american mead maker summer 2016

Pairing Meadand FoodExpert Advice from Chrissie

Mead inSoutheast AsiaLooking at a Growing Industry

AMMAIndustry Update85% Growth in the Last Year

American Meadmaker

Summer 2016

AMERICAN MEAD MAKER • 2 •

Columns05 LETTER FROM THE EDITOR06 LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT08 MEAD LEGISLATION UPDATE32 MEADIST REVIEWS46 AMMA BOARD OF DIRECTORS47 AMMA BYLAWS53 AMMA MEADERY LIST

Features

10 MEAD AS WHITE WINEEXPERT PAIRING ADVICE WITH CHRISSIE

14 PAIRING FOODS AND MEADSSPECIFIC WINNING COMBINATIONS

20 OF BEES AND MENTHE HISTORY OF MEAD, CONTINUED

22 MEAD IN SOUTHEAST ASIAEXPLORING A GROWING INDUSTRY

26 2016 AMMA INDUSTRY UPDATESURVEY FINDS SIGNIFICANT GROWTH

34 UC DAVIS BRANDING WORKSHOPCONVENTION TEACHES BRANDING TECHNIQUES

38 MAZER CUP 2016PHOTO GALLERY

EDITORJeff Herbert [email protected] has been working as a Wildland and Structure Fire Fighter/Paramedic since 1999. He is a founding member of AMMA and has owned and operated Superstition Meadery in Prescott, Arizona since 2012.

ART DIRECTORPaul V. Reiss [email protected] runs a small multi-disciplinary design company in Boston. He also manages Meadist.com, a mead-centric blog focused on expanding the appreciation of modern meadmaking.

CONTRIBUTING EDITORChrissie Manion Zaerpoor [email protected] has been making mead since 1997. After 13 years at Intel Corporation as an engineer and engineering manager, she now owns Kookoolan Farms and Kookoolan World Meadery in Yamhill, Oregon.

ASSISTANT EDITORJennifer Herbert [email protected] Herbert retired from a career in health and safety manage-ment, and founded and manages Superstition Meadery in Prescott, Arizona.

ASSISTANT EDITORJames Velasquez [email protected] is a professional writer, editor, and mead enthusiast living in New York City.

American Mead MakerISSUE 16.2 • SUMMER 2016

MEADMAKERS.ORG • 5 •

I would like to welcome you back to another issue of American Mead Maker, the perfect rea-son to pour yourself a glass of mead while you get caught up on the latest developments in the mead industry. This issue is packed with en-lightening reading and I would like to offer you a toast as I raise my glass of Ragnarok. Cheers! As we prepared and conducted this year’s Mead Industry Survey, I noticed a distinct in-crease in the stories about new meaderies open-ing, popping up in my Google alerts. If you ar-en’t signed up for this free service yet, you need to get on it after you read this issue. Through the headlines will learn that there are lots of car accidents around Lake Mead, and a bit about Wyoming politics with Governor Mead, but you will also see what is going on in the mead world outside of AMMA news. You will obtain a new perspective on how the industry is growing and how the pace continues to accelerate. I have been a part of AMMA since the begin-ning, and I often reflect on the mission of our organization, its goals, its challenges, and its ac-complishments. I have always been personally challenged to balance the reality of the limits of a volunteer organization paired with a vision of what AMMA will evolve into, in good time. The board and support from committee members all stems from very busy professionals inten-tionally carving out quality time for the orga-nization, whenever possible. Through all of this what I love most is that all of the work in AMMA is being done by mead makers. Even this jour-nal is a fantastic example of words written and photos taken by mead makers, for mead mak-ers. So as I examine what AMMA is about and what we are doing, the one thing I keep coming back to as the common thread and baseline of our mission, is that we are uniting the mead in-dustry. When I think about the great times with great people at the Mazer Cup, or read through the AMMA Facebook Group and AMMA website forums, I realize that the relationships I have made, and others continue to make, are what

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

is required to continue to build our industry. All of the ideas we have for the future of the mead industry will be based on the solid relationships between mead makers that we are still forming. I have written a bit about col-laborations and travel based on mead making, and this is only one aspect of how we can get together and form new bonds. I see a time in the near future when there are mead festivals across the country with multi-ple mead makers serving their finest mead. At Superstition we recently hosted our Second An-nual Guild Gathering. We enjoyed seeing mead drinkers from Chicago, Ohio and California travel to Prescott, Arizona to celebrate the bev-erage we all love. It has been an honor to devel-op our Guild Gathering, and Berry White Day, into events that draw mead fans from across the country. But this is still only one meadery having an event, and I realize how challenging it is to conquer the logistics of a true mead fes-tival, but I believe the time is near. So I offer a challenge to you, as a commercial meadery owner or a mead fan: Find the time to host a mead festival or travel to one. From per-sonal experience, I highly recommend visiting the meaderies outside of Detroit on National Mead Day, the first Saturday in August of each year. And make sure you make it to Colorado for the Mazer Cup in March. These events will open your eyes and satisfy your taste buds as you find inspiration to build new relationships of your own, ultimately putting the finishing touches on the foundation of the mead indus-try.I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Until next time,Jeff Herbert

Dear members of AMMA,

The annual board meeting took place this past March in Denver, CO, and as we reported at the meeting, membership is up and it’s con-tinuing to grow both on the home mead maker and professional side. Being a volunteer orga-nization, we are experiencing some growing

pains, and we are working to get these issues identified and resolved. Our primary goal is to find increasing val-ue for the dues that our members pay. Recent board votes have approved funds to be made available to begin an academ-ic mead research program at UC Davis, improve our website, work to change the

Code of Federal Regulations and Internal Rev-enue Code, and to begin a significant national mead marketing effort. The board will be providing updates via email and on our website, and we believe that the present is truly an exciting period of oppor-tunity for our industry. I am hopeful that we will continue to build on this momentum, and build an organization that will be here for the long term, for all of us. The biggest challenge

in managing AMMA is that each of the board members are very busy with operating their companies, and we have identified that at some point we are going to need to staff positions in the AMMA so that the organization can find more ways to serve its members. Besides member dues, the largest source of revenue for the AMMA is the annual Mead Free or Die amateur and professional competition which was held in April, and it’s looking like we ended up raising over $2000 for the AMMA. We had judges, stewards and entrants from all over the world participating this year. With Me-adery of the Year being a tie between Colony Meadery and Melovino Meadery on the pro-fessional side, and Eric and Casey Reeter from Port Townsend, WA, wining Mead Maker of the Year, and Kaspersky Jerzy from Germany win-ning Best of Show honors. Please consider entering next year and if you can come out to judge or steward we would love to have your participation in 2017. I was very impressed with the quality level of the meads that were entered into both the Mazer Cup International, and Mead Free or Die. It is inspiring to see so much excellent mead being made across the world, and that is exactly what our industry needs to grow. I hope you all have a wonderful summer, and please make use of the mead-makers.org website to help build our organization.

Sincerely,Michael Fairbrother


LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT

PHOTOS FROM THE 2016 AMMA ANNUAL MEETING



Fellow Members,The Legislative Committee was formed to act as liaison between our membership and the US Federal Government. It has long been evident to our industry, that the Federal government’s definition of mead is so narrowly defined, that it leaves little to no room for the diversity of mead styles many of us are accustomed to making and selling. And while the Other Than Standard classification gives us some relief, it’s a solution that leads to other problems in labeling and tax-es.

In 2014, a few of us in the AMMA flew to Wash-ington DC to meet with the TTB to address some concerns, and see how we could make progress. In February 2015, the TTB published a FAQ specifically for Mead/Honey Wine which I strongly urge anyone who is in the industry to read. The FAQ can be found here: https://www.ttb.gov/faqs/alcohol_faqs.shtml#hw. While this FAQ was helpful for interpreting the rules, it still didn’t change those which we believe needed to. So the Legislative Committee started down the path to change regulations by first draft-ing a list of goals that we had gathered from members in previous surveys and meetings, and then researching who has had success in changing regulations pertaining to alcohol in

Brad Dahlhofer

Vice President / Legislative Chairperson

American Mead Makers Association

MeadLegislationUpdate


the United States.

In 2015, the Cider industry made a big push for what was known as the CIDER Act. Also during the year, another Act called the Craft Bever-age Modernization and Tax Reform Act was attempting to make changes for Wine, Spirits and Beer. They later convinced the Cider Asso-ciation to add the language from the CIDER Act into the Craft Beverage Modernization Act. At the time, it seemed that it might take all the bev-erage industries coming together to get their changes addressed collectively. If so, that would leave little hope that the AMMA could easily get its issues addressed on our own. So it became our primary strategy to become included in the Craft Beverage Modernization Act. Since then, in December 2015 the Cider Association was able to get their language added as a rider in an omnibus bill that was passed into law.

Earlier this year, we met with the staffer in charge of the Act within Senator Wyden’s (D-Oregon) office to discuss this option and were warmly received. But the staffer was un-easy with many of the changes we were look-ing to make. Their goal was to make sure that the changes proposed in the Act wouldn’t cause controversy to arise amongst the other players, as well as the TTB. He urged us to start by mak-ing contact with the TTB to discuss the history of some of the regulations to learn if there were poor reasons why they exist.

We later learned that Wine America had signed-on with the Craft Beverage Modernization Act, and a very important piece in the Tax code was

proposed during their bargaining that would positively affect mead, but the definition was too narrowly defined. We, along with our At-torney in Washington DC are now working to amend that piece of language so we can broad-en the definition of mead from a tax perspec-tive. So far, we have found no opposition to our proposed changes from any of the other indus-try associations. Our work continues on this front.

It is important to note that as a young trade as-sociation, the AMMA has very little in the way of funds to finance these types of initiatives, so all of the time that has gone into these initiatives has been donated by the participating mem-bers. I want to thank the members of the leg-islative committee, the board, our association members, and our attorney for all the hard work they have put in so far. It takes a lot of work to accomplish what we are attempting. The Cider Association had three lobbyists and spent about $250,000 to accomplish their goals. Though we haven’t changed any laws yet, we have a bet-ter clarity of purpose, opportunity, and strategy than any time since I’ve served on the Legisla-tive Committee.

If you have any desire to help in our legisla-tive efforts, please contact me personally. If you have connections with people in the US Senate or Congress, ask if they would be will-ing to speak with the AMMA about our cause. And direct them to me through an introduction e-mail. We will be sure to follow up.


Mead asWhite WineEXPERT PAIRING ADVICE WITH CHRISSIE


The most straightforward and familiar type of mead, for the many people who are new to mead, is the simple traditional style, either dry or semi-sweet. Traditional meads are made with only honey, water, and yeast as ingre-dients. This keeps the mead clean and sim-ple for pairing, and most foods that work well with white wines will work well with a dry or semi-sweet traditional mead. As with white wines, these are generally best served at room temperature to slightly chilled (55 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit). Certainly if you were planning a several-course, all-mead-dinner in which you planned to pair meads with a range of foods, you’d want a least one of those meads to be a dry, traditional mead. Both poultry and seafood pair perfectly with

dry to semi-sweet meads, although they are hardly your only pairing choices. Many white-wine-style meads are oaked: some or all of the batch of mead spends some time in an oak barrel, which may be a new bar-rel, a used mead barrel, or a used wine, Bourbon, whiskey, or gin barrel. Oak barrels contribute tannins and “roundness” to meads and wines; tannins have a slightly bitter and astringent component which tends to pair well with grilled, smoked, and toasted foods. Lighter fare tends to be overwhelmed by strongly-oaked meads. Smoked salt is just one example of ingredients that can really make a pairing sing—or not. One of my favorite pairings is brown-butter-roasted cauliflower with Sky River Semi-Sweet Black-berry Mead. It works because the sweet earthi-ness of the caramelized cauliflower works with the earthy and not-too-sweet blackberries. But when smoked salt is added, the blackber-ry mead comes across as too sweet and bright, while the oaked mead resonates like a perfect-ly-tuned instrument. Without the smoked salt, however, the oaked mead comes across as bit-ter and harsh compared to the sweetness of the cauliflower. A few traditional meads are widely distribut-ed, and make a good starting place for our dis-cussion precisely for that reason (i.e., virtually everyone can access these, regardless of where in the U.S. you are located). Redstone Meadery’s Mountain Honey Wine, made in Boulder, Colo-rado, won a gold medal at the 2003 Internation-al Mead Festival. It contains 12 percent alcohol and is made with clover and wildflower honey. B.Nektar, a meadery in Ferndale, Michigan, makes an Orange Blossom Mead from orange blossom and citrus honey and is aged in oak barrels. They also make Michigan Wildflower Mead, aged briefly in oak. HoneyMaker Dry Mead from Maine Mead-works: This modern dry mead boasts clarity, balanced acidity, and a crisp, dry finish. Wild-flower honey infuses delicate citrus and floral notes, tempered with a slight earthiness. I rec-

This article is an excerpt from Chrissie’s

book, The Art of Mead Tasting & Food

Pairing, which will be out later this year.


ommend this for fans of crisp, refreshing white wines such as Chenin Blanc, Dry Diesling, and Pinot Gris. It contains 12.5 percent alcohol and is oak aged for complexity and depth. It pairs well with lobster, pork, and sheep’s milk cheeses. Starrlight Mead in Pittsboro, North Carolina, makes a traditional off-dry mead with just a hint of sweetness. Its light floral notes segue into a slight citrus finish. Serve lightly chilled with Lemon Chicken, fish, or even with spicy food! This mead was a bronze medal winner at the 2012 Mazer Cup. They also make a traditional semi-sweet mead, with a fabulous floral hon-ey nose and a long, lingering honey finish; just what you would expect from mead. This mead is wonderful with spicy foods or New York style cheesecake. All of these meads may be used the way you’d

use any white wine, including for cooking. White wines are generally paired with fish, seafood, chicken, salads, mild cheeses, and veg-etarian dishes. But which kind of mead pairs best with each of these food choices? There are basically two methods to attack this conun-drum: Start with the food at hand, or start with the bottle in your hand. Allow me to demon-strate. Let’s start by knowing what we’ll have for dinner, but not what to serve with it. This meth-od works best if you have a mead cellar stocked with several choices at hand, live near a bottle shop with a large selection of meads, or if you’re planning ahead and have time to order some-thing from the internet to be delivered in time for your special dinner. Poultry. The most common entrée on the

