Pembrokeshire man creates a buzz around new honey spirit

From uk.news.yahoo.com

A proud Pembrokeshire man has created a new alcoholic drinks business after feeling intense ‘hiraeth’ during lockdown.

Former Fishguard man, James Rowlands, now works as a teacher in a special educational needs school in Cardiff.

During the coronavirus pandemic he found himself locked down in Chepstow and experiencing an intense longing for his native Pembrokeshire.

James, who is also a trained microbiologist, has always been interested in honey, brewing and distilling.

“I had a real sense of hiraeth [during lockdown],” said James. “I wanted to find a way to connect with nature again while being homebound in Chepstow.”

James began experimenting with honey, brewing and then distilling it, trying several variations of the process until he produced his first batch of honey spirit.

Having developed a love for the craft, he decided to turn it into a business, becoming a licensed producer and launching Hive Drinks Co in February 2021.

The company focuses on creating innovative drinks and spirits made almost entirely from honey, designed to be drunk on their own, with mixers or as part of a cocktail.

“Hive Drinks Co takes inspiration from the ancient practice of making mead, a honey wine,” said James.

“I wanted to create something that was authentic and paid homage to this simple and sustainable means of provenance, but I wanted to do it in a new and innovative way by creating a spirit.”

James applied for a start-up loan to enable him to upscale the business and pay for raw materials, production facilities and transportation of goods.

He has received £9,000 of funding from the British Business Bank is now collaborating with Dai Wakeley, the Master Distiller at the renowned Hensol Castle Distillery and Sam Cooper, Director of Afon Mel Mead and Honey Farm.

The result is a flagship Hive honey spirit that went on the market late last year.

                                                    James Rowlands from Fishguard (Image: British Business Bank)

The British Business Bank Start Up Loans programme provides government backed loans of up to £25,000 per individual, up to a maximum of £100,000 per business, facilitated through delivery partners in Wales like Business in Focus.

In addition to finance, successful applicants receive free mentoring, access to resources and advice.

“The mentoring I received as part of the start up loan programme gave me the support and confidence that I needed to take that first step in growing Hive Drinks,” said James.

“The process of applying was simultaneously straightforward but also rigorous and it meant I was accounting for everything from projected sales, to branding, to minimum order quantities, because I’d had the opportunity to talk it all through with my mentor”, James said.

In the short term, James hopes to increase production of the honey blossom spirit beyond the current small-batch scale, as well as to expand the drinks range.

Looking further ahead, James’ experience as a teacher of boys with social, emotional and behavioural challenges means he has aspirations to turn Hive Drinks into a social enterprise.

“The aim eventually is to start my own apiary, meadery and distillery, which would mean as well as sourcing the honey, I could produce the spirit on my own premises as well,” he said.

“This is where it would be great to employ people who have experienced challenges, or who are from disadvantaged backgrounds, so they can build up work experience that they might not otherwise be able to achieve.”

Jessica Phillips-Harris, senior manager for Wales at the British Business Bank said: “We’re thrilled to have supported Hive Drinks in its journey to producing its first batch of honey spirit. The start up loans programme is all about providing access to finance for everyone and some of our biggest successes have come from businesses borne out of passion projects, like this one.

“Combine that with James’ aims for a sustainable and socially beneficial business sand we see a real recipe for success. We wish James all the best with his endeavours at Hive Drinks.” 

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/pembrokeshire-man-creates-buzz-around-080000359.html

How to Warm Your Mead at Home

From delawaretoday.com

Love a warm cocktail? Try making spice-infused mead from the comfort of your kitchen 

Ingredients

• Mead of choice (we recommend spiced or berry varieties)

• Cinnamon sticks

• Additional spices (cloves, star anise, ginger, etc.)

