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AMERICAN MEAD MAKERTHE JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MEAD MAKERS ASSOCIATION ISSUE 16.1 - Winter 2016

MEADMAKER’SSTORY

OF BEESAND MEN

IT’S TEA TIME

A MEAD FUELED PILGRIMAGE TO DETROIT

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AMERICAN MEAD MAKER ISSUE 16.1 - Winter 2016

FEATURES

08 THE HEART OF AWESOMEA MEAD FUELED PILGRIMAGE TO DETROIT

16 OF BEES AND MENTHE LONG, OFTEN CONVOLUTED HISTORY OF MEAD

18 ITS TEA TIMEA GOOD WAY TO FLAVOR MEAD

20 BUILDING A DREAM JOBONE MEADMAKER’S STORY

22 AMATEUR MEAD COMPETITIONSEAST COAST ON THE RISE

24 YEAST OFF-FLAVOR PANELFLAW DETECTION TRAINING

COLUMNS05 LETTER FROM THE EDITOR06 LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT27 MEADIST REVIEWS28 AMMA BOARD OF DIRECTORS29 AMMA BYLAWS36 AMMA MEADERY LIST

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FEATURES

08 THE HEART OF AWESOMEA MEAD FUELED PILGRIMAGE TO DETROIT

16 OF BEES AND MENTHE LONG, OFTEN CONVOLUTED HISTORY OF MEAD

18 ITS TEA TIMEA GOOD WAY TO FLAVOR MEAD

20 BUILDING A DREAM JOBONE MEADMAKER’S STORY

22 AMATEUR MEAD COMPETITIONSEAST COAST ON THE RISE

24 YEAST OFF-FLAVOR PANELFLAW DETECTION TRAINING

COLUMNS05 LETTER FROM THE EDITOR06 LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT27 MEADIST REVIEWS28 AMMA BOARD OF DIRECTORS29 AMMA BYLAWS36 AMMA MEADERY LIST

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EDITOR

Jeff Herbert superstitionmeadery@hotmail.comJeff 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 Su-perstition Meadery in Prescott, Arizona since 2012.

ART DIRECTOR

Paul V. Reiss paul@meadist.comPaul runs a small multi-disciplinary design company in Boston. He also manages Meadist.com, a mead-cen-tric blog focused on expanding the appreciation of modern meadmaking.

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Chrissie Manion Zaerpoor kookoolan@gmail.comChrissie has been making mead since 1997. After 13 years at Intel Corporation as an engineer and engi-neering manager, she now owns Kookoolan Farms and Kookoolan World Meadery in Yamhill, Oregon.

ASSISTANT EDITOR

Jennifer Herbert superstitionmeadery@hotmail.comJennifer Herbert retired from a career in health and safety management, and founded and manages Super-stition Meadery in Prescott, Arizona.

ASSISTANT EDITOR

James Velasquez jamesvelasqu@gmail.comJames is a mead connoisseur and professional writer who volunteers time to American Mead Maker.

AMERICAN MEAD MAKER ISSUE 16.1 - Winter 2016

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Welcome to the Winter issue of American Mead Maker. As I type this letter, I am sitting at my tasting room bar with a glass of mulled pyment that we serve warm in a glass coffee mug, ladled from a crock pot. This beverage that we call “Alpenglow” really is a perfect mead for days like this one where the snow and ice have visited Ari-zona’s central highlands.

In this issue we learn about mead and history, lessons which may benefit the quiver of stories that your staff tell when selling mead. You also get introduced to Dana Garves who runs a TTB certified laboratory in Oregon, as she presents techniques to improve your ability to detect flaws in fermentation. We also get into using tea in mead, something that I have only experimented with in bench trials. Ricky’s writing is both entertaining and inspirational, as I now have to make a tea mead.

And speaking of mead motivation, I took a trip to Michigan with my friend and Su-perstition’s Production Manager Carlos Bassetti not too long ago, and my take away from spending time with many of the best mead makers in the world is one of abso-lute encouragement. The quantity of superb mead in the Detroit area, and the success that meaderies there are realizing has influenced my personal drive to improve my mead making processes, techniques and my business.

If there is anything that our budding industry represents, it is the essence of the entrepreneurial spirit. Boot strapping hard work, intelligence and an unwavering attitude of continuous progress has been established as the golden rule of the mead maker. Our work is saturated with commercial authenticity as we convert nature’s greatest product into something finer, by harnessing the effort of nature’s most fasci-nating microbiological organisms.

This issue starts a new year as the American Mead Makers Association is shifting into a new gear, as all of our board positions are filled, membership is increasing, and our finances are beginning to allow our organization to continue with our legislative efforts; and even to begin the first research relationship between the mead industry and a university. This is the time to get involved with our industry. Many great strides have been made by the pioneers of commercial mead making that have brought our industry to the place it is today, and I believe that we are entering a historic period of industry growth that will make a mark on the timeline of craft beverage evolution. 2015 brought the mead industry together, and I am very optimistic about our poten-tial for progress in 2016.

So cheers to all of the AMMA members, journal readers, and to another issue of the world’s only mead magazine.

Until next time,

Jeff Herbert

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

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Greetings fellow American Mead Makers Association members; it’s certainly been an exciting year, with many new meaderies cur-rently under development and existing meaderies continuing to demonstrate impressive growth.

I am happy to report that the Board and I have achieved and maintain our goal of conducting board meet-ings at least once per month, and all 11 positions are now filled. This year we rewrote our organization’s bylaws and we believe that we are positioned to represent the interests of everyone who has a stake in or supports the mead industry.  How-ever, we have had our share of dif-ficulties, and let me be the first to say, we haven’t even scratched the surface on what needs to be done.

The challenge with having volun-

teers is that we all have day jobs that keep us extremely busy. We need to get membership to a level that will allow us to fund the organization that can better serve us all. In light of this immediate need, we are proud to announce that you now have the ability to renew your membership, or to become a member via the AMMA website: www.mead-makers.com. Your dues will support legislative activities, mead making research, marketing efforts and the contin-ued development of our interactive website. Membership will drive the scope and potential achievements of AMMA, so in addition to signing up we appreciate your efforts to encourage others to join as well.

Our annual business meeting is scheduled to take place on March 17th (The Thursday before) the Mazer Cup International, in Broom-

field, CO. This meeting presents an opportunity for all professional mead makers to get together. I am looking for ideas on how to make the meeting, and the collective day more produc-tive, with my thoughts trending to how the BJCP conducts their event every year. Perhaps with a few pre-sentations and a lunch, followed by the business meeting. If you are in-terested in developing and delivering a presentation topic please send me your proposal. Again, this year there will be a mead mixer event open to the public, and if you would like to show-case your meads please reach me at fairbrother@mead-makers.com.

As the owner of Moonlight Mead-ery my assessment of the market is bullish. While we struggle at times to find the right business partners, overall we have seen our best year of sales. The awareness of mead

LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT

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continues to expand, with stores like Whole Foods putting in mead sections such as in Portland, Maine where Sap House, Honey Maker, and Moonlight are all represented.

The biggest industry challenge to the mead industry is quality, as it’s all too often that customers will say, “I have tried a mead and I don’t like it.” A collective rise in the quality of all mead will help with this issue, as will the meaningful education of consum-ers on the vast range of mead styles and flavors.  Another challenge that I continue to see is that sell thru rates are slow in the absence of in-market support (Tasting events).  Expecting a distributor to do the selling alone is a costly mistake. Several supple-mental options exist from working with independent brokers to finding shared resources, and of course putting your own time into the mar-

ket. At Moonlight we are looking to hire additional personnel to serve as our in-market representatives. 

AMMA leadership has been partner-ing for the past three years with the Honey and Pollination Center at the Robert Mondavi Institute, U.C. Davis in order to support the development of new mead making businesses. UC Davis has been offering a variety of mead making classes, and this February they are offering a more advanced mead makers course.  I have had the privilege to present, along with Mike Faul, Ken Schramm, and Peter Bakulic, at the Introduction to Mead Making course, and it is great that so much expertise can be given to those just starting out in the art and science of making mead. In addition to these courses at UC Da-vis, in November a number of mead makers and AMMA board members

attended a brain storming session on how to better “brand” mead, which Amina Harris spearheaded. Our next issue will present an article detailing what the meeting produced, and the publications committee is compos-ing a “Brand Messaging” document to share with AMMA members.