American table is chicken, so let’s start here. Mead loves chicken, and chicken loves mead. When poultry is cooked with savory, earthy, or umami ingredients—think onions, rosemary, mushrooms, and carrots—stick to the middle of the spectrum, with solid, traditional dry or semi-sweet meads. Look for meads made from earthier honeys such as avocado blossom, car-rot blossom, and wildflower. Stay away from very delicate, citrusy meads; unless it’s a very light chicken tempura or citrusy lemon chick-en, perhaps. Seafood and Fish. Hands-down the best mead and food pairing I have ever construct-ed in my life was a pairing of saffron risotto with Mjödhamnen of Sweden’s Buckthorn Buzz Mead made of rapeseed honey. Mjödhamnen’s Buckthorn Buzz Mead would be terrific with a

full-on, traditional paella as well. It has a citrusy aspect different from grape wines that comple-ments this particular dish better than any grape wine I’ve ever had with a paella. Lobster and Asparagus Eggs Benedict (Beth Hensperger, Not Your Mother’s Weeknight Cooking) would be terrific with most meads in this category. Delicate white fishes shine when paired with the citrusy or floral meads (dry orange-blossom honey meads or any semi-sweet mead). I’m thinking of fishes such as flounder, fresh cod, and tilapia. Shrimp, scallops and salmon can work as well depending on the preparation; for more robust preparations you’ll want stronger alcohol and bolder flavors. Vegetarian cuisine. When pairing with dry to semisweet traditional meads, we’re talking

Smoked salt is the magic ingredient that can marry almost any savory food to oaked mead or wine. Oaked meads go great with grilled, smoky

foods. Your food is too neutral for the oaked mead you have open to-night? Try sprinkling the food with smoked salt to improve the pairing!


about milder flavors: no deep tomato sauces, nothing too spicy (those pair better with sweet-er, fruitier, and sparkling meads). Salad dress-ings may feature mead as a main ingredient. A stunning pairing is a raw vegetable plate paired with one of the champagne-style meads made from avocado-varietal honey or carrot blos-som-varietal honey, available from Heidrun Meadery in Point Reyes, California. Simple grilled or roasted vegetables work well with meads, as do those dishes with sweet earthy flavors such as wild mushroom tarts, roasted beets, mild creamy chevre and walnuts, fennel and arugula salads, buttered shell peas and pearl onions, braised or steamed snow peas and wa-ter chestnuts in a simple white sauce over rice, and braised, caramelized cauliflower, cabbage, or kohlrabi. Again when grilling or smoking, think oaked mead. White sauced pastas go very well with richer meads that have a little sweetness and more body, and/or a bright acidity. Try off-dry or semi-sweet meads, or sparkling cham-pagne-style meads. For rich white sauces such as alfredo sauce, choose a bright acidic mead to lighten it up and balance it. Heidrun’s Orange Blossom sparkling mead comes to mind. Mild cheeses generally go well with any dry or semi-sweet meads, as do cheese and fruit to-gether. (Note: Sharp or strongly flavored chees-es such as blues, Stilton, or sharp, English style Cheddars, go better with bigger and sweeter meads.) When moving from a cheese plate into a meal, pair the cheese plate with a drier mead. When the cheese course follows dinner and is leading into dessert, choose a mead that is sweeter, and even a little fruitier. But we don’t always start with the food. More often, we start the pairing process with a bottle of mead in hand, either one that was a gift, one that we have just bought, or one that we have just pulled out of our pantry or cellar. So go on, then, open it up and have a few sips. You’ll want to get a sense of it. Does it remind you of any-

thing? Any specific flavors or aromas? Fruit? Vanilla? Citrus? Now imagine the dinner items you are thinking about pairing with it, and try to imagine their flavors mingling with the mead. Chicken? Fish? Roasted vegetables? Shellfish? Perhaps Coquilles St. Jacque would be perfect with a semi-sweet traditional mead. By the way, it’s perfectly okay to preview a wine a few hours or even up to a few days be-fore sharing it with your guests; many meads even improve with several minutes or hours of “breathing.” This is just one good reason to buy meads that you like two or three or six or 12 bot-tles at a time! If you plan to keep an opened bottle of dry, off-dry, or semi-sweet traditional mead sitting around for more than a day, however, you would be well served to top off the bottle with a squirt of inert gas. You can purchase wine preserva-tion kits such as the “Capabunga” brand for just this purpose: these are mixtures of inert gases, typically Argon, Carbon Dioxide, and Nitrogen, which are heavier than air. They displace the lighter air and thus prevent the oxygen in the air from oxidizing the wine. If your local wine shop, gourmet grocery, or kitchen store doesn’t have such an item, you can easily find it online. When pairing fish or chicken or rabbit with mead, look for ingredients that combine well not only with white wine, but also with honey, as well as with the main protein. Below, you’ll find some terrific combinations of flavors to pair with mead. Note that in recipes calling for white wine, you can always substitute mead in-stead. This may be the mead you plan to serve with that course, or it could just as well be a dif-ferent mead. We presented a terrific dinner planned around a selection of dry to semi-sweet meads at one of our tasting events. All the ingredients came from the deli of our local gourmet grocery store, New Seasons Markets: Chicken Meatballs with plum sauce, green beans with fennel, and lemon herb rice.


Almonds Almonds and honey are a classic pairing; poultry and seafood recipes that use al-monds almost always pair well with mead.

Apples Chicken and apples, pork and apples, pork-apple or chicken-apple sausages, Waldorf salad, baked stuffed apples for brunch.

Apricot Apricot and almond ravioli. Fig-and-feta-stuffed apricots.

Avocados These are especially good with mangoes and shrimp or crab.

Pairing Food and MeadCHRISSIE GIVES ADVICE ON SPECIFIC FOODS AND HOW TO MATCH THEM BEST WITH MEAD

The following food combinations offer proven flavor profiles that are complementary to each

other and with mead. Be inspired, and create an amazing pairing meal tonight!


Carrots Carrots go well with honey, almonds, bacon, cinnamon, ginger, pine nuts, tarragon.

Cauliflower Roasted or otherwise-caramel-ized. One of the most surprising and brilliant pairings I’ve had was Sky River Meadery’s Dry Blackberry Mead paired with simple caramel-ized cauliflower.

Mushrooms Chanterelle mushrooms, and other wild mushrooms, especially morels, chicken-of-the-woods, and lobster mush-rooms. They pair especially well with chicken, game birds, rabbit, shellfish, and omelets.

Chicken Chicken, especially when prepared in any recipes with almost any combination of al-monds, apples, asparagus, bacon, Swiss cheese, cherries, chestnuts, coconut, corn, curry, garlic, ginger, mangoes, mustard, plums, star anise, sweet potatoes, teriyaki sauce, walnuts.

Chocolate Chocolate, which can be savory as well as sweet, as in chicken or turkey molé.

Corn Corn generally. Think for a moment how perfect a drizzle of honey is on cornbread and you get an inkling of this ingredient’s potential for mead pairings. Corn in almost any format, especially with bacon, butter, chanterelles, feta or parmesan cheese, marjoram, black pepper or bell peppers. Corn comes on the cob, baked as cornbread, as hominy grits, and as creamy po-lenta or grilled polenta cakes.

Curry Curries; generally mild curries pair best with dry to semisweet meads. Fruitier curries pair well with oaked meads. Spicy curries pair better with sweeter and fruity meads.

Duck Duck and goose are both amazing with honey; try recipes that include apples, apri-cots, artichokes, bourbon, cherries, bittersweet chocolate, corn, cranberries, curry, figs, juniper berries, mangoes, molasses, mushrooms, mus-tard, peaches, pistachios, Chinese plum sauce, pomegranates, rhubarb, sage.

Figs Figs and prosciutto or other hams; figs and goat cheese; figs and blue cheese.


Grapefruit combine with Brussels sprouts, or with fish or shellfish. Grapefruit for brunch is made extra-special by topping halved grape-fruits with a little butter plus a sprinkling of mead, and then caramelizing the sugars under the broiler for just a few minutes before serving. Although citrus ingredients such as grapefruits can sometimes make grape wines taste funny, citrus ingredients generally pair very nicely with meads due to the absence of tannins.

Greens Greens and mustard, especially with bacon, pork belly, or sausage.

Ham Ham, pretty much any preparation ever. (Think for a moment: honey ham. And then extend that idea to mead and ham.) But espe-cially try recipes for ham that also use juniper berries, gruyére cheese, cherries, cloves, figs, garlic, mushrooms, mustard, peaches, port, rai-sins, rosemary, sour cream, and thyme.

Rabbit Rabbit or hare, especially with thyme, mushrooms, juniper berries, lavender, mustard, pine nuts, walnuts.

Lamb Lamb, prepared pretty much any way you can think of. But especially with almonds, apples, bacon, white beans, cardamom, feta or parmesan cheese, dried cherries, couscous, fennel, garlic, ginger, grapefruit, hazelnuts, ju-niper berries, mushrooms, mustard, olive oil, pine nuts, rosemary, sage.

Lemon Lemon and fish or chicken, especial-ly in recipes that also use almonds and carda-mom. Citrus ingredients pair far better with meads than they do with grape wines.

Lentils Lentils pair well when made with some ham or bacon.

Salads Salads, especially with honey-mustard

dressing, avocados, peaches, pears, and cheese. Or with apples in a Waldorf salad. Or with Feta and apricots in a Middle Eastern-inspired salad.

Melons Melons, especially with prosciutto or other hams, and with pear.

Mushrooms Mushroom tarts, especially with cream, shallots, and thyme.

Mustard Any honey-mustard—anything works well with mead. Try it as a salad dressing or as a marinade.

Peaches and Pears Peaches or pears, espe-cially savory preparations, and with barbeque.

Pasta Pasta with mushrooms, cream sauces, lobster, pancetta, pine nuts, Romano or Parme-san cheeses.

Persimmons Persimmons and pork have an earthy umami combination that is just stellar with mead, especially a mead that has earthy flavors, such as a mead from carrot blossom or avocado honeys.

Pheasant Pheasant and other game birds, es-pecially with apples, bacon, blackberries, chest-nuts, juniper berries, lemon, mushrooms, sage, sausage, shallots, sour cream, thyme.

Plums Chicken and plums, especially with al-monds or other nuts.

Polenta, Corn Bread Again, corn is an in-gredient that works well with mead pretty much any way you can think to use it. Polenta can be made fresh and creamy, or leftover polenta can be spread on a cookie sheet and chilled over-night and then cut into squares and fried or grilled as polenta cakes.

Pork Pork any way you can contrive it, espe-


cially with hoisin sauce, tarragon, mustard, plum sauce, sage, star anise, apples, fennel, ju-niper berries. For an over-the-top ambitious party, try roasting or pit-cooking a whole suck-ling pig and serving it with several meads. Pork belly: there is no wrong way to serve it!

Potatoes Potatoes with mushrooms, fennel, bacon, parsley, parsnip.

Pumpkin Pumpkin, sweet potatoes, acorn squash, and other winter squashes, sweet or sa-vory, any way you can think of, especially with apples, bacon, coconut, ginger, carrots, gruyére cheese, mace or nutmeg, mushrooms, pecans, thyme. Consider soups, raviolis, broiled/roast-ed vegetables, sweet and savory pies, custards, risottos, and more.

Quail Quail or squab, similar to chicken and pheasant, try with cranberries, risotto, figs, ginger, juniper berries, mushrooms, pancetta, pears, persimmons, sage, shallots, watercress. (Quail is a light meat similar to chicken and pheasant. Squabs, which are young pigeons, are almost all dark meat, like the drumstick or thigh on a turkey or chicken.)

Quinces Quinces, try with quail, liver pate, and risotto.

Red Snapper Red snapper is particularly friendly to honey; try recipes that incorporate ingredients of capers, celery, fennel, leeks, po-tatoes, saffron, parmesan cheese, sesame oil and seeds, tarragon, thyme.

Ricotta Cheese Ricotta cheese,especially in white lasagnas, or with almonds in crepes.

Rutabagas Rutabagas with butter and cream sauce; with lemon béchamel sauce; with nut-meg; with sage or thyme.

Salmon Salmon, with bacon, avocados, cher-vil, citrus, corn, cream or crème fraîche, fen-nel, garlic, ginger, juniper berries, mushrooms especially morels and chanterelles, mustard, raisins, snow peas, spinach, tarragon, tomato cream sauces, walnuts, watercress.

Sausage Sausage, with apples, cabbage, mus-tard.

Scallops Scallops especially prepared as the elegant and classic Coquilles St. Jacques, or with bacon, capers, avocados, cheese, cream or cream sauces, fennel, ginger, mushrooms, pumpkin and other winter squashes, shallots, soy sauce, tarragon, thyme.

Veal and Lamb Shanks Shanks and necks of veal or lamb; especially the classic Italian dish Osso Buco (which can be made using beef or veal or lamb) with its gremolata topping that is so worth the effort to make, and served with corn polenta.

Shellfish Shellfish with ham, lemon, mush-rooms, saffron.

Shrimp Shrimp, especially mild curries, or with scallions and tarragon, with oranges and peanuts, try shrimp scampi made using mead instead of white wine!

Sorrel Sorrel (a sour, lemony spring green that looks similar to spinach) with celery root, mus-tard, crème fraîche, tarragon.

Spaetzle Spaetzle, especially with bacon.

Stuffing On a weeknight, stuffing by itself or with leftovers or a side of sausage and braised greens is a meal on its own! When I make stuff-ing for poultry, I always double or triple the rec-


ipe and store the rest (before adding the broth) in an oven-ready casserole pan or ziplock freezer bag in my freezer. At about 4 p.m. on a weeknight, I can pull it out of the freezer, pour some hot broth over it, and put it in the oven for an easy dinner. It takes less than 20 min-utes to slice and caramelize onions, slice and add sausage, and slice and add kale; serve with stuffing as the side dish.

Ribs Ribs, spare ribs, barbeque ribs. This is a sure thing every time, impossible to do wrong. For pairing with dry to semisweet traditional meads, stick to a milder barbeque sauce. (For spicier or stronger barbeque sauces, try the bigger fruit meads or sweeter meads, especial-ly Polish meads or peach melomels; we’ll get to these bigger flavors in later chapters.)

Trout Trout, especially with almonds and lemon, with bacon, with white beans such as

flageolets, brown butter, mushrooms, cream, garlic, pears, sorrel. Grilled trout with almonds and lemon is divine paired with an oaked dry mead.