Directions

• Grab an electric kettle, teapot or small sauce pan.
• Over low heat, pour in a bottle of mead. (If you’re using an electric kettle, pour in the mead, then turn it on. Don’t allow the mead to boil.)
• Add in cinnamon and any other spices for an extra warm and comforting sipping experience.
• Allow about 15-20 minutes for the flavors to infuse, keeping the liquid below boiling.
• Pour into a toddy mug and serve with cinnamon or star anise to garnish.

https://delawaretoday.com/food/warm-mead/

Warm Mead Is a Comforting Winter Libation in Delaware

From delawaretoday.com 

Warm mead is an ancient honey-based beverage to sip on cold winter evenings. Here's where to find it in Delaware and how to heat it at home

You’ve heard of mulled wine. Now make way for hot spiced mead! Honey wine—packed with health benefits—is the ideal drink to enjoy this winter.

Mead is growing in popularity across the country, thanks in part to popular media like Game of Thrones and Vikings. This honey-based drink is widely believed to be the oldest form of fermented alcoholic beverage. Often referred to as “The Drink of the Gods” in Greek mythology, it’s also widely believed to come with a myriad of health benefits.

Emerging studies show that overall health in Delaware and beyond begins with our gut microbiome—the bacteria living in our gut. A mix of “good” and “bad” bacteria affects everything from inflammatory response to mental wellbeing. Certain foods are known to help cultivate “good” bacteria. Despite its fermentation, there’s not enough research to classify mead as a source of probiotics. Honey—the basic building block of mead—is an excellent prebiotic. In other words, while drinking mead likely won’t rid your gut of “bad” bacteria, it can certainly cultivate the growth of “good” bacteria when consumed responsibly.

                                                                                                          Photo by Sydney Livingston

Warm mead—similar to a hot toddy or warm water with honey—can also be used as a home remedy. The soothing properties of honey can be found in warm mead. Many people use it to alleviate symptoms of seasonal allergies, the common cold or flu.

In Delaware, two major meaderies offer plenty of infused and flavoured meads to put in your kettle. From the sophisticated flavours of spiced and barrel-aged meads to sweet and tart fruit-infused varieties, there are plenty of flavours to try.

Where to Find Delaware Mead

Wilmington’s Liquid Alchemy Beverages offers a mead inspired by Scandinavian glögg—a warm spiced wine spiked with whiskey or rum. Owner Terri Sorantino (a 2023 Delaware Today Top Women in Business honoree) was inspired by her Swedish roots to craft Gloggtoberfest. Through the fall and winter, patrons can sip a version heated in an electric kettle. The meadery also heats the Pucker Up Baby mead for a tart and fruity option. Sorantino recommends heating either flavour over the stove or in an electric kettle with a cinnamon stick or two.
Liquid Alchemy Beverages | 28 Brookside Drive, Wilmington | 438-0252

The Brimming Horn Meadery in Milton and Seaford also offers plenty of flavors that can be enjoyed warm. A Force of Time, for example, is infused with hibiscus flowers, peppercorns, ginger, saffron and cinnamon. Brimming Horn’s Dark Sorcery mead aged in Hoodoo chicory liqueur barrels is also an option to bring home and heat up in the cold winter months. Notes of sweet honey, molasses, roasted chicory, walnut, oak and coffee make for the perfect sip in the frosty season.
The Brimming Horn Meadery | 28615 Lewes Georgetown Highway, Milton | 664-1188

https://delawaretoday.com/food/warm-mead/

New meadery to offer nectar of the gods in Tucson, Arizona

From tucsonweekly.com

David Woods recently strolled into Cartel Roasting Co. to discuss his new meadery, Brillé Mead Co.

Over a cappuccino, he said starting a business and his hopes for his fledgling meadery, which will open to the public in January.

Brillé is inside the former Dillinger Brewing Co. on North Oracle Road. It is one of only a handful of meaderies in Arizona, and it will share a space with Mosaic Brewing Co.

Woods, 27, described Brillé on his website, noting his vision “is firmly rooted in my experiences growing up in an orphanage in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Adopted by a loving American family in 2009, I’ve spent over a decade away from my place of origin. Yet, with each passing year, my connection to my heritage deepens and widens.”

While living in Arizona, Woods started making Ethiopian mead, called T’ej, at home. Woods uses hops in his mead, along with Arizona honey, spices, fruit and Ethiopian-origin coffee beans. He ferments his meads in stainless steel tanks for three months.

