Winter 2012

American Mead Maker

RED BORDERS Welcome
Letter from the Editor

4 5 8 16 20

AMMA

The Story Behind AMMA Chris Webber

Eastern Mead

A Trip to Some East Coast Meaderies Jeff Herbert

Mead and San Diego

Liquid Assets Randy Clemens

Mountain Mead

Meadery of the Rockies Stacy Wittig

Red Borders American Mead Maker is published on a quarterly basis. For advertising information and submission guidelines contact the editor: superstitionmeadery@hotmail.com Cover: Artesano Meadery in Groton, Vermont welcomes visitors on a fine Summer day.

Letter from the Editor

ead has been around since before recorded history, but only recently have we been able to unite and form the American Mead Makers Association. This humble journal endeavors to bring mead makers together to share resources and information. In our first year we are planning to conduct the first survey of the commercial mead industry in America. This baseline data will serve as a starting point to track a variety of issues as mead grows in popularity . We will introduce you to meaderies across our country and the amazing products they produce. AMMA will promote and publish the results of commercial and home made mead competitions. We will strive to introduce you to new mead recipes, mead cocktails and food pairing suggestions. We also would like mead fans to be involved with this publication. So if you have organizational, writing, or photography skills and passion for mead, contact me to get involved. If you are reading this letter you probably have enjoyed making and or drinking mead. So spread the word, buy a bottle or 12 from your local meadery, and help us put mead on the map. --Jeff Herbert

The Story Behind AMMA

BY: Chris Webber
to create an association for the purpose of promoting and improving the mead industry. The original American Mead Association (AMA) was founded in 1986 by Pamela Spence, Ohio beekeeper and author of Mad About Mead!: Nectar of the Gods (ISBN 1-56718-683-1) and other works, as an alternative market for honey. Unfortunately, it was a labor of love and the labor was a bit too much. It was passed on to Susanne Price in 1993 who moved it to Colorado. She built up the organization through her connections with the American Homebrewers Association as well as enlarged the newsletter and soon made it a partnership with John Julian Strekel. Julian had established a honey supply business, and it seems that the intention was to move the AMA from Pamela Spences conception as a nonprot organization to a for prot co-op. After Susannes tragic death in early Part of the discussion was whether or not to 1996, it was left to Julian to run the organizaactually form as an international association tion. so as to include other mead makers around the world; however in the end it was decided that The association soon fell on hard times. The due to jurisdictional considerations for legisla- newsletter ceased although the association was tive purposes the association should limit its still accepting dues, honey suppliers were not boundaries to the US and should an interna- being paid and in short order the money was all tional organization be formed in the future the gone. By March 1997 Julian gave up all interAMMA would become a member and support- est in the AMA to Andrew LaMorte and Keith er. In the meantime non-US mead makers can and Sarah Wanless of Highlander Home Brew in Littleton, Colorado. It soon became apparent join the AMMA as an Associate Member. the organization was in a dire nancial situaThere have been several attempts over the years tion and due also to some legal considerations With the phenomenal growth in the mead industry over the last several years many believe there is now not only a sufficient base to support a new mead organization but a great need as well. Many have observed that the mead industry is today where craft beer was some thirty years ago. It was discussed for some time among industry leaders and internet forums about once again putting together an association. Brad Dolhofer of B. Nektar Meadery in Ferndale, Michigan created a Facebook page in January 2011, for the American Mead Makers Association (AMMA) which started the ball rolling. In October, Chris Webber of Dragons Lair Country Wines & Meads in Lakewood, Washington (not yet bonded) put together a website to start formally bringing the industry together.

