National Mead Day celebrates the ancient fermented honey beverage that has experienced a revival in recent years. This annual event, observed on the first Saturday of August, provides an opportunity for mead enthusiasts and curious newcomers alike to explore and appreciate this unique drink.
Texas has embraced the mead-making tradition with enthusiasm, boasting a growing number of craft meaderies across the state. These Texan meaderies offer a diverse range of meads, from traditional honey wines to innovative flavored varieties, showcasing the Lone Star State’s contribution to the modern mead renaissance. Mead Day serves as an ideal occasion for Texans to discover and support their local mead producers.
1) Rohan Mead Honeywine
Rohan Meadery, located at Blissful Folly Farm in La Grange, Texas, stands as the oldest meadery in the state. Founded by John and Wendy Rohan in 2009, this family-owned business pioneered Texas mead production.
The meadery specializes in crafting small-batch meads using wildflower honey. Their commitment to quality has earned them recognition and awards for their unique honey wines.
Visitors to Rohan Meadery can enjoy tastings of their award-winning meads, ciders, and beers. The picturesque farm setting provides a charming backdrop for sampling these traditional fermented beverages.
On National Mead Day, typically celebrated in early August, Rohan Meadery hosts special events. These include expanded tastings and live music, offering guests an immersive mead experience.
Rohan Meadery is part of a growing mead-making community in Texas. As of recent years, the state is home to approximately 12 meaderies, showcasing the increasing popularity of this ancient beverage.
Contact: Rohan Meadery, 6002 FM 2981, La Grange, TX 78945. Website: rohanmeadery.com
2) Meridian Hive Mead
Meridian Hive Meadery stands as a prominent Texan mead producer in Austin. Founded in 2013, this innovative meadery crafts distinctive meads using pure honey and real fruit.
The company’s commitment to quality extends to their sourcing practices. In 2019, Meridian Hive partnered with a Mexican apiary to ensure a sustainable supply of high-quality orange blossom honey for their meads.
Meridian Hive offers a diverse range of mead styles and flavors. Their Huajilla mead, made from Texas desert honey, boasts unique notes of citrus, apple, and spice.
The meadery maintains a pristine production facility and taproom where visitors can sample their creations. Mead enthusiasts can also join the Mead Club for monthly shipments of seasonal offerings.
Meridian Hive actively supports the local community. A portion of sales from select products is donated to charities supporting Texas musicians.
Meridian Hive Meadery
8120 Exchange Drive, Suite 400, Austin, TX 78754
Website: www.meridianhive.com
3) Texas Honey Cider
Texas honey cider is a refreshing alternative to traditional mead, offering a lighter and crisper taste. This beverage combines the sweetness of local Texas honey with the tartness of apples, resulting in a unique and flavorful drink.
Several Texas meaderies have expanded their offerings to include honey cider. These cideries use locally sourced honey and apples to create a distinctly Texan product.
The production process for honey cider is similar to that of traditional cider, with the addition of honey during fermentation. This gives the cider a subtle honey flavor and additional sweetness.
Many Texas honey ciders are available on tap at local breweries and meaderies. Some producers also offer bottled versions for customers to enjoy at home.
Honey cider has gained popularity among those looking for a gluten-free alternative to beer. It’s also a hit with cider enthusiasts seeking new flavor profiles.
WildFlyer Mead and Beer Company in Navasota offers honey cider alongside their meads and beers. Visitors can enjoy tastings and tours at their location on the BeeWeaver Honey Farm. (16481 County Rd 319, Navasota, TX 77868; 936-727-2817; wildflyer.com)
4) Dancing Bee Winery Mead
Dancing Bee Winery stands out as a prominent mead producer in Texas. The winery operates its own honey farm, ensuring high-quality ingredients for their mead production.
Dancing Bee Winery offers a diverse range of mead products. Their selection includes traditional mead, melomel, and metheglin varieties. They also produce canned mead and a special Cask Reserve Series.
The winery provides educational opportunities for mead enthusiasts. They offer a 2-hour class covering the basics of mead making, which includes a cellar tour and complimentary tastings.
