made in other people’s land for 3 years, depending on the ownership of the land where they were captured.

Bees were punished for stinging people. You were granted a “sufficiency” or a meal of honey if you swore an oath that you had not provoked the bees. The Brehon would draw lots on hives where they suspected the bee came from; the hive selected was forfeit for the crime of the one bee.

Bee sting in the eye – this was brought in by King Congal the one eyed, one of our earliest High Kings who had been blinded by bees. He lost his kingship, because Kings were supposed to be perfect. But he did get to keep the forfeited hive and bees.

Vikings loved Mead

Mead is all over Norse and Viking mythology. The she-goat called Heidrun who feeds on the green branches of the great world tree called Yggdrasil. From her udders flows a never ending stream of mead into a barrel in Valhalla. This supplied Odin’s chosen warriors with mead for their great feast. Valhalla, the Viking heaven, is a Great Mead Hall.

The action in Beowulf, the Old English epic poem of heroes, mead and monsters takes place in a huge mead hall called Heorot belonging to King Hrothgar. This is where the Beowulf slays the monster Grendel.

Tudor Mead

The English privateer, poet, scientist and philosopher Sir Kenelm Digby collected over 100 recipes for mead from the great houses and palaces of England in a book published in 1669. The Closet of the Eminently Learned Sir Kenelme Digbie Kt Opened. This includes the favourite mead of queens and lords, heavily flavoured with herbs and spices. He lead a fantastic life.

Queen Elizabeth I‘s favourite mead recipe was captured in a book by her beekeeper Charles Butler, which was heavily flavoured with sweetbriar, bay leaves, thyme and rosemary.

Transcription by Justin du Coeur.

One excellent Receipt I will here recite: and it is of that which our renowned
Queen Elizabeth, of happy memory, did so well like, that she would every year have
a vessel of it.
First, gather a bushel of Sweet-briar-leaves, and a bushel of Thyme, half a bushel of
Rosemary, and a peck of Bay-leaves. Seeth all these (being well washed) in a
Furnace of fair water:
let them boil the space of half an hour, or better: and then pour out all the water and
herbs into a Vat, and let it stand till it be but milk-warm: then strain the water from
the herbs, and take to every six Gallons of water one Gallon of the finest Honey, and
put it into the Born, and labor it together half an hour: then let it stand two days,
stirring it well twice or thrice each day. Then take the Liquor and boil it anew: and
when it doeth (?seed?), skim it as long as there remaineth any Dross. When it is
clear, put it into the Vat as before, and there let it be cooled. You must then have in a
readiness a Kive of new Ale or Beer, which as soon as you have emptied, suddenly
whelm it upside down, and set it up again, and presently put in the Metheglen, and let
it stand three days a working. And then tun it up in Barrels, tying at every Tap-hole
(by a Pack-thread) a little bag of beaten Cloves and Mace, to the value of an ounce. It
must stand half a year before it be drunk.

Mead in the 19th Century

Why mead disappeared as sugar arrived from New World and displaced mead in 16th-17th century. Honey was replaced by sugar cane from the America’s, whale oil for lighting instead of candles made from bees wax. Beers, ales and wines became cheaper to make in general. Natural forests cut down resulting in a massive loss of habitat and forage sources for bees and the destruction of our monasteries in religious wars lead to a loss of expertise in beekeeping.

By the time we get to the 19th century, Mead had all but disappeared. The last commercial meadery was in Dublin in the south inner city – John Donaghoe and Co. in the Freeman Journal Newspaper in 1822. He sold pipes of mead (a pipe is a port barrel, a bit bigger than a whiskey cask) and he had 200 of them on sale. He was selling his Mead and Metheglin as a “healthful beverage” for 4 shillings 4d per gallon. This is the inspiration for our wine barrel aged meads.

Kinsale Meadery is the first commercial meadery in Ireland since then, 200 years later.

https://www.kinsalemeadco.ie/history-of-mead/