He said that the meadery’s name, “Brillé,” is derived from the Ethiopian drinking vessel called “Berelé,” the round drinking flask customarily used to serve T’ej.

“I wanted to make something from home,” said Woods, who also is an engineer at Raytheon. “Why not use the platform to share a little bit about my culture?”

His 750-milliliter bottles – the same size as a standard bottle of red or white wine – will retail between $25 and $30. Woods also will sell other flavours of mead by the glass and bottle.

Mead, which originated 20,000 to 40,000 years ago, has been referenced in ancient Greek history as a gift from Aphrodite, earning its nickname as the “nectar of the gods.”

Mead doesn’t actually fit into the categories of wine, beer or liquor. It is made by using a traditional fermentation process – but instead of grains or grapes, honey is used.

“It’s an alternative to beer and wine, and depending on the day, it can be better than either,” Woods said.

                                                          David Woods (Owner) with Ababa (drink)

Not all mead is sweet, however. The flavour depends on the type of honey used, other ingredients and fermentation time. Mead can range from sweet to dry, and still to sparkling. The longer the fermentation time, the drier the mead and the higher the alcohol content.

Woods described his mead as having “a lot of flavour with a hint of sweetness.” He’ll offer varieties that range from dry to semi-sweet.

About a year ago, Shanna Nelson was working at Dillinger as an assistant brewer when she met Woods. Nelson now works at Borderlands Brewing Co. and considers Woods a friend.

The 26-year-old describes the taste of Woods’ mead as “earthy and herbal, and sweet but not too sweet,” and sometimes likes to mix it with seltzer.

“I think it’s an exceptional product,” Nelson said. “Most mead is one note, and that note is very sweet. I really appreciate that it’s more complex than a traditional mead in an American sense. I think it’s so interesting.”

Some studies assert that mead contains health benefits because it contains honey.

It’s true that honey boasts anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and antioxidant benefits. In addition, the fruits, herbs and spices that are sometimes infused into mead can have health perks.

Alcohol causes inflammation, however, and mead’s 4% to 20% alcohol by volume might cancel some of the touted benefits.

Mead also can have a positive impact on the environment, because mead encourages the preservation of bees. Climate change, deforestation and chemical-heavy agricultural practices are killing off scads of bees, so every little bit helps.

Of course, starting a business by yourself is no easy task. Woods is quick to note that he had help getting started.

“It’s a matter of leveraging what’s around us,” he said. “I’ve gotten a lot of support.”

(Submitted)

Ababa Mead.

About a year ago, Woods was able to leverage space to brew his mead and serve customers at Dillinger Brewing Co. Eric Sipe, Dillinger’s owner at the time, had met Woods through someone at the UA Arizona. When Woods proposed sharing the brewery’s space – and shared some of his mead – Sipe jumped at the idea.

“I instantly said, ‘Yes,’ with no hesitation,” said Sipe, who opened Dillinger seven years ago. “I allowed him to use as much of my space as possible.”

Last year, Sipe sold Dillinger to the owners of Serial Grillers, who have renamed the North Oracle Road brewery Mosaic Brewing Co. The Serial Grillers Restaurant Group also owns Transplant Pizza and Craft, A Modern Drinkery.

“He’s got all the right ideas, the product is great,” Sipe said. “He’s got the traditional Ethiopian style, which might be the sweetest. He’s really doing a good job of making Southwestern flavours.

“Plus, he’s a super, super likable guy.”

Sipe is confident that Brillé will be a success.

“He was literally growing up in an Ethiopian orphanage until he was 12,” Sipe said. “This is probably the easiest thing he has done in his life.

“As long as he wants to do it, he will be successful.”

Brillé Mead Co.

3895 N. Oracle Road, Tucson

520-449-6862, www.brillemead.com

https://www.tucsonweekly.com/tucson/new-meadery-to-offer-nectar-of-the-gods/Content?oid=35096450 

Thirsty Bee Meadery offers taste of honey wine in Tomball, Texas

From communityimpact.com

Known for its diverse local mead, Thirsty Bee Meadery was established by beekeepers Matthew Brantley and Kelly Brantley in January 2020.