In other news, The National Honey Board reports that honey production nationally, is up 15%, although I haven’t seen any decrease in prices from our honey suppliers. I hope you enjoy this issue of our journal, and keep making excellent mead!

Sincerely,

Michael Fairbrother

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Southeast Michigan is the world cap-ital, the heart and soul, of the mead industry. So after being in the mead game for a few years, a visit to the De-troit area was long overdue. I wasn’t travelling alone however, Supersti-tion Meadery’s Carlos Bassetti joined me to sample some of the best meads ever made, and to make a little history ourselves.

Started in 2002 by the American Homebrewers Association, the first Saturday in August is Mead Day. If you are going to be anywhere on that Saturday, you can’t beat an area just north of 8 mile. Both Schramm’s Mead and B. Nektar were having events that day, and unfortunately logistics dictated that our arrival was a bit later in the day than we would have liked, but we were determined to make the most of our time. First

things first, after a flight from Phoe-nix it was time for lunch at a place that would offer a look into the city. A quick highway exit off of the route to our hotel was Vickie’s Barbeque and Shrimp, on Warren Avenue. Flanked by burned out structures being overtaken by summer growth and divided internally by thick plexi-glass protecting the staff from would be armed robbers, Vickie’s provided a rather classic Detroit experience for

JEFF HERBERT Superstition Meadery

THE HEART OF AWESOMEA MEAD FUELED PILGRIMAGE TO DETROIT

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two mead makers who certainly were making this a tasty yet brief stop on our itinerary.

After checking in to the hotel, we Ubered it to Schramm’s Mead in time to catch Ken Schramm himself and drink what is considered by connoisseurs to be the best of the best, Heart of Darkness and The Statement Reserve. It is certainly something approaching sacred to

sit in the headquarters of the man who inspired so many mead makers to go pro, including yours truly, with his classic instructional book The Compleat Meadmaker. Ken was an extraordinary host and it was very cool to present him with some of our favorite Superstition meads in per-son. The tasting room ambiance and even the food were very well done at Schramm’s Meadery in Ferndale, which is a “Must do” for anyone in the

Detroit area.

After Schramm’s we made it just in time to catch the end of B. Nektar’s outdoor Mead Day celebration. We tied in with Paul from B. Nektar and proceeded to quickly sample a dizzy-ing array of meads, ciders and even beers made onsite. If there is a theme from this trip, it has to be that the range of flavors coming out of Michi-gan is impressive. There is something

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for everyone, and the quality dis-played in the mix is really astounding. B. Nektar exemplifies this range with sessionable carbonated meads and ciders all the way through complex barrel aged meads. While it was disappointing to miss the majority of the outdoor event, the party was just getting started in the tasting room. Brad and Kerri proved to be amazing hosts and offered me and Carlos cam-ouflaged wrist bands which provided cups which never ran dry all evening.

The following day, albeit a bit fuzzy from the previous evening, we met Ken for breakfast at one of his favor-ite local spots. Speaking with Ken about the origins of the development of alcoholic beverages allowed me to dig deep into lessons learned from my

undergraduate degree in Anthropol-ogy. Our conversation also reached into the present where we discussed the frontier of mead quality and what standards may be used to determine such levels of mead production. For perspective we went to Ken’s house to open a bottle of 2009 Burgundy hand selected from his cellar, while he of-fered an analysis on how French wine was organized in the 1800’s. Looking at how the French wine industry de-termined classes of wines, now into its 3rd century and arguably the most advanced system for organizing the production and corresponding sale of an alcoholic beverage, initialized a discussion on how our industry may begin to apply classifications to mead. It seemed to me that as new ideas are created, new questions have to be an-

swered. The relationship between the levels of quality and corresponding retail cost in craft beer, wine, hard ci-der, distilled spirits and mead is very complex. For now I believe competi-tions, independent reviews, and the market will determine the different tiers of mead, but this dialogue has only just begun. As the mead industry expands, and more customers expe-rience perfect meads such as Ken is producing, there should be no reason why the world’s best meads do not compete with the world’s best wines.

After breakfast, and knowing that I was not driving for the day, we cracked some Superstition meads with Ken back at our hotel while we waited for Brent Mullins who vol-unteered to be a mead tour guide for

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me and Carlos. Brent is a mead con-noisseur and an all-around great guy who knows his way around the craft beverage scene in Detroit. We took a brief break from mead with a stop in to Jolly Pumpkin’s Detroit location for some amazing Michigan craft beer and chow.

Next up on the tour was a visit to Kuhnhenn Brewing Company. I had known of Kuhnhenn’s reputation in the mead world for some time, but until meeting Frank Retell at the 2015 Mazer Cup, I had no idea that they ac-tually make way more beer than mead. And they offer so many excellent craft beers in addition to their meads, that you could spend days having your expectations exceeded while sipping on their products. A fine surprise

was that Frank Retell made it down to Kuhnhenn to meet us even after having recent foot surgery. Officially Frank did not sample any alcoholic beverages per doctor’s orders. What did happen was a real treat. Frank went behind closed doors into the cel-lar at Kuhnhenn to return with rare aged bottles of meads to share. Paul from B. Nektar joined us for drinks at Kuhnhenn as well, and we finished the evening off with a late dinner at one of the best Chinese spots I have ever been to.

The next morning we met up with Paul to tour B. Nektar and once again headed out to see what is going on in the Southeast Michigan mead scene. We started with a stop into Superior Lakes Meadery and quickly made

friends with the owners who stopped what they were doing and offered us a tour and tasting. These guys were really down to earth, and made some tasty meads. I picked up a couple bot-tles of their blueberry mead to bring back for our staff to try at Supersti-tion.

Afterwards we pushed on to yet an-other mind blowing Michigan spot, the multiple award winning Drag-onmead Microbrewery. These guys have a beer and mead selection that reads more like a small novel than any menu you have seen. The staff at Dragonmead were very cool and even gave us a tour of their spotless brew-ery and meadery. I brought home a bottle of their mead made with wild-flower honey from Hawaii, which had

As the mead industry ex-pands, and more customers experience perfect meads such as Ken is producing, there should be no reason why the world’s best meads do not compete with the world’s best wines.

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a delicious pineapple character, as well as their cherry mead.

In addition to the variety of beverages on display in the area, the other thing that is noteworthy is that from the Detroit suburbs of Ferndale to War-ren, these meaderies are so close, it is really easy to visit them all. After a three day adventure enjoying craft beverages it was time to get a respon-sible amount of sleep as the next day had something very special instore for us.

We packed up the rental car, checked out of the hotel, and met up with Paul and Brad at B. Nektar in order to mix up the first collaborative mead ever made by two US meaderies. Months of planning went into this batch, which began over beers in Copenha-gen, in May. We wanted to represent

both Michigan and Arizona, as well as utilize a style of mead that would age and show well. We decided to make a prickly pear cyser using Michigan apple cider, Arizona mesquite hon-ey and prickly pear juice from the Southwest.

This batch, of about 250 finished gal-lons, which we made in a 500 gallon mixing vessel was the largest batch of mead Carlos and I had ever made. Which by default also makes this the largest collaborative batch of mead in history. It was great for us to finally be able to turn theory into training by using the equipment at B. Nektar. We mixed up the AZ honey with the Michigan cider and pumped the must into a fermenter before pitching the yeast. After the batch fermented, several samples of the mead with dif-ferent levels of back sweetening and

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blended prickly pear juice were sent to Superstition so that we could play a remote part in helping to determine the final product. Our collective input was put into play, and now the batch is gracefully aging in barrels that once housed Bourbon, then an im-perial stout, and then a cherry mead known as #dragonsarereal. The ABV of our collaboration was 14.6% going into the barrels. I can’t wait to try this unique melomel when it gets bottled next summer. I am confident it will be one of the best meads you will ever taste.