Turkey Yes, a dry or semi-sweet traditional mead is the ideal wine for your Thanksgiv-ing table, or for white turkey lasagna or turkey paninis all year long. Try turkey with celery root, chestnuts, ham, mushrooms, parsley, raspberries, sage, stuffing, tarragon, thyme.

Wild Rice Wild rice with almonds, hazelnuts, or pine nuts and wild mushrooms. Especially with game birds such as pheasant or quail. Es-pecially with seafood.

Yogurt Yogurt with honey, mint, watercress, carrots, onions, nuts.

photo courtesy of Bee Thinking, Portland OR


Of Bees And Men

Colin Druce-McFadden

Welcome to the second installment of our look at humanity’s epically long, often ridiculous history with the original “Nectar of the gods,” mead. In our first installment, which can be found in the previous issue of this magazine, we took mead out of prehistoric Africa and saw it thrive in Ancient Greece. This time, we’ll track mead as it spreads across the old world and then, earlier than you might expect, faces the first real challenge to its survival.We begin where we left off. The year is 7000 BC, and mead has begun its spread across the globe.

The Old World • 7000 BC-1 AD The moment mead entered into Greek myth, it also began what can only be described as a bid for global domination (ok, maybe that’s not the ONLY way to describe it). By 7000 BC, ancient pottery from Iran boasted mead residue. Start-ing in the same year and continuing on for at least five centuries thereafter, Northern Chi-nese pottery was found to have played home to a mix of honey, rice, a variety of fruits, and the tell-tale signs of fermentation. Eventually, every corner of Asia—from Ja-pan to Southeast Asia and India—was sipping on the stuff. We even owe the oldest surviving written description of mead to the Rigveda, an 1100 BC manuscript sacred to the Vedic and Hindu religions. As for Europe, the oft-forgotten ancient

THE LONG, OFTEN CONVOLUTED HISTORY OF MEAD

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Bell-Beaker Culture (named for its use of clay pots) spread mead to small areas across the continent somewhere between 2800 and 1800 BC. Later, the Romans brought mead (along with the Greek pantheon of gods) to every cor-ner of their empire. This means that, at least as early as 100 AD, all of Western Europe had been exposed to mead’s sweet intoxication. As mead’s popularity grew, so did its footprint in mythology. No longer was mead exclusively the purview of Zeus (now Jupiter) and his Gre-co-Roman ilk. Odin and his son Thor favored mead when they dined in Valhalla. One Norse mead in particular, made from a mix of honey and the blood of an all-knowing man named Kvasir (replacement ingredients not available), was said to instantly instill wisdom and poetry in the heart of whoever drank it. Not to be outdone, the ancient Anglo-Saxons included mead in one of their own seminal works, the epic poem Beowulf, while the Welsh made reference to it in the equally ancient poet-ic work Y Gododdin. Things were looking good for mead, but even as it worked its way across the known world, trouble began brewing (pun intended) back in the Mediterranean.

The Perfect Storm • 1 AD-1500 AD Around the year 60 AD, even as the Spanish-Ro-man naturalist Columella was jotting down his recipe for mead, Pliny the Elder was making sure we understood the difference between what he termed militites (traditional mead) and honey-wines, a grape-based intoxicant in which the honey was added after the fact. Wine and beer had both been around for mil-lennia at this point, but mead had remained top dog due to its inherent sweetness and nat-ural preservative properties. That was about to change. In the year 380 AD, Emperor Theodo-sius I proclaimed Christianity as the sole reli-gion of the Roman Empire, and there was much rejoicing. There was also a sudden increase in the need for beeswax candles. Hives all across

the empire were ransacked by mazers looking to profit from the inflated price of wax, and mead production stalled. Meanwhile, society was marching forward. Countries were urbanizing and wealth was becoming (comparatively speaking) more commonplace. Demand for symbols of afflu-ence (like booze) skyrocketed. Back then, wine enjoyed a fermentation timetable much more akin to beer than mead. Due to their quick pro-duction times, both beverages began to grab ever-increasing portions of the market. By the year 400, mead had disappeared from India. 200 years later, China followed suit.

Columella’s ancient mead recipe:

Take rainwater kept for several years,

and mix a sextarius (one imperial pint)

of this water with a pound of honey. For

a weaker mead, mix a sextarius of water

with nine ounces of honey. The whole is

exposed to the sun for 40 days, and then

left on a shelf near the fire. If you have no

rain water, then boil spring water.

Europe held on a bit longer, but in 1000 AD, brewers discovered that if they added hops to their beer it would travel better. The hops also did interesting things to beer’s (previous-ly somewhat lacking) flavor. Then, in 1300 AD, famed explorer Marco Polo returned from the Spice Islands (Indonesia) with something called

“sugar,” which was cheaper to produce than honey and improved the taste of wine. All told, the combination of urbanization, high beeswax demand, hops, and sugar worked together to utterly shatter mead’s popularity. By the 1500s, mead had all but disappeared.

Next time: Mead returns from the ashes of its own destruction.


Mead in Southeast AsiaEXPLORING A GROWING INDUSTRY


For the uninitiated, “Southeast Asia” is indeed vast and inclusive of many countries, but for this article we will concentrate on where the craft beer movement is most active: Bangkok, Thailand, Singapore, and to a certain extent, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. In Southeast Asia, the first meads made avail-able in a bar were bottles from the Danish me-adery, Dansk Mjød. They were brought in by Mikkeller Bar Bangkok nearly 2 years ago, and in a very small quantity; after all, not many peo-ple understood what mead was all about. When compared to new IPAs and stouts, mead re-ceived minimal promotion, and there has been no supply of craft-level mead in and around the region until very recently. It was only in early 2016 that both Bangkok and Singapore started to see more mead com-ing in, this time from American meaderies like Superstition and B. Nektar. In January, mead was made publicly available for the first time when craft beer enthusiasts within the region gathered in Singapore to attend a beer festi-val organized by a craft beer importer. It was a humble exhibition of mead with only a few variants, but that event still marked the very first time mead was served on tap in Singapore, along with bottles for sale from both B. Nektar and Superstition. Just one month later, Mik-keller Bangkok was celebrating their two-year anniversary and offered several Superstition meads on tap, along with eight bottled variants available for sale. These two events in Singapore and Bang-

kok, though very small in scale, opened up the senses for some craft beer aficionados. While there’s basically no mead supply in my home city of Kuala Lumpur, the beer geeks here are still happy to know that at least there’s some mead available in Bangkok (a 2 hour flight) or in Singapore (a 1 hour flight). In fact, it is likely that one or two craft beer shops here in Kua-la Lumpur will be getting some bottles in from Singapore to satisfy requests. In order to demonstrate a local and individual perspective on mead for the readers of Amer-ican Mead Maker, I spoke with two different people who are spreading the word on mead in Southeast Asia. A friend of mine in Singa-pore, Yancheng Choo (YC) is a pharmacist by trade but in his spare time is involved with craft beer events. He caught the beer bug in 2012, but over the past two years has become a big fan of mead. Like most Southeast Asian drink-ers, he could not find any mead locally, and first encountered mead when a geek from Florida came to Southeast Asia for work and brought with him the Kuhnhenn Brewing Company’s Bourbon Barrel French Toast Mead—certainly an incredible way to begin his mead adventure. According to YC, for his first encounter with mead, he had “absolutely no expectation” of what mead might be—though he thought it would be quite different from any other bever-age he had tried. His verdict after tasting mead? YC reports, “I found that mead is at least as di-verse as craft beer in its styles, and definitely multi-dimensional if well made.” While “access is very difficult,” YC says he has enjoyed meads from several producers includ-ing New Day, Superstition, B. Nektar, and Apis from Poland. Up north in Bangkok, Taey Wasawat Ch-aowanachinda was one of the first beer and food pairing consultants at Mikkeller Bangkok and currently is a brewer at Tawadang Ger-man Brewhouse. Taey first came to know mead while working at Mikkeller Bangkok when they

CT Tai

The United States and Europe have been enjoying the explosive growth of craft beer for decades, and recently the category has put down roots in Asia. Even rarer than craft beer is mead, which is something very new to beer geeks in and around Southeast Asia.


brought in a few different bottles of Dasnk Mjød. On his first experience with mead, Taey said, “It was a little like wine, and what I liked about mead is the balance of tannin, as I find that wine can have too much of a tannin com-ponent in the mouthfeel.” From a brewer and beer geek point of view, Taey felt that mead “has the right kind of texture combined with layers of complexity in the taste.”One mead Taey tried resulted in him being dumbfounded by the beauty of what he sipped: A Strawberry White from Superstition Meadery. The mead was actually not for sale, but a private bottle of owner/partner of Mikkeller Bangkok, Jakob Rasmussen. Taey subsequently posted a photo on his Facebook page saying, “I found love last night, thanks to Jakob for letting me try the most beautiful thing on earth!” Here in Kuala Lumpur, the craft beer scene as a whole is still lagging behind Bangkok and Singapore in terms of numbers of importers, craft beer bars and bottle shop operators, which translates to lesser varieties and choices. The situation is such that the Kuala Lumpur tast-ing group has to be creative to secure beers we want to try internationally, and it looks like some international mail order might well be on the card for some tasty mead. A significant factor affecting mead being im-ported in Southeast Asia is the steep expense of shipping overseas, and when this is added to the taxes and regulatory barriers which vary by country, getting more mead is not an easy

proposition. These added expenses to a bottle of mead, compared to what it would cost in the country of origin, are magnified by the vary-ing average incomes of different countries in Southeast Asia. Despite all of these issues, how-ever, the craft beer movement, and now mead, is slowly but surely growing in Southeast Asia.In fact, as I’m writing this article, a mini craft beer festival is happening in Bangkok at a com-munity shopping mall—the first of its kind. And in March, Mikkeller Bangkok completed the first ever Superstition Meadery tap-takeover with a good response from geeks in and around the region, including a beer geek friend of mine who flew in from Hong Kong for the event. It was worth the trip for him as there is still no supply of mead in Hong Kong or nearby Taiwan where the craft beer movement is quite strong. Mead in Southeast Asia, and Asia as a whole, is certainly very new. Yet the beauty of the craft beer culture is such that people who taste mead are loving it and are happy to spread the love. It is with this hope that we as geeks look forward to influencing the craft beer importers and bar and bottle shop operators into moving more tasty mead this way.

Ct Tai is a leading craft beer blogger in Asia and he writes a weekly craft beer column for the Malaysian Chinese lan-guage newspaper Guangming Daily.


Introduction 2016 brings us to the fourth year that the Ameri-can Mead Makers Association (AMMA) has been tracking production and sales data from the United States mead industry. Each January rep-resents a time when businesses making mead have assembled and reported their production totals to the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), and are wrapping up their financ-es in order to file with the IRS. So each spring AMMA prepares a survey inviting their corpo-rate members to submit responses to our annual survey. AMMA is proud to announce that both mead production & gross revenue from me-adery sales is in the double digits in the period from 2014 to 2015. The American Mead Makers AssociationSince the Second Annual Industry Report was published in early 2015 the AMMA has transi-tioned from a formative industry organization to an established industry organization with 11 board members representing all aspects of the mead industry. Active committees with-in AMMA include the Legislative, Publications, Marketing, and Technology committees. In brief, each of these groups is meeting and work-ing respectively to address regulation and tax issues, to publish the journal American Mead Maker, to publish industry sales and marketing material, and to enhance the AMMA website. A recent project in development by the AMMA board is working to establish a day of seminars based around the time frame of the Mazer Cup International mead competition, which is held in March every year in Broomfield, Colorado. This event is the largest commercial mead com-petition in the world and represents a time and place where the most mead makers have gath-ered. Efforts within AMMA have included rais-ing membership levels and revenue from dues and donations to record levels. This increased revenue is allowing the AMMA board to dedicate funds to the committees for the purpose of ac-complishing tasks which will benefit the mead industry.

MeadIndustry Update2016

ANNUAL SURVEY FINDS THAT MEAD PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION HAVE BOTH GONE UP IN 2015


AMMA & UC DavisOne focus of the board over the past year was strengthening its professional relationship with UC Davis. AMMA board members have travelled many times to UC Davis to attend a mead brand-ing seminar, and to teach classes which help developing and established meaderies improve their production methods & obtain resources to grow their businesses. Additionally, AMMA has appropriated funds to begin the first academic mead research program at UC Davis, the preem-inent fermentation science research institution in the world. The Mead Industry in 2016The Second Annual Mead Industry Report counted 194 mead producers in the United States, and this year AMMA counts 275 mead producers in the United States with 427 total mead producers worldwide. The precise number of commercial mead makers is a fluid number and is difficult to track. However, this increase

in mead producers indicates an increase of 42% in one year, and it is very clear that meaderies are being established on par with the growth in popularity of the category. The US Mead industry is challenging to con-cisely detail for several reasons. One is that while most mead is regulated by the wine branch of the TTB, the definition of mead as ac-cepted by the industry and international com-petitions exceeds the scope of the TTB. The steep regulation and corresponding taxation of the US alcohol industry as a whole manag-es the production of alcoholic beverages by di-viding the producers into wineries, breweries or distilleries. For example, there are distilleries which produce mead for the purpose of distill-ing into honey vodkas and gins. Breweries are increasingly adding honey at rates of over 20% of the fermentable sugars creating a beverage known as a braggot, which is considered a style of mead by everyone except the governing


agencies alcohol producers must defer to. This is due to the fact that wineries are not allowed to use cereal grains in their products, and brew-eries must. Another reason why the industry eludes a single characterization is that like the beverages they produce, mead makers are often existing on a frontier. With no entrepreneurial success stories as yet published in a popular book or documentary, unlike in the world of brewing and wine making, a strong individual spirit is a requisite quality of the founder of a meadery. A final reason why the mead industry is hard to classify is that mead is an emerging product. Any emerging product as diverse as mead will have so many stories to share. AMMA views the challenge of classifying what we are all about as a positive aspect for our young industry since everyone who is a part of it has the ability to contribute to the definition of what we all are creating.Methodology of the Survey40 members of AMMA responded to this year’s survey. The data presented in this report is unique to the corresponding 2016 survey. Based on the anonymity of the answers, and the different data source, the 2016 data was not analyzed comparatively with the 2015 Second Annual Mead Industry Report. The data ana-lyzed is representative of the mead industry as a whole but clearly a larger group of data points will serve to illustrate an increasingly accurate description of the US Mead industry as the in-dustry expands. AMMA recognizes the limits of the data set analyzed for this report but also acknowledges that the results published in this report offers the greatest holistic perspective of the current state of the mead industry. 10 ques-tions were assembled in an anonymous online survey and answers were solicited from AMMA corporate members. There are a number of ways to measure central tendency in order to gain an understanding of a data set so we have determined and presented the mean and/or