a complete reorganization became necessary. largest mead only festival ever to that date. The task proved to be overwhelming and by mid-1998 The next year the festival the association had faded was picked up by David Myinto oblivion. As is oft the ers and Redstone Meadery case when such organizaof Boulder, Colorado and tions fail it is a slow painshortened to the Internaful death where many good tional Mead Festival (IMF). honest people were left By 2004 the Festival had with a bad taste. some 85 different meads from 32 companies in 7 difIn 1990, Ken Schramm, ferent countries. In 2006 author of The Compleat the competition was exMeadmaker (Brewers Pubpanded to include amateur lications, 2003), Dan Mcmead makers. Connell and Mike O'Brien founded the Mazer Cup In 2003 and 2004 meetings Mead Competition, which were held during the IMF ran for 12 years in Michicompetition to discuss chalgan. The original Mazer Cup lenges facing the industry was sponsored by the Ann Arbor Brewers Guild, and by late 2004 another attempt was made the National Honey Board and others, and was to create the International Mead Association a BJCP and AHA sanctioned competition. The (IMA) which basically assumed the IMF. Comfirst time the Mazer Cup is mentioned in the mittees were formed and paperwork was filed, Mead Lovers Digest is April 1993. It lists spon- but by the end of 2007 the IMA was gone again, sors as GW Kent, Inc of Ann Arbor, MI; Home however the IMF continued. Winery Supply of Dundee, MI; The Ann Arbor Brewers Guild and the American Mead Asso- In 2009 Myers and Redstone ended their stewciation of Boulder, CO. ardship of the Festival. In the interest of preserving the momentum of this event, Vicki In 2001, the Mazer Cup was renamed the Pfei- Rowe, owner of the website GotMead.com, Peffer Mazer Cup, in memory of friend, mentor tar Bakulic and others reorganized the compeand 1985 AHA Meadmaker of the Year Bill Pfei- tition. With the blessing of Schramm, McConffer, who lost his battle with cancer in 2000. In nell and O'Brien, it assumed the name of the 2002, Ray Daniels, author of Designing Great Mazer Cup International Mead Competition, Beers: The Ultimate Guide to Brewing Classic and is today the largest mead-only competiBeer Styles , and other great beer books, re- tion in the United States and indeed the world. organized the Mazer Cup into the First International Mead Competition and Planet Buzz! Finally, on May 1st, 2012 the American Mead Festival in Chicago, Illinois. This would be the Makers Association (AMMA) was incorpo-

rated in the State of Washington with Chris Webber as President pro tem, Cheryl Webber as Secretary and Woody Drake of Columbus, Ohio as Vice President. In accordance with the Association Bylaws their mission is fourfold; to improve regulation that promotes the Mead industry, to educate consumers about Mead, to conduct research to improve the craft and to promote Mead in general. In the short term the Associations plans are to build its membership, establish a website domain and to start a newsletter. Over time the expectation will be to effect the Federal regulations to recognize Mead as a fermented beverage separate from wine with labeling and formula rules specific to the craft. This will coincide with establishing style guidelines that will also be used in sanctioned competitions and judge certifications. The organization also plans to work with wineries, meaderies and mead competitions around the country to develop a program whereby Association members can receive a discount. Much of the preceding information was gathered through an exhaustive search of the archives of the Mead Lovers Digest, an email forum which began September 25th, 1992 under the care of John A. Dilley and continues uninterrupted today with Dick Dunn as Digest Janitor. These archives can be found online at the GotMead.com website http://www.gotmead.com/mldarchives.html. Other contributions came from discussions on the GotMead. com forum and conversations with Mr Ken Schramm. PREVIOUS PAGE: Pam Spence

A Road Trip in Search of East Coast Mead

Article and Photos By: Jeff Herbert
In June of 2012 I visited 3 mead makers in Maryland, Massachusetts, and Vermont. My rst stop was to the magnicent estate winery of Mt. Felix which is just outside of Havre De Grace in Northeastern Maryland. When you park at Mt. Felix you are in the shadow of a beautiful brick mansion built in an era long past. The tasting room and winery compliment the style of the historic home and the views of the Chesapeake Bay are a rare treat. Enjoying a glass of wine while listening to live music on the patio, while scanning the farm elds for wildlife before a walk amongst several acres of grapes is a wonderful way to spend a weekend afternoon. During my visit the proprietor, Peter Ianniello, was onsight to pour wines along with his staff who were each
Opposite Page Clockwise from Upper Left: Artesano mead made with a variety of blueberries, Chambourcin grapes grow early in the season at Mt. Felix Winery, the crew at Green River Ambrosia. This Page: Wax machine in operation at Artesano, Mt. Felix Pumpkin wine. Next Page: Tasting room at Mt Felix and Inside Green River Ambrosia.