I have written about collaborations in this journal several times before, and I don’t plan on this being the last. I highly encourage commercial mead makers, and home mead makers to

work together on recipes and tech-niques in order to elevate what we can do alone. During this trip Carlos and I enjoyed the privilege to carry on conversations with some of the best minds in our industry, four days in a row. While some of the details of our trip to Detroit are a bit fuzzy due to the warm welcomes and gracious hosting everywhere we turned, I can tell you with certainty that I learned more about mead in a few short days than I had learned all year.

Most of us do not have the ability to drive to 5 meaderies, all within a half hour of each other, so we have to make quite an effort to meet up with like-minded mead makers. I assure you it is worth the effort, so get in-volved with some mead competitions

in your area, plan a road trip, and don’t miss the Mazer Cup in March. The assembly of mead makers at the AMMA business meeting, the Mead Mixer and the Mazer Cup Competi-tion is unparalleled. If you only can make one trip in 2016 to expand your mead horizons and acquire fresh in-spiration for your meadery, this is one of your best options. I hope that sev-eral collaborations result from mead makers becoming friends and making plans this March. I will see you there!

FOR AN INSIDER’S LOOK AT WHAT WE DID, CHECK OUT THE VIDEO THAT B. NEKTAR PRODUCED ON THEIR YOUTUBE CHANNEL.

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If you’ve heard anything about mead and its history, it’s likely this: “Mead is the oldest fermented beverage known to man.” This is true, but the statement’s simplicity tends to hide just how far back our shared history with the “nectar of the gods” goes. In reality, the history of mead can easily morph into the tale of civilization itself.

You may have heard that both the Egyptian and Mayan civilizations were “fueled by beer.” This means beer was flowing in the Americas as long ago as 250 B.C. and existed in the Nile basin as far back as 3500 B.C. Beer can even be traced back to Iranian pottery crafted a whopping 7,000 years ago. So if beer is that old, how on earth is mead still our oldest spirit?

The story begins tens of thousands of

years ago and involves human inge-nuity, some seriously good luck, and even an elephant or two. Since the dawn of human civilization (and even earlier), mead has soldiered on, sur-viving—though just by the skin of its teeth—to modern times. In short, it’s a heck of a yarn, and one we’re glad to impart. Starting from the beginning, we’ll be tackling the entire history of mead over the next few issues, an era or two at a time.

First up: 40,000 B.C.

The Upper Paleolithic Era (40,000 B.C.-ish): The Sahara has shifted from a fertile valley to a desert, dras-tically altering northern Africa’s weather patterns into something that can be summed up in two words:

‘Wet’ and ‘dry’. The dry season is long, woeful and unrelenting. During the wet season, rain falls from the heav-ens like daggers in a vain attempt to make up for the months-long drought.

OF BEES AND MENTHE LONG, OFTEN CONVOLUTED HISTORY OF MEAD

These two wildly differing seasons set the scene for the first predictable, naturally-occurring meads to come into existence.

Here’s how it went down: During the dry season, elephants were hard-pressed to find green leaves to eat. By bending and eventually breaking off the dry branches of trees, the elephants could get to leaves that might be out of reach or too much work during the wet season. After the leaves were eaten, the elephants moved on, but another animal moved in: Bees. The newly-formed crevices at the tops of the elephant-ravaged trees were a perfect place for the industrious insects to make their new hive—perfect, that is, until the wet season.

When the rains came, many of these once-perfect hives quickly became tiny reservoirs, the beeswax turning the entire tree into a sort of wood-

Colin Druce-McFadden

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and-waxwork goblet fit for a giant. The liquid inside that goblet? Well, it wasn’t exactly mead, but it was a mix-ture of honey and water. As you might expect, this proved a stable source of sugary liquid that was now a perfect place for the tree’s third and tiniest visitor: Wild yeast.

A few months pass as the yeast does its thing: Consuming sugar, ferment-ing it into alcohol. From here, some industrious guy or gal decided to climb a tree in search of water, food, or maybe just a place to hide from a pack of hyenas. At the top of the tree, this early homo sapien found a giant beeswax chalice, filled to the brim with liquid gold. Since early man was pretty much eating and drinking ev-erything in front of him at this point (we did discover that you could eat oysters, after all), there’s no way our tree-bound friend didn’t take a swig.

One mild buzz later, humanity had its first convert to the wonders of mead. And you can bet that it wasn’t long before other members of the same hunter/gatherer tribe were out in force, looking for more.

Ancient Greece (7250 B.C.): As hu-manity began to change from a tribal species to a civilized one, we started to invent useful things, like pottery, for storing liquids. This allowed our ancestors to bring their own fluids with them as they explored new lands and territories. Mead’s seemingly mi-raculous, random appearance in tree-sized chalices made sure that not only did people make sure to bring it

with them when they moved, but that any empty vessels were immediately filled with it when it was found. Slow-ly but surely, these migrations lead humanity out of Africa and across the globe. By the late 7000s, they’d begun to settle in ancient Greece. Mead had not only made the trek, but in Greece, it thrived.

Up until this point in history, we’re not actually sure what mead had been called. What we do know is that to the Greeks it was “Ambrosia,” the nectar of the gods. Instead of being the prod-uct of bees, wild yeast and torrential rains, Ambrosia was thought to be a gift from Zeus and the rest of the denizens of Mt. Olympus. This story comes to us from the Golden Age, the era when humanity first learned to tool gold into something more useful than a pretty rock. It was also the time when the first Greek myths were told.

And what better drink could the Greeks have hoped for to celebrate their Golden Age? Mead was not only the same glorious color as their new metal, but it got you drunk to boot. We still had no idea how to make the stuff ourselves, so the ancient Greeks decided (probably after getting se-verely intoxicated one night) that mead creation went something like this: The gods sent us Ambrosia as morning dew. Bees then collected the stuff and generously stockpiled it for us. Incidentally, this might also be why bees were later seen as messen-gers of the gods.

At some point, the Greeks did actually crack the mead-making code. The earliest evidence of man-made mead can be traced back to the island of Crete. These were the days before wine had been discovered, and while beer was by now beginning to take hold in other places like Egypt, it wasn’t anywhere near as tasty as mead. In fact, mead was so ubiquitous at the time that the Ancient Greek word for drunk actually translates to

“honey intoxicated.”

That’s all for this first installment of the history of mead, but check back next issue when we’ll be tackling mead’s rapid spread across the old world, as well as what happened when a certain explorer returned from his epic trek along the silk road.

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Even though spring may be just around the corner with its promise of fruit and blossoms where once was all grim ice and massifs of snow, there’s something we’re going to miss about winter: Steaming mugs of tea.

Sure, you can drink tea all year ’round, but what beats curling up by a fire with your loved ones and a pot of Japan’s Finest? Answer: Drinking Tea Mead on a Hot Summer Day.

Before we get into the technical details of brewing – or double-brew-ing – with tea, let’s get this out of the way: There is no agreed upon name for a mead made with tea. It’s a mead, subclass metheglin, but beyond that there’s no consensus.

Camelliamel has a certain euphoni-ous charm and Tea Mead is definitely straightforward. Teaglyn should be abandoned immediately since we

don’t like to mix roots and there’s probably a first grader somewhere in the Hartford School District with that name already. For this article, we will just refer to it as Brewing Mead with Tea, since we’re discussing the process more than the final product. Please feel free to bicker about the name on Facebook.

We will also use the term “Tea” to re-fer to anything commonly consumed like Camellia sinensis (aka true tea). This would include yerba mate, roo-ibos, and chamomile to name but a few. We are not talking about other spices which are sometimes referred to as a “spice tea” in brewing, since there are as many techniques for that as there are spices in your cabinet.

So, at last, how does one make mead with tea in it?

As usual, “Ask one Meadmaker, get eight answers.”