The couple said that while some people expect mead to be sweet, mead is made with a variety of ingredients, including fermented honey, water, yeast and fruits, and may vary in taste.

The meadery offers mead by the glass, in bottles and growlers as well as charcuterie boards and its honey products at its tasting room. Its honey products include beeswax candles, creamed honey, beeswax bars and raw honey.

The setup

Matthew Brantley’s father kept bees in his backyard, and Kelly Brantley grew up in the Tomball area, prompting the couple to expand their BZ Honey business—which has been in Tomball since 2017—into a meadery.

Kelly Brantley said that at the time, the Tomball area lacked a destination for mead and natural honey products.

The couple has beehives in multiple locations in the Tomball area, including Plants For All Seasons, The Arbor Gate, Tomball Community Garden and the Tomball Farmers Market.

“They asked us about putting hives out there, and when we did, they said their yields just went through the roof with the bees right there on-site,” Matthew Brantley said.

Diving in deeper

Kelly Brantley said the couple wanted to introduce the Tomball area to mead and provide a variety to offer something for every taste.

Thirsty Bee Meadery offers seasonally rotating mead options, including The Poet, a cranberry melomel; Thirsty Bee Meadery pinot noir; and Three Goddesses, an apple honey wine. (Courtesy Thirsty Bee Meadery)

“We do have a wide variety of meads, and they vary from dry to sweet, and that's not always common at meaderies,” Kelly Brantley said.

Thirsty Bee Meadery offers up to 12 options of mead per season. Its mead products are rotated every three to four months. The Meadery recently added housemade wine, including pinot noir and chardonnay for those who prefer wine over mead.

Some rotating customer favorites include the White Paw, a semisweet strawberry and peach melomel; Three Goddesses made with apple honey; and Tomball Tea made with black tea. Matthew Brantley said one of the most-liked meads includes the blackberry and lemon mead; however, due to the amount of product and time it takes to make that mead, it is only available once a year.

While Thirsty Bee Meadery has been located at 108 Commerce St., Tomball, the meadery has plans to relocate to a larger location at 212 W. Main St., Tomball, by early January.

Matthew and Kelly Brantley said with the expansion they plan to host member events, larger parties and live music indoors.

“We stay connected with our community through our bees and do what we can to give back to the community,” Kelly Brantley said.

• 212 W. Main St., Tomball
• www.thirstybeemeadery.com

https://communityimpact.com/houston/tomball-magnolia/business/2023/12/27/thirsty-bee-meadery-offers-taste-of-honey-wine-in-tomball/

Indulge In Nostalgia: Moonshine Meadery’s Christmas Apple Pie Mead Is Back To Brighten Your Festive Season

From brewer-world.com

As December unfolds, bringing a delightful mix of chilly weather, festive vibes, and Yuletide cheer, Moonshine Meadery, India’s first meadery, reintroduces a festive favourite – the Christmas Apple Pie mead from its MeadLAB series. It’s like sipping on your cherished Christmas apple pie, now bottled for the season! 

The journey of the Christmas Apple Pie mead began in 2018 when Moonshine Meadery, known for its small-batch seasonal meads, crafted this gem. The process involves aging their flagship Apple Mead, made with multi-floral honey and Kashmiri apples, with the addition of quintessential Christmas spices like Cinnamon, Nutmeg, and Cloves. 

Keeping with their tradition of collaborating with diverse artists for label design, the Christmas Apple Pie Mead showcases the artistic touch of Ajay Shah Design Studio (ASDS). Adorned in classic Christmas hues of red and green, Moonshine’s circular white logo takes on the form of a snowman, perfectly encapsulating the Christmas cheer. 