well versed in the wine making process and descriptions of their products. The list of products offered for tastings and for bottle purchases was extensive. One stand out, and the best pumpkin wine I have ever had was the Terra Maria. It poured a clear straw color and tasted like fall. When the folks at Mt. Felix heard that I was visitng from Arizona, and had just opened a meadery, the proprietor vanished for a moment and returned with a blueberry mead he made 5 years prior. It was really a nice gesture to share a test batch of mead he made so long ago. While not for sale during my visit, Mt. Felix was aging a pyment made with their Chambourcin grapes and fortied with grappa. What a concept! I vowed to return and trade a bottle of my pyment on my next visit. After leaving Maryland I drove north towards rural Western Massachusetts to visit the mead makers at

Green River Ambrosia. I had previously contacted Garth Shaneyfelt to arange a tour and tasting of Green Rivers offerings. It turned out that the whole staff was onsite and full of excitement for their growing business, mead, and meeting new folks. Along with Garth, Will Savitri, Brendan Burns, Sam Dribble and Sandy Pearson are liquid artists using locally produced honey, ex-Jack Daniels barrels, chamomile owers, local apple cider and ginger to create innovative styles of mead and alcoholic ginger soda. G r e e n River also brews a popular brand of kombucha tea, Katalyst K o m bucha, which is a fermented pro-biotic health elixir. Garth joked, We are vertically integrated with both toxifying and detoxifying products. Green River began making mead in order to support local bee keepers, and started with 10 hives producing raw local honey. Now they self-distribute in over 65 package stores and restaurants and are expanding. Their current line up follows: Liquid Sunshine: A traditional semi-dry mead made with local honey for a slightly oral taste. 12% abv.

Chamomile: A traditional semi-dry mead infused with organic chamomile owers. 12% abv. (seasonal) Winter Warmer: A semi-sweet mead avored with our warming spice blend to get you through the cold, dark winter. Try it heated! 14% abv. (winter seasonal) Cyzer: Our apple-icious mead made with fresh-pressed heritage cider from Clarkdale Fruit Farms in Deereld, MA. Light natural ef fer vescence, serve chilled. 12% abv. (available late Summer - Fall) Bourbon Cyzer: Our cyzer aged three-plus months in fresh bourbon barrels. Somewhat effervescent - keep refrigerated. 12% abv. Winner of 2010 and 2011 Mazer Cup Medals! (Available late summer - fall) Bourbon-Barrel Buckwheat: Hearty buckwheat honey mead mellowed over six months in Jack Daniels Bourbon Barrels. 14% abv. (seasonal) Ginger Libation: Our hugely popular Libation is somewhat like a spicy alcoholic ginger soda, but youve just gotta try for yourself ! Sweetened with cane sugar, pineapple and citrus juices (not a mead), its fruity, bubbly and delicious. Keep refrigerated, bottle conditioned. 8-9% abv.