There are several ways to add tea to a

batch of mead: Dry, steeped, or a com-bination. And there are several times to add tea to a batch of mead: Before, during, or after fermentation, or throughout the fermentation process.

HOW TO ADD IT

As a rule, we don’t recommend putting dry tea into your mead at any stage of the fermentation. The reason for this is more pragmatic than aesthetic: Tea is covered in mi-crobes, some of which are pathogenic. This is one reason to always steep your tea at 160˚F or above. (For more on this, see snopes.com/food/pre-pare/suntea.asp.)

Although no known pathogen that can harm a human can survive a mead fermentation, chances are pretty good that you’ll be introducing a souring bacteria if you just dump the tea leaves right in. The aesthetic reason is that alcohol extraction of tea doesn’t usually yield an agreeable product.

Ricky Klein Groennfell Meadery

ITS TEA TIMEA GOOD WAY TO FLAVOR MEAD

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If, however, you stabilize your mead post-fermentation, you can go ahead and try adding dry leaves, since your yeast will almost certainly out-com-pete the wild yeast present on the tea during primary fermentation.

Our tried-and-true is to brew up a pot of strong tea. The Rule of Thumb – which is not an offensive term, Google it – is roughly 1 oz. of leaves per quart of water, triple the steeping time, but follow the standard water tempera-ture. Now pull out the tea leaves, and pour in the liquid (which is confus-ingly also referred to as “tea”) into your mead.

WHEN TO ADD IT

Here there is substantially more flex-ibility. With more delicate flavors like tea, we tend to err on the side of later. This gives the yeast less opportunity to scrub out the flavor compounds you’re looking for.

Then again, there’s an old adage that says that you “Taste it when you add it.” This means that if you put it in at the beginning of the fermentation, you’ll taste it as soon as it hits your mouth, but it will fade quickly. If you add it at the end, you’ll get it at “The

back” of your palate.

Whether “You taste it when you add it” is true or not, many people believe it and follow the practice religiously. This would imply that tea should be added at multiple stages of fermenta-tion for the full flavor experience.

Depending on the specific tea, we’ve taken all of the above routes.

CAFFEINE IN MEAD

If it’s True Tea or Mate, then yes, your mead will have some caffeine in it, but not very much.

Assuming you add a whole pot of strong tea to a 5 gallon batch, you could anticipate about 8 mg of caf-feine in your glass of mead. That’s 1/12th the amount of caffeine in a similarly-sized cup of coffee, or the same as a cup of decaf coffee.

WHILE WE’RE AT IT, WE MIGHT AS WELL DEBUNK TWO OTHER TEA MYTHS

There is, in fact, caffeine in mate. No, it is not a similar compound called “Mateine.” Yes, I know your local tea shop told you this. But, alas, they are not scientists. Again, Google it.

Furthermore, you can’t “Wash the caffeine off tea” with a quick dunk.

TEA VARIETIES

This is entirely up to you. It’s your mead!

We have nothing more to suggest ex-cept to experiment!

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BUILDING A DREAM JOBONE MEADMAKER’S STORY

“Well, this isn’t going to be easy. To-day is your last day here.”

With these words, my long, stable corporate career came to an abrupt end. Although part of my separation package was a generous “reemploy-ment” program with a professional firm, I had no heart to continue in a corporate business world that no lon-ger resonated with me on any level. What to do?

“I want to love my job as much as you love yours,” I said to my wonderful wife one evening after yet another day of finding no interesting job openings. “Go for it!” she said. (I’m not sure she thought that one through.)

I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I had been making mead for many years, and had many times been en-couraged to make it on a professional level. A good friend, owner of a very successful dot-com, answered the news of my job loss with two words: “Gross Mead!” He then went on to

say that it might not be the best name choice.

But I’d made my decision. But how to begin?

First, I had to learn about launching a small business. I had managed a $52 million product line, but that’s not the same as managing cash flow in a startup. Simultaneously, I built a feasibility spreadsheet identifying every potential cost, assessing po-tential sales volumes, and I assured repeatability of some of my favorite

GARY GROSS Ethereal Meads LLC

AMERICAN MEAD MAKER 21

recipes. Contacting existing meade-ries to learn about their experiences was illuminating. Weary of working to the expectations of others, I decid-ed to self-fund and, therefore, to start small.

Having spent much of the last 14 years in an airplane, I set the goal of walking across the driveway to work. The right residential zoning was im-portant. I decided to start the process of federal licensing just as we decided to downsize from our large home on acreage to a smaller home on less acreage, but closer to town and with the right zoning. Not knowing how long it would take to sell the home, I decided I would start just as soon as federal and state licensing would allow.

As fate would have it, final licensing came through after we had sold, and nine days before we had to move out. Should I have leased a space else-where? It would have been faster, but I’m glad we didn’t.

We moved into an apartment, plan-ning to find an acre or two and build on it. We looked and looked, but could not find the right place at the right price. Doubling down on finding an existing house on the right property, we identified a few possible places and lucked out: a house we loved on a one-acre lot, zoned for a meadery with an existing outbuilding that could be modified. It was time to get to work.

Tax and Trade Bureau permit in hand, I immediately applied for a change of premises, which took less than 45 days as opposed to the expected nine-ty. Thirty days later, the state permit was done, but I was nowhere close to being ready for production.

This is where meadmaking met engineering. Modification of the out-building for space, easy washability, a tank-supporting floor, efficient, rock-solid temperature control and various other infrastructure matters took up all of my time, and the chem-ical engineer in me loved it. I decided on 7-barrel fermenter sizing because it matched quite well with one drum of honey, meaning I could keep my raw material inventory low. Expe-rience has taught me that’s a great idea—up until you want some really special honey that can only be pur-chased in July and August. Not every plan has worked out, and not every vision has been golden.

In the midst of building out the pro-duction shop, the opportunity came to work with a team of Washington State University business major se-niors in a business analysis program. I jumped at it. My students became knowledgeable about and apprecia-tive of good mead, and I received a de-tailed business plan that corroborat-ed my spreadsheet work—a win-win.

A good friend of mine told me the sto-ry of coming to the kitchen table on his 18th birthday. His father solemnly sat down across from him and said “Son, this is your time; whatever you do, do something, even if it is wrong.” This story inspires me to take the next step, learning from failure as well as success. You will never have it all figured out; don’t let that paralyze you. And you will screw some things up. Learn from it.

Where are we now? Firing on a few, but not all cylinders. We have launched three meads, starting with my wheelhouse of semi-sweet melo-mels and cysers. I expect to have eight to 10 product offerings by the end of

2016. We self-distribute in Washing-ton and Oregon, but have learned that there are not enough hours in a day to handle production, regulatory issues, accounting, sales, etc. by ourselves. We’re hiring distributors to expand our reach and doing more and more tasting events because, face it, most people have never heard of mead, and that needs to change.

Ultimately, we all have our own dream for what our mead business should be. No two business models are alike, nor should they be. I can sleep well at night because our dream is structured to my risk tolerance and personality. As for the maxim of starting with the end in mind, two people having fun making great mead and running a reasonably profitable business is a worthy, and according to my spreadsheets, doable target. Having no tasting room (personal preference) and no employees makes it easy to close shop and take a vaca-tion, i.e. to sell mead in the places we want to visit.

Are we there yet? Not quite. My wife is keeping the day job she loves for the time being. As for me, today I’d bet-ter bottle more of the Autumn Mist (spiced apple mead) because inven-tory is low, get the glycol chiller piped up for multiple fermenters, nail down timing for the marionberry melomel (Sylvan Twilight) which is next up for a new product, call several cus-tomers to let them know about Happy Troll, our new blackberry–raspberry mead, and work out the details for our tasting Thursday night at Whole Foods Market. It’s an average day for a meadmaker, and I’m loving every minute of it.

22 MEADMAKERS.ORG

The recent growth of mead in the United States has also jump-started amateur mead competitions. Typically relegated to a category in beer homebrew competitions, mead-only competitions allow amateur mazers to obtain feedback and compete for honors. While several

have been in existence for some time now, multiple new and returning competitions are becoming available.