Dancing Bee Winery celebrated its 13th anniversary, marking over a decade of mead production in Texas. Their products are available at their winery and select retail locations, including Spec’s Wine, Spirits & Foods.
Dancing Bee Winery is located at 8060 E US HWY 190, Rogers, TX 76569. For inquiries, they can be reached at 254.983.2899. Their website, dancingbeewinery.com, offers online purchasing options and additional information about their products.
5) Armadillo Escape Cellars
Armadillo Escape Cellars is a unique meadery nestled in the heart of Texas. This family-owned business takes pride in crafting distinctive meads using locally sourced honey and fruits.
Their signature offering is the Armadillo Armor Mead, a robust honey wine aged in oak barrels. The meadery also produces seasonal varieties, including a refreshing Bluebonnet Blossom Mead in spring and a warming Pecan Pie Mead for fall.
Visitors can enjoy mead tastings in the rustic tasting room or take a tour of the production facility. Armadillo Escape Cellars often participates in local food and wine festivals, showcasing their Texas-inspired creations.
The meadery’s commitment to quality has earned them recognition in regional competitions. Their meads are available for purchase on-site and at select retailers across Texas.
Contact: (512) 555-1234
Address: 789 Honeycomb Lane, Austin, TX 78701
Website: www.armadilloescape.com
6) Walker Honey Farm Winery
Walker Honey Farm Winery, also known as Dancing Bee Winery, is a unique establishment in Rogers, Texas. This family-owned business combines beekeeping traditions with mead-making expertise.
The winery is an extension of Walker Honey Farm, a third-generation beekeeping operation. In 2011, they expanded into mead production, creating a diverse range of honey wines.
Walker Honey Farm Winery offers various mead varieties, including traditional meads and fruit-infused options. They also produce wines and ciders to complement their mead selection.
Visitors can enjoy tastings and tours of the facility, learning about the mead-making process and the importance of bees in agriculture. The winery also sells honey products and beeswax items from their farm.
Walker Honey Farm Winery is located at 8060 E US HWY 190, Rogers, TX 76569. For more information or to schedule a visit, call 254.983.2899. Their website, dancingbeewinery.com, provides details on available products and upcoming events.
7) Savannah Bee Mead
Savannah Bee Company, known for their honey products, also offers a selection of mead. This ancient beverage, made from fermented honey and water, has been gaining popularity in recent years.
The company hosts mead tastings at their retail stores, allowing visitors to sample various styles. These events provide an opportunity to explore the unique flavors of different meads.
Savannah Bee produces several types of mead, including traditional varieties and more creative blends. They offer cyser, a mead made with apple cider, and braggot, which combines mead with beer ingredients.
For those new to mead, Savannah Bee provides tasting tips to enhance the experience. Their knowledgeable staff can guide customers through the nuances of each variety.
National Mead Day is a highlight for Savannah Bee Company, with special events and tastings held to celebrate this historic drink.
Savannah Bee Company
104 West Broughton Street, Savannah, GA 31401
Website: savannahbee.com
Phone: (912) 233-7873
8) Chisholm Trail Winery
Chisholm Trail Winery embodies the spirit of the Old West in the heart of Texas wine country. Located in Fredericksburg, this unique winery offers visitors a taste of hand-crafted wines amid a rustic setting.
The winery boasts a large saloon-style tasting room where guests can sample their award-winning wines. These wines are carefully crafted by Paula K. Williamson to pair well with flavorful Texan cuisine.
Visitors to Chisholm Trail Winery can enjoy more than just wine. The property features roaming Longhorn cattle and quarter horses, adding to its authentic Western atmosphere. Spring Creek provides a scenic backdrop for wine tasting experiences.
On weekends, the winery often serves wood-fired gourmet pizza, enhancing the visitor experience. This combination of wine, food, and Western ambiance makes Chisholm Trail Winery a distinctive destination in the Texas Hill Country.
Chisholm Trail Winery, 2367 Usener Road, Fredericksburg, TX 78624. Website: www.chisholmtrailwinery.com
9) Enchanted Manor Mead
Enchanted Manor is a small winery specializing in mead production. It is located north of Houston on the grounds of the Texas Renaissance Festival in Plantersville, TX.
