A New Local Winery Specializing in Mead

COLUMBUS, OH – November, 2008.

Five months ago Brothers Drake Fine Meads opened for business with a limited production of four select meads. While hearing talk of mead may evoke thoughts of Beowulf, the Vikings, and renaissance fairs, historical research shows that mead is one of the oldest alcoholic beverages known with multiple cultural origins and adaptations. Once known as the nectar of the gods and drink of kings, mead has been revered since ancient times as a way of drinking purified water to celebrate marriage and convey the blessing of fertility during the honeymoon.

Mead, also known as honey wine, is a delightfully-quixotic alcoholic beverage made from fermenting honey and water. Building on a centuries-old tradition, Brothers Drake offers three dry and three sweet meads available in their sampling cellar at their meadery in North Columbus. The intriguing array of honey-meads includes one tupelo varietal, two orange blossom, and three wildflower with berries, all with no sulfites added…ever...

Join the Columbus Tradition and bring Scarlet Solstice (dry or semi-sweet) to your holiday table. This mead goes great with roasted meats and poultry, and pairs well with rich desserts, smoked cheeses, and chocolate. Or, try spicing up your parties with the Southern Belle. In fine southern fashion, this semi-sweet tupelo honey mead has a clove-spice aroma with fruity undercurrents.Choose the

After years of homebrewing, in the mid-1990’s, Woody Drake was the first of the four managing members of Brothers Drake Fine Mead to venture into homebrewing after discovering Charlie Papazian’s The Complete Joy of Homebrewing. Since mead was not then available on the market, Woody’s curiosity about this illustrious drink would ultimately land him on a quest to make his own. Joined soon after by his brother, Eric, and housemate, Betty Fisher, their first attempts at beer led all three to the same conclusion—that good beer is less expensive to buy than making your own, and that mead was virtually absent from the market.Betty had previously had the pleasure of sampling mead at an SCA event and her passion for making it only grew as she and Eric successfully produced their own. It was not long before they sought to include another friend, Ben Hansen, though it would be a couple of years and life changes (including marrying Betty) that would bring Ben to craft his own mead. Connected through friendship and family, these four came together to take their passions for mead commercial. Each of these meaders brings award-winning recipes, mead judging experience and diverse talents to the meadery.

Why has mead become so rare? No one single event is responsible for the decline of mead production in the world. Many point to the rise of grape growing and wine production in the Mediterranean region as the beginning. Refined meads were kept for nobility as grape wine remained more available to commoners. As populations expanded, beekeeping became sparse and honey became a premium commodity. It has been suggested that beekeeping and mead production have also been periodically affected by the Protestant Reformation, the establishment of the Reinheitsgebot, growth of grape wine popularity, wars, and Prohibition in the USA.

Scarce for decades, mead is now making a comeback. Mead is regulated under the same laws as grape wine, so the mead industry is budding from within the wine arena. The alcohol content of mead tends to be similar to grape wine, ranging from 7% to 14% ABV. Because of the more than 300 floral sources of honey available in North America and adjuncts like spices and fruit, variations of mead may indeed be infinite.

How to pick the right mead? The best way might be to just find and taste some for yourself! Traditional style is a simple-recipe mead—honey, water & yeast. A varietal is a traditional mead with the honey coming from a distinct and distinguishable floral source. Metheglins are made with spices, Melomels with fruit or berries, and Pyment with grapes, just to name a few. Finding your personal favorite starts with your desired level of sweetness and carbonation. Next, consider the intrinsic qualities—flavor and character from honey and additional ingredients, aroma, acidity, mouth-feel, appearance, etc. Ben, Betty, Eric, and Woody have all participated in competitions as mead judges and have enjoyed tasting hundreds of meads. Start with Brothers Drake…allow them to help you find your favorite…

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