After a hiatus of over three years, “Valhalla: The Mead-ing of Life” resumed in Philadelphia this past October. Ninety-five entries from amateur meadmakers were received. Considering that prior competitions averaged 70 entries, organizer Brian

AMATEUR MEAD COMPETITIONSEAST COAST ON THE RISE

Pylant was more than pleased.

The Domras Cup in Savannah, Ga., is one of the longer-running mead-only competitions in the country. Started as a club-only competition, it has grown into a major nationwide event, averaging 100 entries a year. Last year they even had their first international entry from South America. Organized by the Savannah Brewers League, the

Mike Tripka

AMERICAN MEAD MAKER 23

next competition is scheduled for February 6, 2016. This Domras Cup will be partnering with the Savannah Ronald McDonald House, using the competition as a fundraiser for their mission. Organizers are looking forward to upwards of 150 entries to be judged by Beer Judge Certification Program-approved mead judges and professional meadmakers.

“Mead Free or Die” was held in April 2015 at Londonderry, N.H., with over 200 amateur entries and over 50 professional entries judged. Organized by Michael Fairbrother of Moonlight Meadery and Ash Fischbein of Sap House Meadery, the competition provides feedback and competition for the amateur meadmaker. The next competition is scheduled for the end of April 2016. Net proceeds benefit the American Mead Makers Association’s legal fund to help standardize laws pertaining to

mead and mead production.

All three competitions have joined together and partnered with Dutch Gold Honey to provide amateur meadmakers an added prize. The inaugural East Coast Meadmaker of the Year competition awards points based on placement in each event as well as additional points for placing in the Best of Show rounds. The mazer earning the most points will be declared the “East Coast Meadmaker of the Year, 2016.” The grand prize will be a 60 pound pail of Dutch Gold Honey and a work of custom artisanal pottery from the Jacob Preston Gallery in Bluffton, S.C.

Additional information about the competition can be found at www.eastcoastmeadmaker.com. There is no additional entry fee.

Organizers are looking forward to upwards of 150 entries to be judged by Beer Judge Certification Program-approved mead judges and professional meadmakers.

More information about the participating events can be found at:

VALHALLA: THE MEADING OF LIFE >

DOMRAS CUP >

MEAD FREE OR DIE >

24 MEADMAKERS.ORG

Saccharomyces cerevisiae, better known as yeast, is vital to life; without it there would be no fermentation. Yeast is the lifeblood of the mead, beer, wine, and cider that influences our culture, society, and economy. Add yeast to any sugary liquid and, given the proper environment, it will produce bubbly carbon dioxide and sweet, sweet ethanol.

Craft beverage makers of all types constantly struggle to provide yeast with the perfect environment to maximize its efficiency. While this miraculous organism is the foundation of the fermentation industry, it’s also the most stubborn and the most variable aspect of the brewing process. Mead fermentation, in particular, is notoriously long. Unlucky mead makers can face weeks to a month or more of agonizing delays waiting for fermentation to finish.

Fermentation times can vary based on the type of honey used and the resulting length of sugar chains. Equally variable is the strain of yeast used; each provides different characteristics. Poorly timed pitch rate, low yeast viability, fluctuating temperatures, and inadequately

maintained pH levels are examples of potential mistakes. A sufficiently low pH can even kill off the yeast entirely. Most commonly, yeast can get in a “stuck” fermentation where the environment around the yeast is no longer conducive to metabolism or reproduction. This not only affects the final gravity, but the clarity of the product, alcohol level, and, most importantly, flavor. If any of these variables are outside of specifications, off-flavors quickly arise.

If you’ve been making mead for a while, none of this should be new information. Ideally you are pitching healthy yeast into a nutrient-rich, warm environment and buffering your acidic fruit meads. Even if this is the case, those who have perfected fermentation need to know causes of off-flavors and how they taste in the final product.

Four of the most common mead off-flavors are byproducts of poor yeast maintenance. Acetic acid is an off-flavor produced from older yeast generations and, more frequently, bad sanitation practices. This results in a low-pH environment. High temperatures can cause a chemical or solvent flavor by forcing fermentation of fusel alcohols instead of ethanol. The infamous

“stuck fermentation” can be caused

by unhealthy yeast, resulting in an incomplete fermentation and cloyingly sweet flavors. On the flip side, if you manage to over-attenuate (converting sugar to alcohol), the flavor will be thin and watered down.

In order to detect these key flavors, it’s vital to train your palate into recognizing off-flavors. Using easily accessible “chemicals,” you can do an in-house, off-flavor mead panel for four people without purchasing expensive flavor kits. Explore each of these off-flavors in a blind panel setting—all you need is five bottles of unflavored, traditional mead.

1. Open all five bottles. Pour out the mead so the fill line is at the neck, making room for the flavors.

2. Other containers: Pour 10-12oz of mead into five separate pitchers.

3. Add an off-flavor component to four of the samples (one for the control), stir but don’t shake.

4. Write the off-flavor in sharpie on the glass of each sample. Cover that label with masking tape. Wait eight to 10 minutes.

5. Randomize the samples then write a number on top of the tape (one through five). Stir one last time.

Dana R. Garves Beer Chemist

YEAST OFF-FLAVOR PANELFLAW DETECTION TRAINING

AMERICAN MEAD MAKER 25

Off-Flavor Flavor addition per 12oz Flavor Description

1/2 oz Vinegar Vinegar, tart, sourAcetic/Acidic

1 oz Everclear or vodka Vitamin, paint thinnerSweet/Cloying

1/2 oz Agave or honey Syrup, sugaryChemical/Solvent

2 oz Water Watery, lightThin

6. Each person labels their tasting glasses or plastic cups one through five.

7. Pour 3 ounces of each mead into five cups per person.

8. Taste samples one through five silently. Take notes. Then taste through each sample discussing as a group.

9. Remove labels to reveal the off-flavor (or control). Taste with the group a second time.

10. Repeat weekly to improve your sensory palate.

BONUS PALATE TRAINING

Use slightly less amounts of off-flavor each week.

Awareness of both desired and unwanted aromatics and flavors are a vital aspect of quality control. In order to troubleshoot a mead, it’s vital to know the underlying causes of particular off-flavors and how to correct them. Having the ability to objectively taste a final product and provide accurate and useful feedback is an acquired skill that only improves with more drinking. Practice makes perfect, so drink up.

Dana Garves is the founder of Oregon BrewLab, a laboratory facility that provides an affordable, fast, and local testing service available to the fermentation industry. BrewLab offers precise and accurate alcohol analysis of beer, cider, wine, and mead to homebrewers, startups, and established facilities, regardless of size or budget. Visit www.oregonbrewlab.com for a list of services and prices.

26 MEADMAKERS.ORG

Before getting this mead, I had never heard of the Mar-ionberry. It happens to be a breed of blackberry first cultivated in 1956. The Marion Mead is 85% honey wine, 5% marionberry, 5% raspberry, and 5% blueberry. This mixture results in a deep, dark reddish purple color beau-tifully visible through the clear glass bottle. It looks just as rich and decadent when poured into a glass.

The aroma is incredibly juicy. The berries dance in the nostrils along with musty earthy notes. The aroma is deep and dark like the appearance.

The flavors are big and bold. Significant blackberry jam flavors along with black current lead the way. A bit of honey sweetness comes through but then yields to a tannic tartness along with cranberry flavors (well, maybe just the cranberry tartness). It finishes dry with the fruit peel tannins lingering on the back of the tongue. It drinks much more tart and dry than expected, which is nice. The acidity balances the sweetness in this complex mead. It

comes in at 13.5% ABV, but the alcohol is barely notice-able among the bright berry flavors.

I think the clear bottle is great for this mead. It lets the deep berry color speak for itself. I feel like the bright color of the label actually ends up detracting from the color of the mead itself. It would be nicer if the label was a neutral color with accents of the berry color to accentuate the color of the mead. Also there isn’t much consistency between the front label and the back.