Discussing the inspiration behind the Christmas Apple Pie mead, Rohan Rehani and Nitin Vishwas, Co-founders of Moonshine Meadery, expressed, “Christmas beckons a joyous celebration with loved ones. Yet, no celebration is complete without cinnamon-infused desserts, rum cake, and apple pie. With this in mind, we aspired to craft a mead that embodies the traditional apple pie, poured into a glass! And thus, the Christmas Apple Pie mead came to life.” They added, “At Moonshine, our commitment to experimenting with ingredients is ongoing, aiming to cater to diverse palates and redefine how this versatile drink is enjoyed. The Christmas Apple Pie mead is a testament to this exploration.” 

With an alcohol content of 6.5% ABV, the Christmas Apple Pie Mead is now available in Mumbai, Pune, Goa, and Bangalore, inviting you to savour the spirit of the season. 

About Moonshine Meadery : 

Established in 2018, Moonshine Meadery is India’s first meadery, reviving the ancient alcoholic beverage known as Mead in refreshing modern avatars. Made by fermenting pure honey with various fruits and spices, Moonshine’s meads offer 100% natural and flavourful beverages. Beyond the great taste, for each pint of Moonshine you enjoy, approximately 3 lakh flowers have been pollinated by bees to produce the honey used in crafting this delightful mead. This demonstrates our dedication to both beekeeping and essential pollination. 

Moonshine constantly innovates and experiments with a range of ingredients—like multi-floral honey, orange blossom honey, coffee beans, guavas, apples, chilies, kaffir lime, and much more—to offer a diverse spread of meads that suit different tastes. While Moonshine’s spectrum of flagship meads—Apple Mead, Traditional Mead, and Coffee Mead—are available yearly, the brand also offers seasonal meads known as the MeadLABs. These include Mango Chilli Mead, Guava Chilli Mead, and the Grilled Pineapple Mead, amongst several others, and has slowly carved a niche for itself in the Indian alco-bev sector. Moonshine is currently available in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Goa, Haryana, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, UAE, Australia and New Zealand. 

https://www.brewer-world.com/indulge-in-nostalgia-moonshine-meaderys-christmas-apple-pie-mead-is-back-to-brighten-your-festive-season/ 

Understanding the Thirst-Quenchers of the Iron Age

From gillettnews.com

A journey back in time reveals the fascinating world of Iron Age beverages. As we navigate through this pivotal era of human history, one question stands out: What were the drinks that our ancestors relied on to fuel their lives? Let’s dive into the past and explore the thirst-quenchers that sustained the people of the Iron Age.

While water was the fundamental source of hydration, it was not always safe to consume due to contamination risks. The resourceful Iron Age people turned to fermented beverages to ensure both safety and longevity. These drinks held a special place in their society, serving purposes beyond quenching thirst.

One of the preferred drinks during this time was mead, a luxurious and highly prized fermented beverage crafted from the nectar of the gods – honey. Mead was often reserved for celebratory occasions and religious ceremonies. Mixing honey with water and occasionally flavoured with fruits or herbs enriched the taste and essence of this esteemed drink.

Ale, on the other hand, was a staple in Iron Age communities. This beer-like beverage played a vital role in providing nutrition and calories to people of all ages. The process involved soaking grains, such as barley or wheat, in water and allowing them to ferment. The liquid was then meticulously strained to remove any solids, resulting in a refreshing and nourishing drink.

Contrary to popular belief, wine was not as prevalent in the Iron Age as mead and ale. The production of wine required specific climatic conditions and vineyards that were not as widely available in certain regions during this time.

Although water was an essential element of survival, drinking directly from rivers or wells posed health risks due to contamination. To ensure the safety of their water intake, Iron Age people often resorted to boiling or other purification methods.

Exploring the drinking habits of our Iron Age ancestors provides us with not only a glimpse into their daily lives but also a deeper understanding of the cultural and social significance of beverages. From the indulgence of mead to the sustenance of ale, these drinks played pivotal roles in shaping the Iron Age societies. So, raise a glass and toast to the knowledge gained from the thirst-quenchers of the past!

https://gillettnews.com/news/understanding-the-thirst-quenchers-of-the-iron-age/319693/#gsc.tab=0