42% INCREASE IN MEAD PRODUCERS


median values as indicated in the results. Classifying the Commercial Mead Mak-ers Who Answered the SurveyThe first question posed asked respondents how long they have operated a commercial meadery. The answers ranged from 1 to 24 years with the mean being 3.65 years and the median at 2.5. When considering the implications of the re-sults presented in this report keep in mind that the median operating time of the respondents is quite low and indicates that many answers are derived from young businesses. However, the mature meaderies balance out the mean data to offer a wide view on the industry. AMMA asked commercial meaderies if they also operate a brewery or distillery in addition to their winery. 2 meaderies replied that they operate a distillery and 3 operate a brewery. 1 respondent in the survey operated all 3 alcohol producing entities. While obvious differences

exist amongst spirits, beer, wine, mead and ci-der, the requirements and skill set required to run any of these businesses are complementa-ry and it will be interesting to determine if this becomes a trend moving forwards. One expla-nation for a meadery endeavoring to maintain an additional alcohol producing business is that the consumer and competition definition of mead includes braggots which must be pro-duced at a brewery, and the relatively untapped innovative potential of distilled honey based spirits exists on the frontier of craft beverage

development. Additional Products and Mead DiversityIn addition to running a brewery or distillery, mead makers were asked if they produce and sell additional categories of alcoholic products permitted by their winery status and additional non-alcoholic products. The responses includ-ed grape wine, hard cider, chocolate, kombu-cha, elderberry syrup, vin de noix, honey, fruit wine & fruit drinks. For those meaderies with a brewery, they reported producing braggots, and those with a distillery reported spirits. 45% of meaderies produce mead exclusively and 55% make at least one additional product. The average number of different meads pro-duced was 14, and the answers ranged from 2 to 85. When asked about their bestselling mead produced in 2015, 43% of meaderies in-dicate that a fruit based mead, or melomel, is

their most popular, while 30% replied that a traditional mead was their best selling product. Some of the respondents offered greater detail in their answers with 11% stating that a cyser, or apple and honey based mead, was the specif-ic type of melomel that made up their leading product and 14% declared that a session mead, or mead with an alcohol content under 10% al-cohol by volume, was their best seller. Further-more, 16% answered that a metheglin, or herb and/or spiced mead, was their best seller. With honey being the defining ingredient in

85% GROSS REVENUE INCREASE BETWEEN 2014-2015


mead, AMMA asked where mead makers are getting their honey. 80% stated that they use a local source and 7.5% actually raise their own bees, contributing at least a portion of their honey used in production. Other answers in-dicated that their honey is sourced from large packagers such as Dutch Gold or from inter-national suppliers. The data overwhelmingly describes that mead makers, presumably for fi-nancial and/or ideological reasons, are making a product with local ingredients which serves to support the popular assertion that the mead industry is concerned with positively impact-ing ecological issues and their local economy. In addition to having raw materials travel less miles, using local honey or even producing one’s own primary fermentable ingredient, allows the customers of a meadery to have a unique connection to the beverage they are consuming. Mead Industry GrowthWhile examples of spontaneous mead produc-tion in nature exist, commercial mead is made by companies with employees and we asked how many people work at your meadery. The range was 1-15 with the mean at 3.6 and the me-dian at 2. Many meaderies are operated entirely by the owners, who are counted as employees of their business in this survey, and only begin to afford payroll expenses as they grow. The data indicates that most meaderies have 2 or less employees but the number grows quickly in proportion to the size of the operation. Mead production data collected by the sur-vey included responses from meaderies which were not established in each of the 3 years that data was requested. If a meadery was not pro-ducing in a given year, their quantity of 0 gal-lons was not included in the analysis in order to report on actual production in each given year of comparative data. The mean values for 2013, 2014, and 2015 were (in gallons) 7111, 8289, and 11622. This tells us that mead production grew 40% from 2014 to 2015.

When asked about gross sales revenue the mean data indicates an increase of 43% from 2013-2014, 85% from 2014-2015, and 167% over the years 2013-2015. The values compared for the three years respectively are $273,551, $393,710, & $737,029. AMMA is pleased to report that meadery gross sales are continuing their rapid expansion. Mead is a small and emerging category, but no sector of the alcohol industry is currently expanding as fast as mead. These sales numbers are further supported by the growth of meaderies being established and the gallons being produced from year to year. ConclusionWhen asked about what members would like to see AMMA work on as organizational priorities, over half stated legislation and/or regulatory reform pertaining to formulation, labelling and taxation. Some of the suggestions stressed ad-dressing taxes and CO2 levels in session and/or carbonated meads. Others stated that it may be beneficial to continue to work with the TTB to educate specialists on the regulations pertain-ing to mead, which would certainly be import-ant as the Code of Federal Regulations evolve. The next group stressed the importance of cre-ating awareness of mead, through marketing efforts, educational pamphlets, festivals, and events. Other priorities included establishing a trade show and conference at the Mazer Cup, offering links to all meaderies and trusted sup-pliers on our website, and offering a program to help established meaderies succeed and mea-deries in planning go pro. In addition to presenting growth in mead production and especially mead sales, this sur-vey and corresponding report offers all mead makers the chance to have their voice heard and their collective work & ideas represented. AMMA would like to thank everyone who par-ticipated in this survey. We will continue to work hard to improve the regulations that govern our industry and to market mead to craft beverage drinkers in the United States and beyond.

The Sour Orange Blossom is a varietal mead made with wild yeast and orange blossom honey. It’s the second mead I’ve been able to try from the California based Meadery. The first was their Orange blossom mead so it will be nice to see how the wild yeast changes the flavor. The label says, “We combined our two most pop-ular meads: Orange Blossom and Sour. The result is a refreshing citrus drink that is gluten-free, 12% alcohol, and made from the most natural and local ingredients in Southern California. Enjoy this unique beverage chilled and always include a friend!” The Sour Orange Blossom mead comes in a 500ml Amber “bomber” bottle. When cracking open the crown capped bottle, you hear the “psssst” of pressure release, letting you know this is a carbonated mead. Good thing too. I hate prying off a bottle cap and hearing no noise. The sip starts slightly sweet and ends quite tart. It has kind of a tart candy flavor that reminds me of some sort of candy from my childhood that I can’t quite put my finger on. I haven’t really warmed up to sour beers. I find them a little off – like some of the bad batch’s of homebrew I’ve made. However, the wild yeast works quite nicely with this mead. It’s not too sour nor does it have a lot

of that wild yeast funkiness. The tartness with this one is a little bit more citrusy – most likely as a result of the orange blossom honey. Overall it’s a nice drinkable, refreshing mead – light sweetness, dry and tart. It’s sur-prising that this it has a 12% ABV. The alcohol isn’t really noticeable. It’s incredibly drinkable – so watch out. While I felt that the standard Orange blossom mead fell a little flat on flavor, I think this one improves upon it greatly. Though I believe they selected the right bottle for the carbonated mead, the label really fights with the amber color, especially the teal color. This is really no-ticeable with the text on the back. the color along with the font choice and letter spacing makes it look messy and not so easy to read. There’s also an uncomfortable tension between the teal and the greenish yellow – pair that with all the graphic elements going on, and the whole thing looks a little muddy. Nothing really pops. The mead in the bottle is so bright and lively, so I’d expect to see that coming through in the label. Very good mead, now i’d like to see the label be taken to the same level!

Golden Coast Mead - Sour Orange Blossom

Meadist Reviews

http://meadist.com/drinking-mead/mead-reviews/golden-coast-mead-sour-orange-blossom-review/

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http://meadist.com/drinking-mead/mead-reviews/

My wife and I visited her parents in Vermont at the end of her maternity leave. A perfect location and to give Groennfell’s Valkyrie’s Choice mead. Groennfell is a Vermont mead company located not too far from where I grew up. The name “Groennfell” is old Norse for “green mountain” in honor of the green mountain state.Valkyrie’s Choice is a traditional mead at 9.2% abv. It pours a cloudy, light straw color with significant car-bonation. The carbonation releases a nice bouquet of wildflower honey – which is quite pleasant, but there is a little tinge of sweet medicine. It drinks a bit differently than ex-pected from the initial percep-tion. It’s not as carbonated in the mouth as it seemed to be in the glass. It’a fairly refreshing for 9.2% alcohol, but the alcohol becomes more noticeable on the tail end. There is also a bit of a medicinal aftertaste as well.Groennfell is really embracing the history of mead in all aspects of their brand, from the old Norse name of the company and the name of the mead to the design of the label. While I appreciate the consistency (con-

sistency is key when building a brand) the full commit-ment to the ancient roots of the beverage really limits the market.I feel like a lot of mead brands fall prey to this. They really focus on the historical aspect of mead but don’t formulate for a contemporary audience. Similar to her-itage brands, mead brands need to strike a balance between honoring the past while targeting a modern audience with discerning tastes in a crowded market-place.

Valkyrie’s choice not just tips the scale toward histo-ry, it breaks the scale. The one thing I do like about the label is the unique shape –diecut oval/mountains on the front with a band that wraps around. It fits the brand nicely as a reference to a shield or other piece of armor.

Groennfell Meadery - Valkyrie’s Choice

Meadist is an online source for modern mead exploration.Find additional reviews and more at meadist.com To have your mead reviewed, email [email protected]

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FRAMING THE PUBLIC PERCEPTION OF MEAD

Mead Branding Workshop at University of California, Davis


On November 12, 2015, several AMMA board members and mead makers from across the country assembled at the UC Davis Honey and Pollination Center, which is part of the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science. The purpose of the meeting was to create a unified message that all meaderies can utilize in order to promote our industry as well as our in-dividual products. The meeting was organized by Amina Harris, who directs the Honey and Pollination Center, and led by Jeremy Benson, who runs an international wine and spirits marketing company. The Benson Group has offices in Napa Valley, New York City, and Paris, and represents an impres-sive list of clients from around the world.

Prior to the meeting, homework was assigned to all attendees. We were asked to detail mead’s internal strengths and external opportunities, as well as to provide answers to the following questions:

What will success mean for our category and for our brand? What is our envisioned future by 2025? Compared to craft beer or spirits, what makes mead attractive to trade and consumer buyers? Why should they choose our product?

The evening before the meeting, UC Davis hosted a reception dinner, and ideas flowed along with fine mead and wine. It was very inspiring to hear mead makers, each with many different styles of products and business models, support various positions on how the industry needs to evolve. Those positions were expressed and organized the following day when our meeting began with Jeremy Benson.

After introductions were made, Jeremy directed a series of exercises to line out every possible strength, weakness, opportunity, and threat—a “SWOT” analysis—related to the mead industry on giant Post-it sheets of paper. This focused our thoughts, and if something slowed the progress of the discus-sion, the topic was written on a sheet that read “Parking Lot.” After 2 hours, and before adjourning for a quick break, everyone in the group was given small colored Post-it notes to vote on the most important aspects written under each SWOT page. The last half of the meeting allowed us to focus the discussion further by taking the leading topics and developing a list of the Key Brand Benefits of mead.

After the meeting adjourned, UC Davis hosted a dinner where AMMA board members and other mead industry leaders were able to connect with the di-rector of the Robert Mondavi Institute and continue the conversation about the potential of mead research and industry development. A few weeks af-

Jeff Herbert

A VERSATILE OFFERING THAT APPEALS TO TODAY’S CONSUMER

Mead is a delicious alcoholic beverage made

from honey. Unmatched in its versatility, mead

can range from light and refreshing to rich and

complex, with styles that include fruit, spices,

herbs and other natural ingredients. Enjoyed

by craft beer, wine and cider lovers alike, the

unique flavors of mead make it an experience all

its own.

DRY

S

PARK

LING

SPICE SWEET STILL FRUIT

Mead, the world’s most popular beverage

throughout most of recorded history, is quickly

finding its way back into mainstream popularity.

Across the country this naturally gluten-free

drink is being adopted by wine and beer

consumers searching for new discoveries in

authentic, great-tasting craft beverages.

Modern mead makers are creating demand with

a range of exciting products, from traditional

meads that showcase honey varietals and local

terroir, to styles that feature various fruit, spice

and experimental ingredients. With a spectrum

of flavors that can’t be found among any other

alcohol beverage, it’s no surprise that mead’s

moment has arrived. Are you ready?

THE FASTEST GROWING ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE IN THE US

50%

30%

10%

2014 SALES GROWTH

WINE

4%

OVERALL

BEER

1%

CRAFT

BEER

17%

MEAD

42%

Sources: Neilson, Brewers Association, American Mead Makers Association

2014 PRODUCTION GROWTH

140%

84%

28%

OVERALL

BEER

1%CRAFT

BEER

18%

MEAD

128%

WINE

1%


ter the meeting in Davis, Jeremy Ben-son’s office sent out a summary of the main points from the intensive session which were further commented on by the attendees through an email corre-spondence. Paul Reiss, the Boston-based graphic designer responsible for AMMA’s brand identity package, then worked with Bill Beltz, another graphic designer and award-winning home mead maker based in San Diego, to create two sin-gle-page documents synthesizing the meeting.

The resulting documents are designed as tools for meaderies to educate individu-al customers or potential accounts on the benefits of mead. The slogan, “Mead, Drink Different” was posited by Paul and Bill as way to engage new consumers who, more often than not, are crossover drinkers who usually buy craft beer, ci-der, or wine.

This effort represents a positive effort by AMMA to begin to focus the marketing of the mead industry. These sell sheets are available to any AMMA corporate mem-ber on the AMMA website to reproduce in any format, and our goal is that mead sales staff will utilize the information to grow their business.

A VERSATILE OFFERING THAT APPEALS TO TODAY’S CONSUMER

Mead is a delicious alcoholic beverage made

from honey. Unmatched in its versatility, mead

can range from light and refreshing to rich and

complex, with styles that include fruit, spices,

herbs and other natural ingredients. Enjoyed

by craft beer, wine and cider lovers alike, the

unique flavors of mead make it an experience all

its own.

DRY

S

PARK

LING

SPICE SWEET STILL FRUIT

Mead, the world’s most popular beverage

throughout most of recorded history, is quickly

finding its way back into mainstream popularity.