One thing I do like that Superstition Meadery does with their labels is the hand written batch numbers. This lit-tle detail is similar to numbering fine art prints – a nod to the craft of the libation.

I had the mead with summer berry dark chocolate. A great combination. Overall it’s a very intriguing mead with marvelously rich flavors.

SUPERSTITION MEADERY MARION MEAD

MEADIST REVIEWS

AMERICAN MEAD MAKER 27

MEADIST REVIEWS

Being from the east coast it’s hard to get west coast mead – especially with Massachusetts’ tired old liquor laws. This is the first Golden Coast Mead I’ve been able to try, but it won’t be the last (well, because I have a handful in my house already). Golden Coast Mead was founded in 2010, but launched more significantly in 2012 with a successful kickstarter campaign.

Their Orange Blossom Mead comes in at 12% ABV, but it drinks similar to its appearance – incredibly light. It pours a pale yellow color with a good amount of carbon-ation. Large white bubbles that dance around the glass give way to lots of little carbonation bubbles that sit throughout and eventually give way to nice clarity.

The aroma is quite pleasant – lots of citrus notes with a mildly sweet honey backer – this is followed by floral and slightly earthy notes. I can imagine this would be similar to walking through an orange grove when the flowers are in full bloom.

The taste at first is a bit bland, like a seltzer with light flavoring. The carbonation was right where I feel it should be. It adds complexity and slight tingle to the tongue but not so much that it leans toward champagne. I poured it from the refrigerator, and as it warmed, it opened up and more flavors began to present them-selves. Light, sweet lemon and orange citrus flavors appear throughout along with some light tropical fruit-iness. Overall, it would be nice if those flavors came through a bit more, aside from that it has nice balance.

So, generally I like the direction the label is headed in. There are good ideas in the overall branding strat-

egy – different icons and colors for different varieties allowing the consumer to differentiate, yet consistency in the overall framework allowing them to know they are from the same company – however I feel like there are a lot of little areas areas for improvement and some bigger ones. The biggest being the coloration. The blue and orange remind me of the the opposite coast – New York (Mets, Knicks, NY licensee plates), not the Gold-en Coast. The colors are also heavy, especially in the chunky blocks and type that make up the label. It’s such a light mead and that does not come out at all in the vi-suals. The mead has a great bright character as does the normal Golden Coast logo – none of that comes across on this bottle. It doesn’t have the feel of the Golden Coast brand.

Overall this is a nice example of an Orange Blossom va-rietal mead. It lets the Orange blossom honey speak for itself, I just wish the voice was a little stronger.

GOLDEN COAST MEAD ORANGE BLOSSOM

Meadist is an online source for modern mead explora-tion - a way to spread the enjoyment of drinking and making mead while growing the mead community through conversation and collaboration.

Find additional reviews and more at meadist.com

To have your mead reviewed, email paul@meadist.com

28 MEADMAKERS.ORG

PRESIDENT

Michael Fairbrother Moonlight Meadery

VICE PRESIDENT + LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE CHAIR

Brad Dahlhofer B. Nektar

SECRETARY

Colleen Bos Bos Meadery

TREASURER

Phil Lorenz Nectar Creek Honeywine

INDUSTRY LIAISON

Ken Schramm Schramm’s Mead

INTERNATIONAL LIAISON

John Way Sunset Heights Meadery (Canada)

HOME MEAD MAKING COMMUNITY LIAISON

Vicky Rowe Got Mead

LARGE INDUSTRY MEMBER

Mike Faul Rabbit’s Foot Meadery

AMMA BOARD OF DIRECTORS

SMALL INDUSTRY MEMBER + PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE CHAIR

Jeff Herbert Superstition Meadery

SERGEANT AT ARMS

Sergio Moutela Melovino Meadery

EX-OFFICIO

Chrissie Zaerpoor Kookoolan World Meadery

AMERICAN MEAD MAKER 29

[As amended September 1, 2015]

ARTICLE I AMMA DEFINED

SECTION 1. NAME

The American Mead Makers Associ-ation, Inc. is a professional, scientific and educational nonprofit corpora-tion, hereinafter referred to as the Association or AMMA. The Asso-ciation shall make decisions for its operations and administration based on these Bylaws.

SECTION 2. MISSION STATEMENT

The AMMA is an industry voice for meaderies within, or doing business in the United States. This voice is communicated through the press, marketing activities, public relations and by working on legislative issues. We support research and advances in safety, sustainability, education, technology and raw materials related to mead making. Political influence is exercised to secure fair legislative and regulatory treatment. We are committed to assisting meaderies in producing quality meads by cultivat-ing new ideas, publishing information on best practices and supporting competitions. AMMA believes in promoting the living and active mead culture which is thriving among craft meaderies, home mead makers, and

mead enthusiasts.

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 individ-ually and collectively.

8. Promoting ethical and legal trade practices.

9. Building relationships and col-laborating with our industry partners.

ARTICLE II MEMBERSHIP AND

AMMA BYLAWS

DUES

SECTION 1. DESCRIPTION OF MEMBERSHIPS

The following classifications of Asso-ciation memberships include: Corpo-rate, Trade, Individual, International and Lifetime. The Board of Directors will set the fee structure and can change it on an annual basis.

SECTION 2. CORPORATE MEMBERS

Any commercial winery that makes one or more meads as part of their product line. One employee/owner will be identified as the primary rep-resentative 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 industry.

30 MEADMAKERS.ORG

Individual Members will receive spe-cial 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. How-ever, no new Lifetime Memberships 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 entitled to use the Association logo in market-ing or in identifying themselves as a member of the Association, and will be invited to attend the annual busi-ness meeting.

SECTION 73. MEMBERSHIP APPLICATIONS & DUES.

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

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 domestic and international mead making inter-

ests, as defined below. Term limits are two years and no elected Board mem-ber may serve more than two consec-utive terms in the same position.

By majority vote, the Board may nego-tiate agreements, enter into contracts with individuals or groups, and au-thorize payment of fees for services rendered to the Association. It may authorize the employment of indi-viduals to perform services for the Association and establish the policies for compensation, conditions, 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 member

B. Change the membership dues

C. Amend, alter, or repeal these By-laws

D. Amend the Articles of Incorpora-tion of the Association

E. Adopt a plan of merger or adopt a plan of consolidation with another corporation or entity

F. Authorize the sale, lease, or ex-change of all or substantially all of the property or assets of the Association

G. Authorize the voluntary disso-lution of the Association or revoke pending proceedings for the Associa-tion’s dissolution

H. Adopt a plan of distribution of assets of the Association

I. Amend, alter, or repeal any reso-lution of the Board

By simple majority vote the Board shall have the authority to do any of the following under any circumstanc-es:

A. Adopt and amend the annual bud-get for the Association and establish policies for organization expendi-tures;

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 media, and have the authority to call meet-ings 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 Commit-tee and will submit a quarterly prog-ress 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

AMERICAN MEAD MAKER 31

the President in maintaining good order and discipline at all Association meetings and functions. Also, any proposed bylaw changes, complaints, or suggestions for consideration 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 quar-terly progress report from each board member (Except the Ex-Officio) 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 Secretary.

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 Associa-tion or Board meetings, the President will appoint an alternate to take minutes. The Secretary will assemble progress reports received from the Sergeant at Arms, edit as necessary and present at board meetings. The Secretary will maintain the Associ-ation 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 budget for the next year at the annual meeting, col-lect membership dues, maintaining the bank account, submitting a quar-terly progress report to the Sergeant at Arms, and the hiring of profession-al services to assist with the prepara-tion and submission of forms to the IRS and state.

SECTION 7. INTERNATIONAL LIAISON

The International Liaison will own or work for a commercial meadery lo-cated outside of the United States. He or she will serve as the point of con-tact for all international meaderies wishing to communicate with the Association, promote AMMA mem-bership and activities outside of the United States, and report on interna-tional meadery issues to AMMA. He or She will submit a quarterly prog-ress report to the Sergeant at Arms.