Vermont and their most popular mead is their Traditional Mead. Mark also sells mead and represents Artesano at farmers markets and a few wine events each year. when asked about what will help grow the mead industry Mark says, Good mead makers and a lot of consumer education. As the availability of The last stop on this East Coast mead trip mead increases, so will its sales. But it has to was Artesano Meadery in Groton, Vermont. be good mead! Offering samples of mead and their own ice cream on a sunny Vermont Summer day, a In visiting these three businesses making visit to Artesano will inspire meadery owners mead, I was excited to see that mead univerand mead fans alike. I met Hilary Bumgarner sally serves as a catharsis for the liquid artist. who provided one of the best tours anyone The creativity exibited by mead makers is ascold ask for. She works with the owners of tounding. The success that these three mead Artesano and not only pours samples in the makers have developed is indicative of the tasting room, but is an accomplished mead growth that can be expected in the mead inmaker. After tasting several fantastic meads dustry. Meaderies are starting up across the Hilary showed me Artesanos stainless fercountry but we are just beginning to catch a mentation tanks, bottling machine, and they new wave in the alcohol industry. even have a custom made device which seals the cork with a wax nish and then imprints One hypothesis I had prior to this road trip their logo in the wax. was that meaderies even in similar parts of the country are relatively disconnected. I beArtesano has won several awards and makes lieve that the spirit of a business deciding to the following meads: Traditional Mead, Chili begin a meadery is certainly an independent Cinnamon Mead, Essence Dry Mead, Spiced spirit, and perhaps geography may keep us Mead, Cranberry Mead, Blueberry Mead, apart. While some of the mead makers I visBlackberry Mead and Poets Mead, which is ited had been to other Eastern meaderies, aged in bourbon barrels. and even to the Mazer Cup, these meaderies generally do their own thing. In light of Owner Mark Simakaski and his wife began this, I keep asking myself a question that I making mead while teaching bee keeping in will posit to you now, If there is strength in the Peace Corps in South America. I asked numbers as the old saying goes, what benMark about challenges he faced in starting ets can meaderies realize if we further neta meadery. He said, The time from start up work and join together? to your rst bottle of mead has a long lead time. We needed to be sure there was enough I hope to see you at the Mazer Cup in 2013. capital to make it through. In 2012 Artesano produced 17,000 500 ml bottles of mead. ApCheck out: parently their hard work is paying off. www.mountfelix.com www.greenriverambrosia.com Artesano self-distributes to 55 accounts in www.artesanomead.com
Previous Pages Clockwise From Top Left: Green River Ambrosia, Luke and Logan Herbert enjoy a glass of Kombucha Tea, Artesano Meadery, Hilary Bumgarner pours a sample of blueberry mead, Jennifer Herbert taking notes at Green River Ambrosia. Opposite Page: Inside Artesanos tasting room, Artesanos fermentation tanks.

Liquid Assets: Mead For The Modern Age

By: Randy Clemens
Mead is the ancient liquor of gods and began to know and to be wise, to grow and to men, the giver of knowledge and poetry, weave poems. the healer of wounds, and the bestower of Odin, from the Norse Saga Runahal, circa immortality.
1200 CE George Robert Gayre, Scottish anthropologist Long before the advent of wine, beer and spirits, countless civilizations celebrated, revered and drank their fair share of mead, an alcoholic beverage forged out of the fermentation of natures most miraculous sugar: honey. We see mead as a magical thing, explains Frank Golbeck, co-founder of edgling startup Golden Coast Mead, based in San Diego. It represents this synergy that has connected people to agriculture and their environment. Drinking it is a culinary experience that has deep cultural roots, across the world and across time. Indeed, honey has long been held in high regard, and one can only imagine that meads intoxicating properties would make honey that much more special to our early ancestors. The mind-altering effects were thought of as a kind of transformation, a journey into another world that opened the brain to new thoughts and experiences. Mead is believed by many to be the rst alcoholic drink known to man, likely a happy accident caused by mixing water and honey in an animal-skin canteen while out on a hunt. Estimates of its discovery range from 9,000 years ago to as far back as 20,000 years ago. Ancient Greeks and Romans had a well documented afnity for mead, as did the Vikings, the Egyptians and many other cultures across Europe, the East Indies and Africa. Fast forwarding to the present, mead is not nearly as prevalent as it once was, taking a back seat to the much more common potent potables of today: beer, wine, cider, sake and the like. But it holds a world of complexity just waiting to be explored. The meadmakeralso known as a mazerhas at their ngertips a veritable blank canvas on which to build.