Across the country this naturally gluten-free

drink is being adopted by wine and beer

consumers searching for new discoveries in

authentic, great-tasting craft beverages.

Modern mead makers are creating demand with

a range of exciting products, from traditional

meads that showcase honey varietals and local

terroir, to styles that feature various fruit, spice

and experimental ingredients. With a spectrum

of flavors that can’t be found among any other

alcohol beverage, it’s no surprise that mead’s

moment has arrived. Are you ready?

THE FASTEST GROWING ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE IN THE US

50%

30%

10%

2014 SALES GROWTH

WINE

4%

OVERALL

BEER

1%

CRAFT

BEER

17%

MEAD

42%


2014 PRODUCTION GROWTH

140%

84%

28%

OVERALL

BEER

1%CRAFT

BEER

18%

MEAD

128%

WINE

1%


THE ORIGINAL CRAFT BEVERAGEDiscover a timeless beverage being creatively reinvented. Mead, a delicious alcoholic beverage made with honey, has always been a celebration of life and those that dare to live it. Modern mead making continues this tradition through a journey of discovery and craftsmanship that produce flavors as unique as the mead makers that imagine them.

Will you dare to drink different?

PERFECT FOR BEER, WINE & CIDER LOVERSMEAD HAS A BROAD RANGE OF FLAVOR PROFILES, FROM LIGHT AND REFRESHING TO BOLD AND FULL-BODIED.

UNIQUE CHARACTEREVERY BOTTLE OF MEAD IS AN INDIVIDUAL EXPERIENCE DEFINED BY THE INHERENT DIVERSITY OF THE HONEY.

NATURALLY GLUTEN-FREEUNLIKE BEER, MEAD CONTAINS NO WHEAT, BARLEY OR RYE.

BENEFITS OUR ECOSYSTEMDRINKING MEAD HELPS SUPPORT BEE POPULATIONS, A VITAL RESOURCE FOR SUSTAINING THE PLANET’S ECOSYSTEMS.

DRINK DIFFERENT

MazerCup2016


The Mazer Cup is an international meadmaking com-petition that happens every year. This year’s compe-tition included meads from a multitude of different

meaderies, and divided awards into categories based on mead flavor. Included in this issue of American

Meadmaker are some photos from the event, and the final scores and rankings of the competitors.

Maz

er C

up R

esul

ts


Style Sub-Style Sub-Style Name Award Product Name Company MeadMaker11 1A Bracket or Braggot Gold Honey Stout Rabbits Foot Meadery Michael Faul11 1A Bracket or Braggot Silver Bees Knees Locavore Beer Works Andy nelson11 1A Bracket or Braggot Bronze Sunna's Nectar Sun Up Brewing Co Uwe Boer11 1A Bracket or Braggot Hon Men Bad Bee - IBA Rabbits Foot Meadery Michael Faul

21 2A Cyser Gold Virtue Moonlight Meadery LLC Michael Fairbrother21 2A Cyser Silver Apple Schramm's Mead Alyson Schramm21 2A Cyser Bronze Teacher's Pet Melovino Meadery Sergio Moutela

31 3A Dessert Mead-Semi Sweet Gold Favorite Child The Colony Meadery Mike Manning31 3A Dessert Mead-Semi Sweet Silver Black Berry White Superstition Meadery Jeff Herbert, Carlos31 3A Dessert Mead-Semi Sweet Bronze Utopian #9 Moonlight Meadery LLC Michael Fairbrother

32 3B Dessert Mead-Sweet Gold Monk Orchid Cellar Meadery and Wine Dan Kennedy32 3B Dessert Mead-Sweet Silver Medievale Intermiel Andre Abi Raad32 3B Dessert Mead-Sweet Bronze Colossus Meridian Hive Meadery Mike Simmons

41 4A Other Fruit/Veg Melomel - Dry Gold Marion Mead Superstition Meadery Jeff Herbert41 4A Other Fruit/Veg Melomel - Dry Silver Idaslettens Blackcurrent Mead Idaslettens microbrewery Asger ╪xenhave41 4A Other Fruit/Veg Melomel - Dry Bronze Berry Goode Black Heath Meadery Bill Cavender

42 4B Other Fruit/Veg Melomel - Semi-Sweet Gold Endovelicus Superstition Meadery Jeff Herbert42 4B Other Fruit/Veg Melomel - Semi-Sweet Silver The Statement Schramm's Mead Alyson Schramm42 4B Other Fruit/Veg Melomel - Semi-Sweet Bronze Raspberry Schramm's Mead Alyson Schramm Naeger

43 4C Other Fruit/Veg Melomel - Sweet Gold The Red Menace Celestial Meads Michael Kiker43 4C Other Fruit/Veg Melomel - Sweet Silver Madeline Schramm's Mead Alyson Schramm43 4C Other Fruit/Veg Melomel - Sweet Bronze Berry Boku Melovino Meadery Sergio Moutela

51 5A Metheglin - Dry Gold Hibiscus & Ginger Mead Bos Meadery Colleen Bos51 5A Metheglin - Dry Silver Hopped Mead Hierophant Meadery Jeremy Kyncl51 5A Metheglin - Dry Bronze Woofiedog The Colony Meadery Mike Manning


Style Sub-Style Sub-Style Name Award Product Name Company MeadMaker11 1A Bracket or Braggot Gold Honey Stout Rabbits Foot Meadery Michael Faul11 1A Bracket or Braggot Silver Bees Knees Locavore Beer Works Andy nelson11 1A Bracket or Braggot Bronze Sunna's Nectar Sun Up Brewing Co Uwe Boer11 1A Bracket or Braggot Hon Men Bad Bee - IBA Rabbits Foot Meadery Michael Faul

21 2A Cyser Gold Virtue Moonlight Meadery LLC Michael Fairbrother21 2A Cyser Silver Apple Schramm's Mead Alyson Schramm21 2A Cyser Bronze Teacher's Pet Melovino Meadery Sergio Moutela

31 3A Dessert Mead-Semi Sweet Gold Favorite Child The Colony Meadery Mike Manning31 3A Dessert Mead-Semi Sweet Silver Black Berry White Superstition Meadery Jeff Herbert, Carlos31 3A Dessert Mead-Semi Sweet Bronze Utopian #9 Moonlight Meadery LLC Michael Fairbrother

32 3B Dessert Mead-Sweet Gold Monk Orchid Cellar Meadery and Wine Dan Kennedy32 3B Dessert Mead-Sweet Silver Medievale Intermiel Andre Abi Raad32 3B Dessert Mead-Sweet Bronze Colossus Meridian Hive Meadery Mike Simmons

41 4A Other Fruit/Veg Melomel - Dry Gold Marion Mead Superstition Meadery Jeff Herbert41 4A Other Fruit/Veg Melomel - Dry Silver Idaslettens Blackcurrent Mead Idaslettens microbrewery Asger ╪xenhave41 4A Other Fruit/Veg Melomel - Dry Bronze Berry Goode Black Heath Meadery Bill Cavender

42 4B Other Fruit/Veg Melomel - Semi-Sweet Gold Endovelicus Superstition Meadery Jeff Herbert42 4B Other Fruit/Veg Melomel - Semi-Sweet Silver The Statement Schramm's Mead Alyson Schramm42 4B Other Fruit/Veg Melomel - Semi-Sweet Bronze Raspberry Schramm's Mead Alyson Schramm Naeger

43 4C Other Fruit/Veg Melomel - Sweet Gold The Red Menace Celestial Meads Michael Kiker43 4C Other Fruit/Veg Melomel - Sweet Silver Madeline Schramm's Mead Alyson Schramm43 4C Other Fruit/Veg Melomel - Sweet Bronze Berry Boku Melovino Meadery Sergio Moutela

51 5A Metheglin - Dry Gold Hibiscus & Ginger Mead Bos Meadery Colleen Bos51 5A Metheglin - Dry Silver Hopped Mead Hierophant Meadery Jeremy Kyncl51 5A Metheglin - Dry Bronze Woofiedog The Colony Meadery Mike Manning


Style Sub-Style Sub-Style Name Award Product Name Company MeadMaker

52 5B Metheglin - Semi-Sweet Gold The Root Cause Melovino Meadery Sergio Moutela52 5B Metheglin - Semi-Sweet Silver Romantic Traveler Robertson and Associates Winer Cris Robertson52 5B Metheglin - Semi-Sweet Bronze 21 Bean Salute Meadworks - 810 Bryan DeGraw

53 5C Metheglin - Sweet Gold Ginger Mead Prairie Rose Meadery Susan Ruud53 5C Metheglin - Sweet Silver Cricket Song Arktos Meadery Maciej Halaczkiewicz53 5C Metheglin - Sweet Bronze Indulge Moonlight Meadery LLC Michael Fairbrother

61 6A Pyment Gold Aphrodisia Superstition Meadery Jen Herbert61 6A Pyment Silver OM Meridian Hive Meadery Mike Simmons61 6A Pyment Bronze Rose Ambrosia St. Ambrose Cellars Kirk Jones

71 7A Session Mead - Dry Gold Red Branch - Ginger Rabbits Foot Meadery Michael Faul71 7A Session Mead - Dry Silver Johnny Jump Up Rabbits Foot Meadery Michael Faul71 7A Session Mead - Dry Bronze Hammer Smashed Cherry Bos Meadery Colleen Bos71 7A Session Mead - Semi-Sweet Hon Men Honeycone Nectar Creek Phillip Lorenz

72 7B Session Mead - Semi-Sweet Gold Razz! St. Ambrose Cellars Kirk Jones72 7B Session Mead - Semi-Sweet Silver The Lucid Poet Green Bench Mead & Cider Brian Wing72 7B Session Mead - Semi-Sweet Bronze Red Branch - Hard Raspberry Rabbits Foot Meadery Michael Faul72 7B Session Mead - Sweet Hon Men Red Branch - Hard Peach Rabbits Foot Meadery Michael Faul

73 7C Session Mead - Sweet Gold Pollen Angels "Scuttlebutt" Sunset Heights Meadery John Way73 7C Session Mead - Sweet Silver Pollen Angels "Cinfully Yours" Sunset Heights Meadery John Way73 7C Session Mead - Sweet Bronze Pollen Angels "Punky Pie" Sunset Heights Meadery John Way

81 8A Specialty (Open) - Dry Gold Hawthorn-Tulsi Mead Hierophant Meadery Jeremy Kyncl81 8A Specialty (Open) - Dry Silver Were-Bear House Bear Brewing Elizabeth Borges81 8A Specialty (Open) - Dry Bronze Broken Crown Meridian Hive Meadery Eric Lowe

82 8B Specialty (Open) -Semi-Sweet Gold Amante Superstition Meadery Jeff Herbert82 8B Specialty (Open)-Semi-Sweet Silver Rosee intermiel Andre Abi Raad82 8B Specialty (Open) -Semi-Sweet Bronze Kurt's Apple Pie Moonlight Meadery LLC Michael Fairbrother



52 5B Metheglin - Semi-Sweet Gold The Root Cause Melovino Meadery Sergio Moutela52 5B Metheglin - Semi-Sweet Silver Romantic Traveler Robertson and Associates Winer Cris Robertson52 5B Metheglin - Semi-Sweet Bronze 21 Bean Salute Meadworks - 810 Bryan DeGraw

53 5C Metheglin - Sweet Gold Ginger Mead Prairie Rose Meadery Susan Ruud53 5C Metheglin - Sweet Silver Cricket Song Arktos Meadery Maciej Halaczkiewicz53 5C Metheglin - Sweet Bronze Indulge Moonlight Meadery LLC Michael Fairbrother

61 6A Pyment Gold Aphrodisia Superstition Meadery Jen Herbert61 6A Pyment Silver OM Meridian Hive Meadery Mike Simmons61 6A Pyment Bronze Rose Ambrosia St. Ambrose Cellars Kirk Jones

71 7A Session Mead - Dry Gold Red Branch - Ginger Rabbits Foot Meadery Michael Faul71 7A Session Mead - Dry Silver Johnny Jump Up Rabbits Foot Meadery Michael Faul71 7A Session Mead - Dry Bronze Hammer Smashed Cherry Bos Meadery Colleen Bos71 7A Session Mead - Semi-Sweet Hon Men Honeycone Nectar Creek Phillip Lorenz

72 7B Session Mead - Semi-Sweet Gold Razz! St. Ambrose Cellars Kirk Jones72 7B Session Mead - Semi-Sweet Silver The Lucid Poet Green Bench Mead & Cider Brian Wing72 7B Session Mead - Semi-Sweet Bronze Red Branch - Hard Raspberry Rabbits Foot Meadery Michael Faul72 7B Session Mead - Sweet Hon Men Red Branch - Hard Peach Rabbits Foot Meadery Michael Faul

73 7C Session Mead - Sweet Gold Pollen Angels "Scuttlebutt" Sunset Heights Meadery John Way73 7C Session Mead - Sweet Silver Pollen Angels "Cinfully Yours" Sunset Heights Meadery John Way73 7C Session Mead - Sweet Bronze Pollen Angels "Punky Pie" Sunset Heights Meadery John Way

81 8A Specialty (Open) - Dry Gold Hawthorn-Tulsi Mead Hierophant Meadery Jeremy Kyncl81 8A Specialty (Open) - Dry Silver Were-Bear House Bear Brewing Elizabeth Borges81 8A Specialty (Open) - Dry Bronze Broken Crown Meridian Hive Meadery Eric Lowe

82 8B Specialty (Open) -Semi-Sweet Gold Amante Superstition Meadery Jeff Herbert82 8B Specialty (Open)-Semi-Sweet Silver Rosee intermiel Andre Abi Raad82 8B Specialty (Open) -Semi-Sweet Bronze Kurt's Apple Pie Moonlight Meadery LLC Michael Fairbrother



83 8C Specialty (Open) - Sweet Gold Out of the Blue Sahtipaja AB Timo Krjukoff83 8C Specialty (Open) - Sweet Silver Smolder Moonlight Meadery LLC Michael Fairbrother83 8C Specialty (Open) - Sweet Bronze Hot For Teacher Melovino Meadery Sergio Moutela

91 9A Traditional - Dry Gold Oak Barrel St. Ambrose Cellars Kirk Jones91 9A Traditional - Dry Silver Traditional Bee & Bramble LLC J D Schloz91 9A Traditional - Dry Bronze Dry Mead Munro Honey & Meadery John Bryans