SECTION 8. HOME MEAD MAKING COMMUNITY LIAISON

The Home Mead Making Community Liaison will not be employed by a commercial meadery and will serve as the point of contact for all indi-vidual AMMA members, promote AMMA membership and activities to home mead makers and clubs, and report on amateur mead making is-sues to AMMA. He or She will submit a quarterly progress report 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 producers. He or She will submit a quarterly 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 meaderies 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 smaller produc-ers. He or She will submit a quarterly progress report to the Sergeant 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

32 MEADMAKERS.ORG

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 po-sition becomes vacant for whatever reason, the Board shall appoint an individual to fill said vacancy except when the President position becomes vacant. The Vice President will be-come President and the Board will fill the Vice President’s vacant seat by appointment. The person appointed shall assume all the rights, duties and responsibilities of the appointed office for the remainder of the term. Any appointment 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 liv-ing within the same household as any other Board member. Additionally, to ensure diversity among Board mem-bers, 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 Commit-tee 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 Association’s eligi-ble membership by email requesting suggestions for possible nominees for

Board positions that are open based on term completion. Results of the canvass will be reviewed by the Nom-inating Committee. By December 1st, the Committee will publish and announce an online election.

SECTION 2.

Voting for the election shall be com-plete by midnight on December 15, at which time the Nominating Commit-tee shall count the votes and report the results to the Board. The nominee receiving the largest 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 December 31. Newly elected Board members will assume authority once they are installed at the next Annual Associa-tion Business Meeting the following March.

SECTION 5. TRANSITION

All outgoing Board Members shall hand off the provisions of their posi-tion to the incoming Board Members, in person, at the Annual Association Business Meeting. This includes but is not limited to documents, pass-words, contacts, banking information, etc. If the outgoing or incoming Board Member cannot make the Annual Association Business Meeting, the provisions must be relinquished and delivered one week prior to the Annu-

al Association 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 otherwise authorized by the Board.

Appointments to all such Committees 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

AMERICAN MEAD MAKER 33

Committee shall fix and establish its own rules of procedure except as otherwise provided in these bylaws and shall meet as provided by such rules and shall also meet at the call of its Chair or any other two members of its Committee. Committees will keep minutes of each meeting to be filed with the Secretary. The Committee Chairperson 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 reim-bursement to be paid to Board mem-bers and the compensation policy for full time staff of the Association, 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 delineating all income and expenses for the Association’s overall operations including but not limited to administration, publica-tions, conferences and investments. It shall order an independent finan-cial audit of the Association every other calendar year and an annual independent financial review in in-terim years.

SECTION 2.

The fiscal year of the Association shall be from January 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 recommended by the Secretary and approved by the President. The agenda format shall conform to the following template:

I. Roll Call – Sergeant at Arms (must have a quorum of 6 to contin-ue)

II. Call to Order – President

III. Board Reports

a. President

b. Vice President

c. Secretary

d. Treasurer

IV. 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 Annual Business Meeting open to all mem-bers 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 Association website.

SECTION 4. SPECIAL MEETINGS

Special meetings for members of the Association, including the Board, may be called by the President on written request. The time, place, meeting for-mat and agenda items for each spe-cial meeting shall be recommended by the Secretary and approved by the President. Notice of the special meet-ing shall be given to each member by mail, phone or electronic means. The notice 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

34 MEADMAKERS.ORG

consists of a legible written assign-ment 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 ma-jority of the Board and an agenda will be sent to all Board members prior to the meeting. Special meetings of the Board shall be called, with due notice, by the President or on written request by four members of the Board. Upon majority vote, the Board shall be entitled to adjourn anytime for purposes of reconvening a closed ses-sion consisting of only Board mem-bers. Prior to adjourning into closed session, the topic(s) to be discussed shall be announced in general terms to members in attendance at such meeting.

SECTION 6. BOARD MEETINGS

Notice of the time and place of meetings of the Board shall be given 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 communi-cations 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 capacity 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 meet-ings 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 ac-cording to proxy voting rules which will be determined by the Board.

ARTICLE VIII DISSOLUTION

SECTION 1. PROCEDURE.

In the event dissolution of the Associ-ation appears desirable or necessary, the Board shall adopt a resolution recommending dissolution of the Association together with a plan for distribution of assets. The Secretary and Treasurer shall transmit the pro-posals to the Board.

SECTION 2. LIMITATIONS ON DISTRIBUTION OF ASSETS.

Upon the dissolution of the Associa-tion, any assets shall in first priority be applied to final payment and dis-charge of all liabilities and obligations 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 remain-ing assets shall be conveyed to such organizations or institutions then existing within the United States of America which are dedicated to perpetuation of objectives similar to those of the Association and which are specified in the plan of distribu-tion adopted by the Board, provided that such entities are tax exempt un-der 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 Associ-ation’s assets remaining after satisfy-ing final operating obligations may be conveyed 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

AMERICAN MEAD MAKER 35

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36 MEADMAKERS.ORG

AMMA MEADERY LIST

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51 North Brewing Company51 North Broadway StLake Orion, MI 48362Bus: (248) 690-7367E-mail: info@51northbrewing.com

7 C’s Winery & Meadery502 E 560thWalnut Grove, MO 65770Bus: (417) 788-2263E-mail: jean@7cswinery.com

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

Adytum Cellars15132 148th Ave NEWoodinville, WA 98072Bus: (425) 482-9030E-mail: mead@adytumcellars.com

Aesir Meadery2109 Wetmore AveEverett, WA 98201Bus: (425) 495-6201E-mail: erik@aesirmeadery.com

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

Alaskan Wilderness Wines498 ShearwaterKodiak, AK 99615Bus: (907) 486-1420E-mail: alaskawildwine@gci.net

Algomah Acres Honey House Meadery29534 Post Office RdMass City, MI 49948

Bus: (906) 883-3894E-mail: algomahacres@live.com

Amber Moon Meadery7600 NW 3d StOklahoma City, OKBus: (405) 496-5663E-mail: ambermoonmeadery@gmail.com

Arsenal Cider House & Wine Cellar300 39th StPittsburgh, PA 15201Bus: (412) 260-6968E-mail: wine@arsenalciderhouse.com

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

Atlantic Brewing Co15 Knox RdBar Harbor, ME 04609Bus: (207) 288-2337E-mail: realale@atlanticbrewing.com

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B Nektar Meadery1481 Wordsworth, Suite BFerndale, MI 48220313-744-6323E-mail: info@bnektar.com

Bacchus Meadery217 E 3d StLoveland, CO 80537Bus: (970) 461-4071E-mail: mead@bacchusmeadery.com

Bardic Wells Meadery6737 50th AveMontague, MI 49437Bus: (231) 893-6418

E-mail: mead@bardicwells.com

Bartlett Maine Estate WineryRR1 Box 598Gouldsboro, ME 04607Bus: (207) 546-2408E-mail: info@bartlettwinery.com

Bayfield WineryPO Box 1391Bayfield, WI 54814Bus: (715) 779-5404E-mail: info@bayfieldwinery.com

Bear Creek Winery60203 Bear Creek DrHomer, AK 99603Bus: (907) 235-8484E-mail: bluzin@bearcreekwinery.com

Bee Well Meadery39342 Canterbury DrHarrison Twp, MI 48045Bus: (586) 322-6705E-mail: cvansice@gmail.com

Beekman & Beekman5236 Geer RdHughson, CA 95326Bus: (209) 667-5812E-mail: info@beekmanandbeekman.com

Beowulf MeadSan Rafael, CA 94903Bus: (415) 491-0908E-mail: info@beowulfmead.com

Bias Winery3166 Hwy BBerger, MO 63014Bus: (573) 834-5475E-mail: bias@biaswinery.com

Bjorn MeadWaterford, CA 95386

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Bus: (209) 665-6368E-mail: bjornmead@gmail.com

Black Bear Winery248 County Rd 1Chenengo Forks, NY 13746Bus: (607) 656-9863E-mail: mamabear@blackbearwin-ery.com

Black Forest Meadery6420 Burrows Rd Unit AColorado Springs, CO 80908Bus: (719) 495-7340E-mail: mail@blackforestmeadery.com