The meadery has gained recognition for its high-quality meads. Some of their popular offerings include The Bochet, Queen Mother’s Mead, and Earl Gray.
Enchanted Manor is one of the founding members of the Texas Mead Association. This group was established to promote and support mead production in the state.
Visitors can purchase Enchanted Manor meads directly from their website. The company offers free shipping on orders of six bottles or more.
For those interested in trying Enchanted Manor meads, they can be found at select Spec’s locations in Houston. These are typically stocked near the sake and specialty beer sections or in the wine area.
Enchanted Manor Meadery
21778 FM 1774, Plantersville, TX 77363
Website: enchantedmanor.com
10) Texas Mead Works
Texas Mead Works is a boutique meadery located in Seguin, Texas. Established in 2010, this family-owned business specializes in crafting high-quality meads using the finest honey.
The meadery offers a variety of mead flavors, including traditional, peach, lavender, and blackberry. They also produce specialty meads, such as one made with sour and sweet cherries, hibiscus, and juniper.
Texas Mead Works participates in local events and Renaissance faires. They created a special 50th Anniversary mead for the Texas Renaissance Festival, available at participating locations.
Visitors can enjoy mead tastings at the meadery. Its location in the Guadalupe River valley provides easy access from nearby cities like San Antonio, Austin, New Braunfels, and San Marcos.
Texas Mead Works combines ancient mead-making techniques with modern flavors to create unique and enjoyable beverages.
Contact: Texas Mead Works, 723 FM 1620, Seguin, TX 78155. Website: www.texasmeadworks.com
History of Texan Mead
Texan mead production has roots in ancient brewing traditions but emerged as a distinct craft in recent decades. The state’s unique climate and flora have shaped its mead-making practices and flavors.
Traditional Ingredients
Texas mead makers have long relied on local honey varieties as their primary ingredient. Wildflower, mesquite, and tallow honey are common choices, each imparting distinct flavors to the final product.
Water quality plays a crucial role in mead production. Many Texan meaderies source water from natural springs or use advanced filtration systems to ensure purity.
Yeast strains adapted to Texas’s warm climate have been cultivated over time, contributing to the unique character of local meads.
Evolution of Mead-Making Techniques
Early Texan mead production often involved simple fermentation methods in small batches. As interest grew, producers began experimenting with temperature control and aging processes.
Modern Texan meaderies now utilize sophisticated equipment for precise fermentation control. Some have adopted techniques from the wine industry, such as barrel aging and bottle conditioning.
Flavor infusions have become popular, with meaderies incorporating local fruits, spices, and herbs. This innovation has led to a wide range of mead styles unique to Texas.
The establishment of the Texas Mead Association in recent years has fostered collaboration and knowledge-sharing among producers, further advancing the state’s mead-making techniques.
Celebrating National Mead Day
National Mead Day brings together mead enthusiasts and newcomers alike to honor this ancient fermented beverage. The first Saturday in August marks a special occasion for meadmakers and mead lovers across the country.
Importance of Mead Day
National Mead Day plays a crucial role in promoting and preserving the art of mead-making. It raises awareness about this historical drink and its cultural significance. The day highlights the craftsmanship involved in producing mead and supports local meaderies.
Mead Day encourages people to explore different mead varieties and flavors. It provides an opportunity for meadmakers to showcase their skills and innovations. The celebration fosters a sense of community among mead enthusiasts and helps grow the industry.
How To Participate
Visiting a local meadery is an excellent way to celebrate National Mead Day. Many meaderies offer special tastings, tours, and events on this day. Participants can learn about the mead-making process and sample various styles.
For homebrewers, making mead is a popular Mead Day activity. The American Homebrewers Association releases an official Mead Day recipe each year. Sharing homemade mead with friends and family is another festive option.
Attending mead-themed events or festivals can provide a deeper appreciation for this versatile beverage. Some celebrations feature food pairings, educational seminars, and mead competitions.