92 9B Traditional - Semi-Sweet Gold Bear Meadery-czworniak Corpo Sp. z.o.o Sp. K. Krzysztof Szczesniewski92 9B Traditional - Semi-Sweet Silver Old Dixie Moon Melovino Meadery Sergio Moutela92 9B Traditional - Semi-Sweet Bronze Discovery Meridian Hive Meadery Mike Simmons

93 9C Traditional - Sweet Gold Trojniak Mazurskie Miody Bogdan Piasecki93 9C Traditional - Sweet Silver Dzikie Pszczoly Miodosytnia Micha╪ Imbiorowicz Micha╪ Imbiorowicz93 9C Traditional - Sweet Bronze Original Slovenska medovina Apimed Peter Kudlac

101 10A Varietal - Dry Gold Show Bear House Bear Brewing Elizabeth Borges101 10A Varietal - Dry Silver Bee d'Vine Brut The Honey Wine Company Ayele Solomon101 10A Varietal - Dry Bronze Bouquet Printanier intermiel Andre Abi Raad

102 10B Varietal - Semi-Sweet Gold Meadowfoam Meridian Hive Meadery Mike Simmons102 10B Varietal - Semi-Sweet Silver Star Thistle St. Ambrose Cellars Kirk Jones102 10B Varietal - Semi-Sweet Bronze Straight - No Chaser The Colony Meadery Mike Manning

103 10C Varietal - Sweet Gold Velvet Moon Hunters Moon Meadery Greg Bowdish103 10C Varietal - Sweet Silver Staroslovanska medovina svetla Apimed Peter Kudlac103 10C Varietal - Sweet Bronze Leatherwood Traditional Schramm's Mead Alyson Schramm

PRESIDENTMichael Fairbrother Moonlight Meadery

VICE PRESIDENT + LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE CHAIRBrad Dahlhofer B. Nektar

SECRETARYColleen Bos Bos Meadery

TREASURERPhil Lorenz Nectar Creek Honeywine

INDUSTRY LIAISONKen Schramm Schramm’s Mead

INTERNATIONAL LIAISON John Way Sunset Heights Meadery (Canada)

MARKETING COMMITTEE CHAIRVicky Rowe Got Mead

LARGE INDUSTRY MEMBERMike Faul Rabbit’s Foot Meadery

AMMA BOARD OF DIRECTORS

SMALL INDUSTRY MEMBER + PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE CHAIRJeff Herbert Superstition Meadery

MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE CHAIRSergio Moutela Melovino Meadery

EX-OFFICIOChrissie Zaerpoor Kookoolan World Meadery

[As amended September 1, 2015]

ARTICLE I AMMA DEFINED

SECTION 1. NAME

The American Mead Makers Associ-ation, Inc. is a professional, scientif-ic and educational nonprofit corpo-ration, hereinafter referred to as the Association or AMMA. The Associa-tion shall make decisions for its op-erations and administration based on these Bylaws.

SECTION 2. MISSION STATEMENT

The AMMA is an industry voice for meaderies within, or doing busi-ness in the United States. This voice is communicated through the press, marketing activities, public rela-tions and by working on legislative issues. We support research and ad-vances in safety, sustainability, edu-cation, technology and raw materi-als related to mead making. Political influence is exercised to secure fair legislative and regulatory treatment. We are committed to assisting me-aderies in producing quality meads by cultivating new ideas, publishing information on best practices and supporting competitions. AMMA believes in promoting the living and active mead culture which is thriv-ing among craft meaderies, home mead makers, and mead enthusi-asts.

SECTION 3. CORE VALUES:

1.Promoting and celebrating the growing independent, traditional and innovative culture of American craft meaderies.2. Providing a unified voice to vig-orously defend the mead industry through legislative and regulatory action.3. Fostering transparency within the Association.4. Supporting and encouraging the responsible enjoyment of mead.5. Providing stewardship for the mead industry.6. Educating mead makers and con-sumers about the diversity, flavor and quality of mead.7. Improving the economic health of American craft meaderies indi-vidually and collectively.8. Promoting ethical and legal trade practices.9. Building relationships and collab-orating with our industry partners.

ARTICLE II MEMBERSHIP AND DUES

SECTION 1. DESCRIPTION OF MEMBERSHIPS

The following classifications of As-sociation memberships include: Corporate, Trade, Individual, Inter-national and Lifetime. The Board of

AMMA BYLAWS

Directors will set the fee structure and can change it on an annual ba-sis.

SECTION 2. CORPORATE MEMBERS

Any commercial winery that makes one or more meads as part of their product line. One employee/own-er will be identified as the primary representative and will be the sole voting person for their membership. Dues cover up to five employees as named by the company.

SECTION 3. TRADE MEMBERS

Any business or organization that provides products or services to the mead industry. Trade members will receive special member benefits.

SECTION 4. INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS

This membership is for the home mead maker or other individual who wishes to support the mead in-dustry. Individual Members will re-ceive special member benefits.

SECTION 5. LIFETIME MEMBERS

Any individual or corporation who has been approved by the previous bylaws as Lifetime Members. These members are grandfathered into the current and any future bylaws.


However, no new Lifetime Member-ships will be honored.

SECTION 6. MEMBERSHIP PRIVILEGES.

All members in good standing are entitled to Association privileges, are eligible to serve on Committees, vote in Board elections, shall be en-titled to use the Association logo in marketing or in identifying them-selves as a member of the Associa-tion, and will be invited to attend the annual business meeting.

SECTION 73. MEMBERSHIP APPLICATIONS & DUES.

Any person or corporation wishing to become a member of the Associ-ation shall complete a membership application and pay the associated dues on-line. Annual renewals are due January 1st of each calendar year. No grace periods will be hon-ored.

ARTICLE III BOARD AUTHORITIES AND POSITIONS

SECTION 1. AUTHORITIES

The elected Board, hereafter be re-ferred to as “the Board”, shall consist of 11 members representing domes-tic and international mead making interests, as defined below. Term limits are two years and no elect-ed Board member may serve more than two consecutive terms in the same position.By majority vote, the Board may negotiate agreements, enter into contracts with individuals or groups, and authorize payment of fees for

services rendered to the Association. It may authorize the employment of individuals to perform services for the Association and establish the policies for compensation, condi-tions, and requirements for such employment. It shall determine and authorize all expenditures stipulated elsewhere in these Bylaws. By Super Majority Vote (8 out of 11 votes), the Board may:A. Appoint, or remove any Board member or Association memberB. Change the membership duesC. Amend, alter, or repeal these By-lawsD. Amend the Articles of Incorpora-tion of the AssociationE. Adopt a plan of merger or adopt a plan of consolidation with another corporation or entityF. Authorize the sale, lease, or ex-change of all or substantially all of the property or assets of the Associ-ationG. Authorize the voluntary disso-lution of the Association or revoke pending proceedings for the Asso-ciation’s dissolutionH. Adopt a plan of distribution of as-sets of the AssociationI. Amend, alter, or repeal any resolu-tion of the BoardBy simple majority vote the Board shall have the authority to do any of the following under any circum-stances:A. Adopt and amend the annual budget for the Association and es-tablish policies for organization ex-penditures;B. Create and eliminate Committees and/or task forces to be made up of at least one board member.

SECTION 2. PRESIDENT

The President shall conduct all Board meetings and the annual business meeting. The President shall approve meeting agendas, serve

as the point of contact for the me-dia, and have the authority to call meetings of the Association and the Board. The President will submit a quarterly progress report to the Sergeant at Arms and write a Letter from the President in each quarterly journal issue.

SECTION 3. VICE PRESIDENT

In the absence of the President, the Vice President shall perform all the duties of the President. In addition, the Vice President shall also serve as the Chair of the Nominating Com-mittee and will submit a quarterly progress report to the Sergeant at Arms.

SECTION 4. SERGEANT AT ARMS

The Sergeant at Arms will ensure all bylaws and traditions are respected by everyone. It is the responsibility of the Sergeant at Arms to make sure certain parliamentary procedures are followed, according to Robert’s Rules of Order. He or she will assist the President in maintaining good order and discipline at all Associa-tion meetings and functions. Also, any proposed bylaw changes, com-plaints, or suggestions for consider-ation by the Board will be submitted to the Sergeant at Arms.The Sergeant at Arms will facilitate internal communication with each Board member and Committee Chairs monthly to resolve issues and to ensure forward progress. A quarterly progress report from each board member (Except the Ex-Of-ficio) and Committee Chairs will be forwarded to the Secretary to be included in the next Board Meeting. The Sergeant at Arms will submit a quarterly progress report to the Sec-retary.


SECTION 5. SECRETARY

The Secretary shall be responsible for taking minutes and distributing minutes at all Association and Board meetings, as well as preparing and distributing meeting agendas. If the Secretary is absent from any Associ-ation or Board meetings, the Presi-dent will appoint an alternate to take minutes. The Secretary will assem-ble progress reports received from the Sergeant at Arms, edit as neces-sary and present at board meetings. The Secretary will maintain the As-sociation calendar of events, due dates, action items, elections and any other pertinent time-lines. The Secretary will forward reminders of critical activities to the Sergeant at Arms to ensure accountability and write a quarterly progress report.

SECTION 6. TREASURER

The Treasurer shall be responsible for managing funds, securities, re-ceipts, and disbursements of the Association as well as: Submitting a monthly financial report to the Board, submitting an end of year finance report and a proposed bud-get for the next year at the annual meeting, collect membership dues, maintaining the bank account, sub-mitting a quarterly progress report to the Sergeant at Arms, and the hir-ing of professional services to assist with the preparation and submis-sion of forms to the IRS and state.

SECTION 7. INTERNATIONAL LIAISON

The International Liaison will own or work for a commercial meadery located outside of the United States. He or she will serve as the point of contact for all international meade-ries wishing to communicate with

the Association, promote AMMA membership and activities out-side of the United States, and report on international meadery issues to AMMA. He or She will submit a quarterly progress report to the Ser-geant at Arms.

SECTION 8. HOME MEAD MAKING COMMUNITY LIAISON

The Home Mead Making Commu-nity Liaison will not be employed by a commercial meadery and will serve as the point of contact for all individual AMMA members, pro-mote AMMA membership and ac-tivities to home mead makers and clubs, and report on amateur mead making issues to AMMA. He or She will submit a quarterly progress re-port to the Sergeant at Arms.

SECTION 9. INDUSTRY LIAISON

The Industry Liaison will own or work for a commercial meadery. He or She will maintain (Association paid) memberships with other craft beverage trade organizations such as the Brewer’s Association, Wine America, etc. They will serve as the point of contact with the craft beer, cider, distilling and wine making communities as they build relation-ships and promote mead. He or She will submit a quarterly progress re-port to the Sergeant at Arms.

SECTION 10. LARGE INDUSTRY MEMBER (PRODUCER OF >40,000 GALLONS/YEAR)

The Large Industry Member will own or work for a large commercial meadery and will serve as the point of contact for all commercial mea-

deries making over 40,000 gallons of mead per year. They will promote AMMA membership and activities to large meaderies and report on issues pertaining to larger produc-ers. He or She will submit a quarter-ly progress report to the Sergeant at Arms.

SECTION 11. SMALL INDUSTRY MEMBER (PRODUCER OF <40,000 GALLONS/YEAR)

The Small Industry Member will own or work for a small commercial meadery and will serve as the point of contact for all commercial mea-deries making under 40,000 gallons of mead per year. They will promote AMMA membership and activities to start-up and small meaderies and report on issues pertaining to small-er producers. He or She will submit a quarterly progress report to the Ser-geant at Arms.

SECTION 12. EX-OFFICIO

The Ex-Officio is a voting board member appointed by the board to serve in a consulting position. The Ex-Officio previously served as an elected board member and their experience will offer continuity and advice on issues to the current board.

SECTION 13. VACANCIES.

In the event that an elected board position becomes vacant for what-ever reason, the Board shall appoint an individual to fill said vacancy ex-cept when the President position becomes vacant. The Vice Presi-dent will become President and the Board will fill the Vice President’s vacant seat by appointment. The person appointed shall assume all the rights, duties and responsibil-


ities of the appointed office for the remainder of the term. Any appoint-ment whose service is less than one year shall not count against that person for term limits as prescribed in this Article.

SECTION 14. RESTRICTIONS

No elected Board member may be living within the same household as any other Board member. Addi-tionally, to ensure diversity among Board members, no elected Board members may work for the same company.

ARTICLE IV NOMINATION AND ELECTION OF BOARD MEMBERS

SECTION 1.

By October 1 of each year, the Board shall convene a Nominating Com-mittee consisting of 3 members: (1) The Large Industry Member, (2) the Small Industry Member, and (3) Chaired by the Vice President. The Committee shall canvass the As-sociation’s eligible membership by email requesting suggestions for possible nominees for Board posi-tions that are open based on term completion. Results of the canvass will be reviewed by the Nominat-ing Committee. By December 1st, the Committee will publish and an-nounce an online election.

SECTION 2.

Voting for the election shall be com-plete by midnight on December 15, at which time the Nominating Committee shall count the votes and report the results to the Board. The nominee receiving the larg-est number of votes for each of the positions to be vacated shall be the

elected Board Member. Ballots shall keep the voting members’ identity confidential.

SECTION 3.

In case of tie votes or if there are no nominees for a position, the Board shall decide the action to be taken.

SECTION 4.

Election results will be certified and published by the Board by Decem-ber 31. Newly elected Board mem-bers will assume authority once they are installed at the next Annual Association Business Meeting the following March.

SECTION 5. TRANSITION

All outgoing Board Members shall hand off the provisions of their po-sition to the incoming Board Mem-bers, in person, at the Annual As-sociation Business Meeting. This includes but is not limited to docu-ments, passwords, contacts, bank-ing information, etc. If the outgoing or incoming Board Member cannot make the Annual Association Busi-ness Meeting, the provisions must be relinquished and delivered one week prior to the Annual Associa-tion Business Meeting.

SECTION 6. ELECTION TIMEFRAME

Even Years• President• Secretary•Treasurer• Large Industry Member• Small Industry Member• Ex-Officio• Odd Years• Vice President• Sergeant at Arms• International Liaison

• Home Mead Making Community • Liaison• Industry Liaison

ARTICLE V COMMITTEES

SECTION 1.