Mead presents this huge spectrum of avor possibilities, continues Golbeck. The honey varietal is arguably the most important choice in determining the prole of the mead, but selecting a yeast strain, deciding how sweet youd A drink I took of the magic mead [] then I like it to be, whether or not its sparkling, and of

course if youd like to add in adjuncts such as fruit or spices, how long its aged, and whether or not thats on oakthe combinations really are unlimited. In regards to the honey varietal, Susan Ruud and Gordon Strongrecognized as Grand Master level judges by the Beer Judge Certication Programconducted The Great Honey Experiment, which had a group of people gauge six different meads, identical in every respect except for the type of honey used. Their meads, presented and evaluated at the 2010 National Homebrewers Conference, had some commonalities, but also pointed out some very interesting differences. Golden Coast is currently focusing on making one mead, and making it well. Called Mirth in a Bottle, its obvious in talking with Golbeck that he has an insatiable passion for his craft. For me, I want to show the best expression of the honey varietal, he waxes. Thats what Im after. We start with a wonderfully aromatic orange blossom honey, and make the mead semisweet HONEY VARIETAL
MESQUITE ORANGE BLOSSOM TUPELO WHITE SAGE STAR THISTLE BASSWOOD

and sparkling, which really makes the citrus avor pop, and that surprises a lot of people. That character isnt nearly as noticeable in the base honey, but it comes through beautifully in the nished mead. We use a red-wine yeast for the fermentation, which adds these complex oral notes that I just love. But ultimately, its all to highlight the nuances naturally present in the honey. Are you reading this all in disbelief, remembering a cloying, sickeningly sweet mead that you tried at ye olde Renaissance Faire? Well, I implore you to give it another shot. Theres a world of great meads out there waiting to be enjoyed. Some are sweet or semisweet, while others can be quite dry, with different carbonation levels ranging from still to sparking, or somewhere in between, called semi-sparkling or ptillant. [Youll thank me when thats a question on Jeopardy! some day.] It might take a bit of searching, but theres been a growing buzz thats getting mead onto more and more shelves. And while I can drone on and on for days, reading about them is nowhere near as great as tasting them.

SAMPLING OF AROMA FLAVOR CHARACTERISTICS

Pipe tobacco, smoke, wood, earthy, vanilla, pepper, cinnamon, Cheddar cheese, mint Citrus, orange blossom honey, floral, pear, vanilla, apple, white grape, almond

Apple, pepper, wood, mint, white grape, cinnamon, marshmallow, caramel, floral, cider, pear Earthy, minty, menthol, musty, herbal, pepper, spicy, light smoke, sauerkraut Floral, grassy, fig, cinnamon, nutmeg, lavender, vanilla, butter, caramel, pine Menthol, thyme, oregano, white wine, butter, earthy, wood, caramel, citrus, pepper

TALKING THE TALK

BRAGGOT CYSER HYDROMEL MELOMEL METHEGLIN PYMENT SACK MEAD TEJ

A hybrid of mead and beer, brewed with honey and malt. A hybrid of mead and cider, made with honey and apple juice Lighter, lower alcohol mead Mead fermented with any variety of fruit Mead brewed with herbs, spices, or hops A hybrid of mead and wine, made with honey and grape juice Higher alcohol mead, typically above 14% abv A popular Ethiopian style of mead, made with a bitter species of buck thorn known as Gesho

Golden Coast Mead is available for purchase in several locations throughout San Diego County, but can be shipped nationwide through www.goldencoastmead.com. Golbeck also offered a list of some of his favorite meads and meaderies: B. Nektar Meadery (MI), WineHaven Stinger Honeywine (MN), Mountain Meadows Mead (CA), Moonlight Meadery (NH) and Redstone Meadery (CO). And if youre interested in making your own at home, Golbeck recommends picking up The Compleat Meadmaker by Ken Schramm. Randy Clemens is the author of The Sriracha Cookbook and co-author of The Craft of Stone Brewing Co.: Liquid Lore, Epic Recipes, and Unabashed Arrogance. He is also the Media & Communications Linchpin at Stone Brewing Co. If youre bored, you can follow his musings on Twitter: @RandyClemensEsq.

