I have a friend driving to Florida for a couple weeks and he mentioned that he could pick up a few bottles of mead. Any recommendations on good meaderies. Price isn't an issue, although can't say I've ran into a pricey mead yet.
Florida mead... any recommendations?
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Cigar City has a new Cider/Meadery in Tampa. I was there two weeks ago. They weren't selling bottles at the time, but maybe that'll change before your friend gets there.
Most of the Florida mead makers are found in the central area of the state. Think Orlando and St Petersburg. I understand there's one in Madeira Beach (aptly named city if there ever was one.)
http://www.thefloridawinery.com/2012/08/21/vino-florida-pirate-mead/
http://www.floridawine.com/orange-blossom-honey/
http://blackfoxmeadery.com/
http://www.thefloridawinery.com/2012/08/21/vino-florida-pirate-mead/
http://www.floridawine.com/orange-blossom-honey/
http://blackfoxmeadery.com/
Thanks gentlemen. I do believe him mentioning Orlando as a stop but it sounded like he might venture off the beaten path anyways. He leaves this weekend so ill pass the info along.
I posted this same query a couple of years ago. We were in the south of the state. Slim pickin's! The best we stumbled on was an OB from out of state.
The only one I could find at World Market, I believe it was, was Chaucer's Mead..and I didn't care for it at all. Too "mediciney" for my taste. I'll stick with homemade for awhile, until I find some good mead. World Markets are in most big cities around here.
We can get Chaucer's here. They make two types, raspberry and traditional. Im assuming you meant the raspberry. I'm rather fond of the traditional. Thanks for the effort.
Appreciate the honesty. Man, with such a large supply of orange blossom, you'd think there would be a large volume of good meads.
Florida is funny (odd, actually) that way. A lot of rich North-easterners and Canadians, a few middle class (probably the big mead market) and a lot of surf bums (and just societal dropouts). The first and third categories are probably not mead drinkers (Single Malt Scotch and cheap beer for those). The mead makers and probably by default, the market, seems to be in states that have a large middle class. Upper Midwest and Colorado come to mind. We have one fruit winery and meadery here in Utah and they seem to be doing well. They have just added high end Brandies to their production. It will be interesting to see how that goes.
Ed, WOW I believe you have spent too much time in the sun, 
or else not enough. Florida is a diverse state like everywhere these days, you may have seen too many movies. Sorry to pile on, but you are just plain wrong with those statements.
Poker, the local meads I have had here all advertise OB honey, but they sure don't taste like it to me. I tried and gave up. The only commercial mead I can even enjoy is Moonlight.
or else not enough. Florida is a diverse state like everywhere these days, you may have seen too many movies. Sorry to pile on, but you are just plain wrong with those statements.Poker, the local meads I have had here all advertise OB honey, but they sure don't taste like it to me. I tried and gave up. The only commercial mead I can even enjoy is Moonlight.
kernel crush, my opinion comes from 6 years spent in St Petersburg in the 90's and travel around the state. Things may well have changed, as they seem to everywhere, but that was what I experienced. I did not mean to be negative, although it could be construed that way. I liked much about Florida, but at the end of the day, I am a Westerner and love the mountains and the seasons, so I came back to them.
Eww, it was traditional, since there was no mention of raspberry. Everyone in attendance at Christmas, including one brewmaster, said that the JAOM was (surprisingly) better than the Chaucer's. To each their own, I suppose. I wonder if I got my hands on a bad batch or something. It had a pronounced chemical or mouthwash aftertaste to me. Others agreed that it was too "medicine-y" for their taste. I could see if it was one or two of us, but all that tried it agreed that it was not that great, and the JAOM made with Orange Blossom honey was a hit.
The only Florida mead I tried was so sweet as to be undrinkable. I can't even say that it was bad because it sat on a shelf for a year because that wouldn't make it sweeter. It was better poured on pancakes than in a glass.
Sent from my TARDIS at the restaurant at the end of the universe while eating Phil.
Sent from my TARDIS at the restaurant at the end of the universe while eating Phil.
That's promising... well I'll just tell him to pick up one bottle then. I'm not going to gamble. I wish you didn't have to worry about licensing to sell out of state. I went to the mead mixer this year and was impressed with the selection but disappointed that most of them didn't sell in MN. Side note... need to make friends in Texas and Michigan.
There is a mead producer in the Gainesville area that has a wide selection, unfortunately the only one that was palatable was the OB, but it was quite good. http://www.hoggetowne.com/index.html
In Orlando, a local store near my house carries a fair selection of meads. I had one last week that was mango and black pepper which sounds crazy but tasted great! http://www.patsliquororlando.com/
Wish I knew more options but that's all I have found for drinkable mead here.
In Orlando, a local store near my house carries a fair selection of meads. I had one last week that was mango and black pepper which sounds crazy but tasted great! http://www.patsliquororlando.com/
Wish I knew more options but that's all I have found for drinkable mead here.
Man, sounds like backwater AL. They just passed it into law about Sunday sales (after 1pm) and lifted the restriction on ABV limits (at around 5.5%) for beer and max size, etc, etc. It's been a nightmare and several dozen letters sent to state legislators. :BangHead:
Cigar City recently had an OB bottle release. As others have noted, pickings are slim but changes are coming. Green Bench is branching into mead but I don't know their status. Their mead guy won BOS two years running in the Best Florida Beer Comp (2012, 2013). Given the TTB issues, it seems many are targeting the <7% market for hydromels and especially ciders following B Necktar's model.