There shall be regular Committees of the Association as needed and defined by the Board of Directors. Except where otherwise specified in these bylaws, all Committees are advisory to the Board and shall have no authority to disperse monies or enter into contracts unless other-wise authorized by the Board.Appointments to all such Commit-tees shall be subject to approval by the Board prior to invitation to serve on such Committees. Chairpersons for Committees will be appointed by the Board.There is no limit to the length of time Committee members may serve. Each Committee shall fix and establish its own rules of procedure except as otherwise provided in these bylaws and shall meet as pro-vided by such rules and shall also meet at the call of its Chair or any other two members of its Commit-tee. Committees will keep minutes of each meeting to be filed with the Secretary. The Committee Chair-person will then communicate to the Board.

ARTICLE VI FINANCES

SECTION 1.

The Board of shall specify the annual dues and assessments of members based on recommendation from the membership. It shall determine reimbursement to be paid to Board members and the compensation policy for full time staff of the Asso-


ciation, but no member of the Board may vote on any question involving compensation to be paid to him or her. The Board shall approve and be responsible for a fiscal budget delin-eating all income and expenses for the Association’s overall operations including but not limited to admin-istration, publications, conferences and investments. It shall order an independent financial audit of the Association every other calendar year and an annual independent fi-nancial review in interim years.

SECTION 2.

The fiscal year of the Association shall be from Janu-

ary 1 to December 31.

SECTION 3.

The board shall review and approve/reject all institutions utilized by the association for banking or investing services.

ARTICLE VII MEETINGS AND QUORUMS

SECTION 1. RULES OF ORDER

During any formal meeting of the Association, Robert’s Rules of Order by Henry M. Robert shall be used to guide the parliamentary practice of the Association.

SECTION 2. BOARD MEETINGS

The Association shall conduct a minimum of four Board meetings annually. The time, place, meeting format and agenda items for each board meeting shall be recom-mended by the Secretary and ap-proved by the President. The agenda format shall conform to the follow-

ing template:I. Roll Call – Sergeant at Arms (must have a quorum of 6 to continue)II. Call to Order – PresidentIII. Board Reports a. President b. Vice President c. Secretary d. TreasurerIV. Discussion and Action Items (a vote is required) a. Discuss, amend and approve Board meeting minutes of (DATE) (attachment V. a.) b. Other order of Action c. Other order of Action, etc.V. Committee Reports VI. Agenda Items to be Considered for Next Meeting (include date)VII. Adjournment – Sergeant at Arms

SECTION 3. ANNUAL ASSOCIATION MEETING

The Association shall hold an An-nual Business Meeting open to all members of the Association. Notice of the Annual Association Meeting shall be given to each member by email with no less than one months’ notice. The notice shall state the time and place of the meeting and will also be posted on the Associa-tion website.

SECTION 4. SPECIAL MEETINGS

Special meetings for members of the Association, including the Board, may be called by the Presi-dent on written request. The time, place, meeting format and agenda items for each special meeting shall be recommended by the Secre-tary and approved by the President. Notice of the special meeting shall be given to each member by mail, phone or electronic means. The no-tice shall state the time and place of the meeting

SECTION 5. QUORUM

A quorum of six (6) Board members for transacting business at meetings shall be required to ratify any votes. Proxy votes shall be counted by de-termining the number of members (including members attending by proxy) in good standing present. A proxy vote shall be valid only when it consists of a legible written as-signment of the vote of a member in good standing.The Board shall meet at least four times a year for regular business meetings and at such other times as deemed necessary by the President. At least one of these meetings will be face-to-face. The President shall set the date and time of each regular meeting based on agreement of a majority of the Board and an agen-da will be sent to all Board members prior to the meeting. Special meet-ings of the Board shall be called, with due notice, by the President or on written request by four mem-bers of the Board. Upon majority vote, the Board shall be entitled to adjourn anytime for purposes of re-convening a closed session consist-ing of only Board members. Prior to adjourning into closed session, the topic(s) to be discussed shall be an-nounced in general terms to mem-bers in attendance at such meeting.

SECTION 6. BOARD MEETINGS

Notice of the time and place of meetings of the Board shall be giv-en to each Board member by email allowing enough time for the Board member to receive the notice and to respond. The notice shall state the time of the meeting and the place. The notice need not specify the pur-pose of the meeting.

SECTION 7. MEETING


PARTICIPATION

Any Board meeting may be held by conference telephone, video screen communication, or other commu-nications equipment. Participation in a meeting under this Section shall constitute presence in person at the meeting if both the following apply: (a) each member participating in the meeting can communicate concur-rently with all other members, and (b) each member is provided the means of participating in all matters before the Board, including the ca-pacity to propose, or to interpose an objection to a specific action to be taken by the Association.

SECTION 8. VOTING

The Board as defined herein shall vote on motions brought before it. Other officers or agents appointed by the Board and persons invited by the Board may participate in Board meetings but shall not vote. Each voting member of the board will receive one vote, and may decide to vote by proxy if it is established before the meeting, and delivered to the Secretary according to proxy voting rules which will be deter-mined by the Board.

ARTICLE VIII DISSOLUTION

SECTION 1. PROCEDURE.

In the event dissolution of the Asso-ciation appears desirable or neces-sary, the Board shall adopt a resolu-tion recommending dissolution of the Association together with a plan for distribution of assets. The Secre-tary and Treasurer shall transmit the proposals to the Board.

SECTION 2. LIMITATIONS ON

DISTRIBUTION OF ASSETS.

Upon the dissolution of the Associ-ation, any assets shall in first priority be applied to final payment and dis-charge of all liabilities and obliga-tions of the Association. Any assets which are held under stipulations requiring their return transfer, or conveyance upon dissolution of the Association shall be distributed in accordance with the requirements. Any remaining assets shall be con-veyed to such organizations or in-stitutions then existing within the United States of America which are dedicated to perpetuation of objec-tives similar to those of the Associ-ation and which are specified in the plan of distribution adopted by the Board, provided that such entities are tax exempt under Section 501(c) (6) of the Internal Revenue code as amended or under such succeeding provisions of the Code as may be in effect at the time of dissolution. No portion of the Association’s as-sets remaining after satisfying final operating obligations may be con-veyed to any individual or to any profit-seeking organization or firm.Debts will be paid. Remaining Dues will be equally refunded to members in good standing. Remaining Assets will be distributed to a tax exempt entity


AMMA MEADERY LIST

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51 North Brewing Company51 North Broadway StLake Orion, MI 48362Bus: (248) 690-7367E-mail: [email protected]

7 C’s Winery & Meadery502 E 560thWalnut Grove, MO 65770Bus: (417) 788-2263E-mail: [email protected]

A

Acoustic Draft MeadElberta, MIBus: (231) 883-2012

Adytum Cellars15132 148th Ave NEWoodinville, WA 98072Bus: (425) 482-9030E-mail: [email protected]

Aesir Meadery2109 Wetmore AveEverett, WA 98201Bus: (425) 495-6201E-mail: [email protected]

Ah-tu-gi-s-di MeaderyRt 1 Box 100Vian, OK 74962Bus: (918) 774-8091

Alaskan Wilderness Wines498 ShearwaterKodiak, AK 99615Bus: (907) 486-1420E-mail: [email protected]

Algomah Acres Honey House Meadery29534 Post Office RdMass City, MI 49948Bus: (906) 883-3894E-mail: [email protected]

Amber Moon Meadery7600 NW 3d StOklahoma City, OKBus: (405) 496-5663E-mail: [email protected]

Arsenal Cider House & Wine Cellar300 39th StPittsburgh, PA 15201Bus: (412) 260-6968E-mail: [email protected]

Artesano Mead1334 Scott Hwy Rt 302 Groton, VT 05046Bus: (802) 584-9000

Atlantic Brewing Co15 Knox RdBar Harbor, ME 04609Bus: (207) 288-2337E-mail: [email protected]

B

B Nektar Meadery1481 Wordsworth, Suite BFerndale, MI 48220313-744-6323E-mail: [email protected]

Bacchus Meadery217 E 3d StLoveland, CO 80537Bus: (970) 461-4071

E-mail: [email protected]

Bardic Wells Meadery6737 50th AveMontague, MI 49437Bus: (231) 893-6418E-mail: [email protected]

Bartlett Maine Estate WineryRR1 Box 598Gouldsboro, ME 04607Bus: (207) 546-2408E-mail: [email protected]

Bayfield WineryPO Box 1391Bayfield, WI 54814Bus: (715) 779-5404E-mail: [email protected]

Bear Creek Winery60203 Bear Creek DrHomer, AK 99603Bus: (907) 235-8484E-mail: [email protected]

Bee Well Meadery39342 Canterbury DrHarrison Twp, MI 48045Bus: (586) 322-6705E-mail: [email protected]

Beekman & Beekman5236 Geer RdHughson, CA 95326Bus: (209) 667-5812E-mail: [email protected]

Beowulf MeadSan Rafael, CA 94903Bus: (415) 491-0908E-mail: [email protected]

Bias Winery3166 Hwy BBerger, MO 63014Bus: (573) 834-5475E-mail: [email protected]

Bjorn MeadWaterford, CA 95386Bus: (209) 665-6368E-mail: [email protected]

Black Bear Winery248 County Rd 1Chenengo Forks, NY 13746Bus: (607) 656-9863E-mail: [email protected]

Black Forest Meadery6420 Burrows Rd Unit AColorado Springs, CO 80908Bus: (719) 495-7340E-mail: [email protected]

Blacksnake Meadery1815 Windsor Ave SWRoanoke, VA 24015Bus: (540) 834-6172E-mail: [email protected]

Blue Dog Mead254 Lincoln StEugene, OR 97401Bus: (541) 506-1560E-mail: [email protected]

Bluegrass Brewing Co3929 Shelbyville RdLouisville, KY 40207Bus: (502) 899-7070E-mail: [email protected]

Bos Meadery LLC5805 Seminole Ridge Circle Fitchburg, WI 53711Bus: (608) 628-3792E-mail: [email protected]

Boyd’s Cardinal Hollow Winery720 W Prospect AveNorth Wales, PA 19454Bus: (215) 801-2227E-mail: [email protected]

Brimming Horn MeaderyRehoboth Beach, DE 19971Brimstone Springs MeaderyE-mail: [email protected]

Brotherhood WineryPO Box 190Washingtonville, NY 10992Bus: (845) 496-3663E-mail: [email protected]

Brothers Drake Meadery26 E 5th AveColumbus, OH 43201Bus: (614) 388-8765E-mail: [email protected]

Buzzed Bee Meadery, Inc.1755 340th StreetMelbourne, IA [email protected]: 641-485-1725Michelle Spohnheimer

C

Camas Prairie Winery110 S Main StMoscow, ID 83843Bus: (208) 882-0214E-mail: [email protected]

Cascade Winery4665 BroadmoorGrand Rapids, MI 49512Bus: (616) 656-4665E-mail: [email protected]

Celestial Meads600 W 58th Ave Ste B Anchorage, AK 99518 Bus: (907) 250-8362 E-mail: [email protected]

Chateau LoranePO Box 47Lorane, OR 97451Bus: (541) 942-8028E-mail: [email protected]

Chaucer’s Cellars3535 N Main StSoquel, CA 95073Bus: (831) 475-2258E-mail: [email protected]

Chrisman Mill Vineyards2308 Sir Barton Way Ste 190 Lexington, KY 40509Bus: (859) 881-5007E-mail: [email protected]

Colony Meadery905 Harrison St Ste 115Allentown, PA 18103Bus: (855) 632-3669E-mail: [email protected]

Colorado Cellars Winery3553 E RdPalisade, CO 81526Bus: (970) 464-7921



Crabtree Brewing Co625 3d St #DGreely, CO 80631Bus: (970) 356-0516E-mail: [email protected]

Crafted Artisan Meadery1189 State Rte 43Mogadore, OH 44260Bus: (330) 618-5050E-mail: [email protected]

Cumberland Brewery1576 Bardstown Rd Louisville, KY 40205-1154 Bus: (502) 458-8727

D

Dadeez Bees Apiary and MeaderyPO Box 90832Portland, OR 97290Bus: (503) 772-3565E-mail: [email protected]

Dancing Bee Winery8060 E US Hwy 190Rogers, TX 76569Bus: (254) 983-2337E-mail: [email protected]

Depoe Bay WineryPO Box 1492Depoe Bay, OR 97341Bus: (541) 765-3311E-mail: [email protected]

Dithyramb Winery and Meadery8312 E Briarwood BlvdCentennial, CO 80112Bus: (720) 529-3846E-mail: [email protected]

Dogfish Head Brewery#6 Cannery Village CenterMilton, DE 19968Bus: (302) 684-1000 x2112E-mail: [email protected]

Dragon Meadery LLCAurora, CO 80013Bus: (720) 371-1970E-mail: [email protected]

Dragonmead14600 E 11 Mile RdWarren, MI 48089Bus: (586) 776-9428E-mail: [email protected]

Dragon’s Lair Country Wines & Meads6714 1/2 Lake Grove St SW Lakewood, WA 98499Bus: (253) 537-1050E-mail: [email protected]

E

Earle Estates Meadery2770 State Route 14Penn Yan, NY 14527Bus: (315) 536-1210E-mail: [email protected]

Easley Winery205 N College AveIndianapolis, IN 46202Bus: (317) 636-4516E-mail: [email protected]

Elsa Wine & Mead625 W Katella Ave #23 Orange, CA 92867 Bus: (714) 639-6323

Empire Winery & Destillery11807 Little Rd

New Port Richey, FL 34654 Bus: (727) 819-2821

Enat Winery910 81st Ave Ste #18Oakland, CA 94621Bus: (510) 632-6629E-mail: [email protected]

Enchanted Manor Winery37615 FM 1774Magnolia, TX 77355Bus: (281) 770-0710E-mail: [email protected]

Enlightenment WinesClintondale, NY 12515E-mail: [email protected]

Ethereal Meads18109 NE 72nd AvenueBattle Ground WA [email protected]

F

Fairwinds Winery1984 Hastings Ave WPort Townsend, WA 98368Bus: (360) 385-6899E-mail: [email protected]

Falcon MeaderyPO Box 5947Santa Fe, NM 87502 Bus: (505) 819-8323

Farm & Winery, Hill Top Berry2800 Berry Hill Rd Nellysford, VABus: (434) 361-1266 E-mail: [email protected]

Florida Orange Groves Winery1500 Pasadena Ave SSt Petersburg, FL 33707Bus: (800) 338-7923E-mail: [email protected]