The Buzz at Colorados Oldest Meadery

Article and Photos By Stacey Wittig
tanding next to fty-ve gallon drums of honey at Meadery of the Rockies in Palisade, Colorado, mead maker and owner Glenn Foster explains his secrets to successful mead production. We start with 100% pure, natural orange-blossom honey. This California honey has been the standard since 1995 because of its consistent taste, describes Foster whose award-wining melomels are very popular with consumers. Because the meadery -- originally known as the Rocky Mountain Meadery -- does so much with fruit-blended meads, they needed honey that would enhance avors of many different fruits.

better than other types of honey. Fosters favorite way to make melomel is to blend the mead with fruit wine.

And it just so happens that he has unlimited access to many award-winning fruit wines: Foster and wife Natalie own and operate St. Kathryn Cellars and Talon Winery also located in Palisade. The small agricultural community is in the heart of western Colorados fruit country near Grand Junction. The area is especially known for its peaches which are shipped all over the west and can be found in kitchens as high-brow as Air Force One the presidents ride. The lush valley is designated as The Grand Valley, Over time, they found that orange-blossom the oldest and largest AVA (American Viticulhoney carried the avors of a variety of fruits ture Area) in Colorado.

He worked for various Grand Valley wineries for about ten years until he got tired of making OPW (other peoples wine.) Mead production has quadrupled since 1995. Foster is proud that his meadery is the rst meadery in Colorado. Our roots go way back. Mead is authentic millennials are looking for something authentic and different, he says. Mead avored with apricots, peaches, strawberries, cherries and raspberries are trendy right now. The Cherries n Honey just won Gold in the 2012 Denver International Wine Competition. Meadery of the Rockies automated bottling line can cork or screw cap thirty-six bottles per minute. Their twenty-three tanks range in size from 160 to 3,000 gallons. Meads sell for $11.95 $34.95 per bottle. When you visit, sample up to ve meads free in the comfy tasting room (only $1 per sample after that.) Who might you see there? Visitors from as far away as Japan, mead lovers from California, Colorado and Utah and maybe even Emilio Estevez who has been known to stop in for a taste.
Meadery of the Rockies: 3701 G Road,

Water is in abundance at the foot of the Rocky Mountains Palisade is right on the Colorado River and the Fosters use pure Rocky Mountain water for their entire mead making. We learned the old tricks and discovered some new ones along the way, reveals Foster who personally directs the production of each batch of mead. The mead maker brought some secrets with him when he bought the meadery in 2008. He had previously worked as the ofcial winemaker at Twin Rivers Winery in Grand Junction and also in the California wine industry. My father founded Ravenswood Winery [Sonoma] when I was twelve [in 1976.] We were glass droppers as children. I came to Colorado in 82 to go to school. In 1993, I went back to Ravenwood. In 1995 while visiting my inlaws, we discovered Grand Valley. We decided to move here that day and put a deposit on a rental house, laughs the impulsive vintner.

Palisade, Colorado (970) 464-7899, Open Daily 10-5, www.meaderyoftherockies.com Stacey Wittig is a travel writer based in Flagstaff, AZ. Her culinary adventures have led her up the Inca Trail in Peru eating fried caterpillars and roasted guinea pig, across the plains of northern Spain on El Camino de Santiago enjoying steamed barnacles and through the vineyards of Cinque Terre sipping Chianti Classico. The Grand Canyon State is a remarkable place to call home, declares the wandering writer. Get more travel tips at www.Vagabondinglulu. com.