Hello all! This blog will serve to document my transition from a know-nothing hack to a mead master. I have a little homebrewing experience and a fascination with all things fermentable. Last night I realized we had a meadery here in town (just moved to Portland, Maine), which reminded me that mead, you know, exists. I'd had it once before at the Brothers Drake in Columbus, OH a few years ago, and that was it. Fast-forward to tonight, and I just brewed my first batch!
Why Mead?
I've got entrepreneurial yearnings and have had longings to open a craft brewery/brewpub but realized that everyone else does too. That scene has already exploded and, more or less, run its course. There's still some growth to be had in the craft beer market, but it really doesn't have the luster that it used to. It's so mainstream now. Additionally, as someone who is just now getting into homebrewing, I really don't have the know-how to create awesome beer that can find its way amongst this quickly maturing market.
But then, after mentioning to a friend that I love local breweries and just started brewing myself, he brought up the local meadery. And then I remembered the mead I'd had in Columbus and how different and good it was, and how so few people get to experience that because there are so few meaderies. With so little market for mead production, there is little competition. I don't know diddly squat about mead now, but with time I could learn enough to be competitive and catch the wave. Because I think mead is the next craft beer. Mead is now the niche that is somewhat unknown and mysterious, which is a shame given that it is one of the oldest- if not the oldest- fermented beverage. I think a lot of people, like myself, enjoy the journey of discovering a new craft. As craft beer becomes old news, people will look for the next craft worth discovering. I think it will be mead.
So I am embarking on a journey to learn everything I can about mead. I will brew my own. I want to meet other mazers and learn from them. And, of course, I want to drink lots of it :). But seriously, I would love to own a meadery. More importantly, I would love to be a part of bringing mead to the masses. So here we go. From mead-moron to mead-master. Come along with me for the journey.
Wassail!