Four Quarters Meadery190 Walker LaneArtemas, PA 17211Bus: (814) 784-3080E-mail: [email protected]

Fox Hill Meadery33 Selby CourtMarshall, NC 28753Bus: (703) 298-4705E-mail: [email protected]

Full Circle Brewing Co620 F StFresno, CA 93706Bus: (559) 264-6323E-mail: [email protected]

G

Golden Coast Mead4216 Copeland PlSan Diego, CA 92116E-mail: [email protected]

Great Cats MeaderyClemmons, NCE-mail: [email protected]

Green River Ambrosia324 Wells StGreenfield, MA 01301E-mail: [email protected]

Groennfell Meadery856 Hercules Dr, Ste 20 Colchester, VT 05446Bus: (802) 497-2345E-mail: [email protected]

H

Haight-Brown Vineyards29 Chestnut Hill RdLitchfield, CT 06759Bus: (860) 567-4045E-mail: [email protected]

Heidrun MeaderyPO Box 208Point Reyes Station, CA 94956Bus: (415) 663-9122E-mail: [email protected]

Helderberg Meadworks990 W Duane Lake RdDuanesburg, NY 12056Bus: (518) 795-8964E-mail: [email protected]

Hellbender Meadery3812 State Hwy KKRogersville, MO 65742Bus: (417) 429-4985E-mail: [email protected]

Heritage Wines International640 W. 158th StNew York, NYBus: (888) 835-2986E-mail: [email protected]

Hermit Woods Wine56 Taylor RdSanbornton, NH 03269Bus: (603) 253-7968E-mail: [email protected]

Hidden Legend Winery1345 Hwy 93 N #5Victor, MT 59875Bus: (406) 363-6323E-mail: [email protected]

Hierophant MeaderyLiberty Lake, WABus: (208) 405-8338E-mail: [email protected]

Hive Winery1220 W Jack D Drive Ste 2Layton, UT 84041Bus: (801) 546-1997E-mail: [email protected]

homebrewchemistE-mail: [email protected]

Honey Moon MeadPO Box 2701Bellingham, WA 98227Bus: (360) 734-0728E-mail: [email protected]

Honey Run Winery2309 Park AveChico, CA 95928Bus: (530) 345-6405E-mail: [email protected]

Honeyjack Meadery9769 W 119th Dr Bay 7 Broomfield, CO 80020Bus: (303) 709-7422E-mail: [email protected]

Honeywood Winery1350 Hines St SE Salem, ORBus: (800) 726-4101

Hoodsport WineryN 23501 Hwy 101Hoodsport, WA 98548Bus: (360) 877-9894E-mail: [email protected]

Hunters Moon Meadery404 Immigrant TrailSeverance, CO 80550


Bus: (970) 590-6059E-mail: [email protected]

Hydomiel Apidoro2212 Calle ParanaPonce, PR 00758E-mail: [email protected]

I

Independence Brewing Co3913 Todd Lane #607 Austin, TX 78744Bus: (512) 707-0099

Isaaks of SalemSalem, MABus: (401) 290-8256E-mail: [email protected]

J

James Arthur Vineyards2001 W Raymond RdRaymond, NE 68428Bus: (402) 783-5255E-mail: [email protected]

Jilbert Winery1496 Columbia RdValley City, OH 44280Bus: (216) 781-4120 E-mail: [email protected]

K

Kenco FarmsPO Box 454Sutton, WV 26601Bus: (304) 765-7680E-mail: [email protected]

Kookoolan World Meadery15713 Hwy 47Yamhill, OR 97148Bus: (503) 730-7535E-mail: [email protected]

Kuhnhenn Brewing Co5919 Chicago Rd Warren, Mi 48092 Bus: (586) 979-8361

L

La Buena Vida Vineyards416 E College StGrapevine, TX 76051Bus: (817) 481-9463E-mail: [email protected]

L’Abeille Honey Winery638 S Main StStowe, VT 05672Bus: (802) 253-2929

Lakewood Vineyards4024 State Rte 14Watkins Glen, NY 14891Bus: (607) 535-9252E-mail: [email protected]

Laural Highlands MeaderyGreensburg, PA 15601Bus: (724) 249-6323E-mail: [email protected]

Linganore Wine Cellars13601 GlissansMill RdMt Airey, MD 21771-8599Bus: (410) 795-6432E-mail: [email protected]

Long Island Meadery1347 Lincoln Ave Ste 11 Holbrook, NY 11741Bus: (631) 285-7469E-mail: [email protected]

Long Trout Winery84 Fork Mountain RdAuburn, PA 17922Bus: (570) 366-6443E-mail: [email protected]

Lost Tribes BrewBus: (888) 582-7397E-mail: [email protected]

Louisville Mead Company3028 Dartmouth AveLouisville, KY 40205E-mail: [email protected]

Luna de MielSalinas, CA 93901Bus: (805) 985-7229E-mail: [email protected]

M

Mace Mead Works250 E Main StDayton, WA 99328Bus: (509) 540-0000E-mail: [email protected]

Magpie Farms Winery1849 State Hwy 41Bainbridge, NY 13733Bus: (607) 639-4400E-mail: [email protected]

Maine Mead Works51 Washington Ave Portland, ME 04101 Bus: (207) 773-6323

Manatawny Creek Winery227 Levengood Rd Douglasville, PA 19518Bus: (610) 689-9804E-mail: [email protected]

Maple River Winery628 Front StCassleton, ND 58012Bus: (701) 347-5900E-mail: [email protected]

McPhee MeaderyPNW Puget SoundE-mail: [email protected]

Meadery of the Rockies3701 G RdPalisade, CO 81526 Bus: (970) 464-7899

Meadery, New Day1102 Prospect St Indianapolis, IN 46203 Bus: (888) 632-3379

MedovinaPO Box 629Niwot, CO 80544Bus: (303) 845-3090E-mail: [email protected]

Meniru Meadery5868 Fulton Dr NWCanton, OH 44718Bus: (330) 244-8515E-mail: [email protected]

Meridian Hive MeaderyPO Box 1363Pflugville, TX 78691Bus: (512) 417-3769E-mail: [email protected]

Michigan MeaderyGrand Rapids, MIBus: (616) 301-9686E-mail: [email protected]

Mike’s MeaderyLaGrange, IN

Minnestalgia WineryPO BOX 86 McGregor, MN 55760 Bus: (866) 768-2533

Misty Mountain Meadworks1531 Pack Horse RdWinchester, VA 22603Bus: (540) 888-4420E-mail: [email protected]

Mobtown MeadBaltimore, MDE-mail: [email protected]

Modern Craft Winery2760 E Booth RdAu Gres, MI 48703Bus: (989) 876-0270E-mail: [email protected]

Monks Mead265 B Newton Bridge Rd Athens, GA 30607E-mail: [email protected]

Montezuma Winery2981 Auburn RdSeneca Falls, NY 13148Bus: (315) 568-8190E-mail: [email protected]

Moonlight Meadery23 Londonderry Rd #17Londonderry, NH 03053Bus: (603) 216-2162E-mail: [email protected]

Moonstruck Meadery2221 Madison StBellevue, NE 68005Bus: (402) 934-7544E-mail: [email protected]

Mount Felix Vineyard & Winery2000 Level RdHavre de Grace, MD 21078Bus: (410) 939-0913E-mail: [email protected]

Mountain Meadows MeadPO Box 1199Westwood, CA 96137Bus: (503) 256-3233E-mail: [email protected]

Mountain View MeaderyPO Box 370Lench Valley, Tasmania, Australia 7008 Bus: (61) 0408 331 165E-mail: [email protected]

Mt Hood MeaderyWashougal, WAE-mail: [email protected]

Mystic Meadery1650 Judson DrLongmont, CO 80501E-mail: [email protected]

N

Nani Moon MeadPO Box 939Kapa’a, Kaua’i, HI 96746Bus: (808) 823-0486E-mail: [email protected]

Nashoba Valley Winery100 Wattaquadock Hill RdBolton, MA 01740Bus: (978) 779-5521E-mail: [email protected]

Nectar Creek Honeywine33848 SE Eastgate CircleCorvallis, OR 97333Bus: (541) 760-1592E-mail: [email protected]


Nector of the Gods Meadery1205 NE 2d StBend, OR 97701Bus: (937) 478-1718E-mail: [email protected]

Northwest Mountain Winery2825 Marvin Rd NE Ste QOlympia, WA 98516Bus: (360) 464-7125E-mail: [email protected]

O

Obec MedovinaE-mail: [email protected]

Oliver Winery8024 N State Rte 37Bloomington, IN 47404Bus: (812) 876-5800E-mail: [email protected]

Orchid Cellar Winery8546 Pete Wiles Rd Middletown, MD 21769Bus: (301) 473-3568E-mail: [email protected]

P

Pirtle Winery502 Spring St Weston, MO 64098 Bus: (816) 640-5278

Prairie Rose Meade3101 30th St S. Ste E Fargo. ND. 58104.Phone. 7013713690.Email [email protected].

Prairieberry WineryBus: (605) 574-3898E-mail: [email protected]

Prawlocki’s Stout Viking MeadDel Ray Beach, FL 33445Bus: (407) 922-5562E-mail: [email protected]

R

Rabbit’s Foot Meadery1246 Birchwood Dr Sunnyvale, CA 94089Bus: (408) 747-0770

Raftshol Vineyards1865 N West Bay Shore DrSuttons Bay, MI 49682Bus: (231) 271-5650E-mail: [email protected]

Redstone Meadery4700 Pearl St #2-ABoulder, CO 80301Bus: (720) 406-1215E-mail: [email protected]

Ring of Fire Meadery178 E Bunnell StHomer, AK 99603Bus: (907) 235-2656E-mail: [email protected]

Rogue Ales2320 OSU DrMewport, OR 97365Bus: (541) 867-3660E-mail: [email protected]

Rohan Meadery6002 FM 2981La Grange, TX 78945Bus: (979) 249-5652E-mail: [email protected]

Royal Court MeaderySheboygan, WI 53081Bus: (574) 971-7515


S

Sap House MeaderyPO Box 595Center Ossipee, NH 03814Bus: (603) 539-1672E-mail: [email protected]

Schramm’s Mead1545 McManusTroy, MI 48084Bus: (248) 816-1592E-mail: [email protected]

Shady Grove Meadery709 Norris FreewayLake City, TN 37769Bus: (865) 426-4900E-mail: [email protected]

Shalom OrchardRoute 200, 158 Eastbook Rd Franklin, ME 04634Bus: (207) 565-2312E-mail: [email protected]

Shields Demesne Winery374 Smith Creek RdSpraggs, PA 15362Bus: (724) 435-7246E-mail: [email protected]

Skep & Skein Tavern & Meadery2106 Harrison Ave NW Ste B14 Olympia, WA 98502Bus: (360) 292-4400E-mail: [email protected]

Sky River Winery14270 Woodinville-Redmond Rd NE s Redmond, WA 98052Bus: (425) 242-3815E-mail: [email protected] E-mail 2: [email protected]

Salt Point MeaderySalt Point, NYE-mail: [email protected]

San Francisco Mead Company1180 Shafter AveSan Francisco, CA 94124 Bus: (415) 819-4947 E-mail: [email protected]

Sandhill Crane Vineyards4724 Walz RdJackson, MI 49201Bus: (517) 764-0679E-mail: [email protected]

Spruce Mountain MeaderyLarkspur, COBus: (719) 351-4909E-mail: [email protected]

Spurgeon Vineyards and Winery16008 Pine Tree Rd Highland, WI 53543 Bus: (608) 929-7692E-mail: [email protected]

St Ambrose Cellars971 S Pioneer RdBeulah, MI 49617Bus: (888) 912-0017E-mail: [email protected]

Starrlight Mead4606 Stllliview DrDurham, NC 27712Bus: (919) 533-6314E-mail: [email protected]

Stonekeep MeaderyBoyertown, PA

Bus: (610) 743-8693E-mail: [email protected]

Strad Meadery430 Scenic Vista WayFair Oaks, CA 95628E-mail: [email protected]

Sugar Clay Winery & Vineyards1446 240th AveThurman, IA 51654Bus: (712) 628-2020E-mail: [email protected]

Summerside Vineyards Winery & MeaderyGrand Lakes o’the Cherokees 441251 E Historic Route 66 Vinita, OK 74301Bus: (918) 256-3000E-mail: [email protected]

Superior Lakes Mead & Wine36241 JeffersonHarrison Twp, MI 48045Bus: (586) 231-9501E-mail: [email protected]

Superstition Meadery120 West Gurley Street Cellar-1Prescott, Arizona 86301Bus: (928)-458-4256E-mail: [email protected]

T

Table Mountain VineyardsBox 24Huntley, WY 82218Bus: (307) 459-0233E-mail: [email protected]

Texas Mead Works5151 FM 20Seguin, TX 78155Bus: (830) 379-9463E-mail: [email protected]

Thistle MeaderyGawler, S. AustraliaE-mail: [email protected]

Tomahawk Mill Vineyards & Winery9221 Anderson Mill RdChatham, VA 24531Bus: (434) 432-1063E-mail: [email protected]

U

Urban Farm Fermentory200 Anderson St Bay 4 Portland, ME 04101Bus: (207) 773-8331E-mail: [email protected]

V

Valley Vineyards2276 E US 22 & 3Morrow, OH 45152Bus: (513) 899-2485E-mail: [email protected]

Volcano Winery35 Pii Mauna DrVolcano, HI 96785Bus: (808) 967-7772E-mail: [email protected]

Von Jakob’s Vineyard1309 Sadler RdPomona, IL 62975Bus: (618) 893-4500E-mail: [email protected]

W


Walton’s Mountain Winery & VineyardsPO Box 526West Point, CA 95255Bus: (209) 293-4010E-mail: [email protected]

White Winter Winery68323A Lea StIron River, WI 54847Bus: (715) 372-5656E-mail: [email protected]

Wild Blossom Meadery & Winery10033 S Western Ave Chicago, IL 60643Bus: (773) 233-7579 E-mail: [email protected]

Wills Winery814 S. Main St Ste 3Lapeer, MI 48446Bus: (810) 245-9463E-mail: [email protected]

Winehaven Winery & Vineyrd9757 292d StChisago City, MN 55013Bus: (651) 257-1017E-mail: [email protected]

Woodstone Creek Winery & Distillery3641 Newton AveCincinnati, OH 45207Bus: (513) 569-0300E-mail: [email protected]


american mead maker summer 2016

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