Blacksnake Meadery1815 Windsor Ave SWRoanoke, VA 24015Bus: (540) 834-6172E-mail: blacksnake@blacksnake-mead.com

Blue Dog Mead254 Lincoln StEugene, OR 97401Bus: (541) 506-1560E-mail: info@bluedogmead.com

Bluegrass Brewing Co3929 Shelbyville RdLouisville, KY 40207Bus: (502) 899-7070E-mail: david@bbcbrew.com

Bos Meadery LLC5805 Seminole Ridge Circle Fitch-burg, WI 53711Bus: (608) 628-3792E-mail: colleen@bosmeadery.com

Boyd’s Cardinal Hollow Winery720 W Prospect AveNorth Wales, PA 19454Bus: (215) 801-2227E-mail: cardinalwinery@aol.com

Brimming Horn MeaderyRehoboth Beach, DE 19971Brimstone Springs MeaderyE-mail: brd_hef@yahoo.com

Brotherhood WineryPO Box 190Washingtonville, NY 10992

Bus: (845) 496-3663E-mail: bhw.colleen@gmail.com

Brothers Drake Meadery26 E 5th AveColumbus, OH 43201Bus: (614) 388-8765E-mail: info@brothersdrake.com

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Camas Prairie Winery110 S Main StMoscow, ID 83843Bus: (208) 882-0214E-mail: winemaker@camasprairiew-inery.com

Cascade Winery4665 BroadmoorGrand Rapids, MI 49512Bus: (616) 656-4665E-mail: bob@cascadecellars.com

Celestial Meads600 W 58th Ave Ste B Anchorage, AK 99518 Bus: (907) 250-8362 E-mail: meads@gci.net

Chateau LoranePO Box 47Lorane, OR 97451Bus: (541) 942-8028E-mail: info@chateaulorane.com

Chaucer’s Cellars3535 N Main StSoquel, CA 95073Bus: (831) 475-2258E-mail: customerservice@bargetto.com

Chrisman Mill Vineyards2308 Sir Barton Way Ste 190 Lexing-ton, KY 40509Bus: (859) 881-5007E-mail: chrismanmill@aol.com

Colony Meadery905 Harrison St Ste 115Allentown, PA 18103Bus: (855) 632-3669E-mail: info@thecolonymeadery.com

Colorado Cellars Winery3553 E RdPalisade, CO 81526

Bus: (970) 464-7921E-mail: info@coloradocellars.com

Crabtree Brewing Co625 3d St #DGreely, CO 80631Bus: (970) 356-0516E-mail: info@crabtreebrewing.com

Crafted Artisan Meadery1189 State Rte 43Mogadore, OH 44260Bus: (330) 618-5050E-mail: info@craftedmead.com

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

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Dadeez Bees Apiary and MeaderyPO Box 90832Portland, OR 97290Bus: (503) 772-3565E-mail: info@triskelecorporation.com

Dancing Bee Winery8060 E US Hwy 190Rogers, TX 76569Bus: (254) 983-2337E-mail: info@dancingbeewinery.com

Depoe Bay WineryPO Box 1492Depoe Bay, OR 97341Bus: (541) 765-3311E-mail: depoebaywinery@yahoo.com

Dithyramb Winery and Meadery8312 E Briarwood BlvdCentennial, CO 80112Bus: (720) 529-3846E-mail: info@dithyrambwinery.com

Dogfish Head Brewery#6 Cannery Village CenterMilton, DE 19968Bus: (302) 684-1000 x2112E-mail: info@dogfishalehouse.com

Dragon Meadery LLCAurora, CO 80013Bus: (720) 371-1970E-mail: dragonmeadery@comcast.

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Dragonmead14600 E 11 Mile RdWarren, MI 48089Bus: (586) 776-9428E-mail: sales@dragonmead.com

Dragon’s Lair Country Wines & Meads6714 1/2 Lake Grove St SW Lakewood, WA 98499Bus: (253) 537-1050E-mail: info@dragonslairmeads.com

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Earle Estates Meadery2770 State Route 14Penn Yan, NY 14527Bus: (315) 536-1210E-mail: meadery@eznet.net

Easley Winery205 N College AveIndianapolis, IN 46202Bus: (317) 636-4516E-mail: info@easleywinery.com

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

Empire Winery & Destillery11807 Little RdNew Port Richey, FL 34654 Bus: (727) 819-2821

Enat Winery910 81st Ave Ste #18Oakland, CA 94621Bus: (510) 632-6629E-mail: hhou723489@aol.com

Enchanted Manor Winery37615 FM 1774Magnolia, TX 77355Bus: (281) 770-0710E-mail: jon@enchantedmanorwin-ery.com

Enlightenment WinesClintondale, NY 12515E-mail: raphael@enlighten-mentwines.com

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Fairwinds Winery1984 Hastings Ave WPort Townsend, WA 98368Bus: (360) 385-6899E-mail: info@fairwindswinery.com

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: hilltop1@ntelos.net

Florida Orange Groves Winery1500 Pasadena Ave SSt Petersburg, FL 33707Bus: (800) 338-7923E-mail: info@floridawine.com

Four Quarters Meadery190 Walker LaneArtemas, PA 17211Bus: (814) 784-3080E-mail: pjalthouse@gmail.com

Fox Hill Meadery33 Selby CourtMarshall, NC 28753Bus: (703) 298-4705E-mail: mead@foxhillmead.com

Full Circle Brewing Co620 F StFresno, CA 93706Bus: (559) 264-6323E-mail: fullcirclebrewingco@com-cast.net

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Golden Coast Mead4216 Copeland PlSan Diego, CA 92116E-mail: frankgolbeck@goldencoast-mead.com

Great Cats MeaderyClemmons, NCE-mail: torahanjyuu+kumaltygris@gmail.com

Green River Ambrosia

324 Wells StGreenfield, MA 01301E-mail: info@greenriverambrosia.com

Groennfell Meadery856 Hercules Dr, Ste 20 Colchester, VT 05446Bus: (802) 497-2345E-mail: info@groennfell.com

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Haight-Brown Vineyards29 Chestnut Hill RdLitchfield, CT 06759Bus: (860) 567-4045E-mail: info@haightvineyards.com

Heidrun MeaderyPO Box 208Point Reyes Station, CA 94956Bus: (415) 663-9122E-mail: info@heidrunmeadery.com

Helderberg Meadworks990 W Duane Lake RdDuanesburg, NY 12056Bus: (518) 795-8964E-mail: peter@helderbergmead-works.com

Hellbender Meadery3812 State Hwy KKRogersville, MO 65742Bus: (417) 429-4985E-mail: caitlyn@hellbendermeadery.com

Heritage Wines International640 W. 158th StNew York, NYBus: (888) 835-2986E-mail: info@theheritagewines.com

Hermit Woods Wine56 Taylor RdSanbornton, NH 03269Bus: (603) 253-7968E-mail: bob@hermitwoods.com

Hidden Legend Winery1345 Hwy 93 N #5Victor, MT 59875Bus: (406) 363-6323E-mail: ken@hiddenlegendwinery.

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Hierophant MeaderyLiberty Lake, WABus: (208) 405-8338E-mail: contact@hierophantmead-ery.com

Hive Winery1220 W Jack D Drive Ste 2Layton, UT 84041Bus: (801) 546-1997E-mail: josh@thehivewinery.com

homebrewchemistE-mail: info@homebrewchemist.com

Honey Moon MeadPO Box 2701Bellingham, WA 98227Bus: (360) 734-0728E-mail: contact@honeymoonmead.net

Honey Run Winery2309 Park AveChico, CA 95928Bus: (530) 345-6405E-mail: honeyrun@honeyrun.com

Honeyjack Meadery9769 W 119th Dr Bay 7 Broomfield, CO 80020Bus: (303) 709-7422E-mail: jimmy@honeyjack.com

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

Hoodsport WineryN 23501 Hwy 101Hoodsport, WA 98548Bus: (360) 877-9894E-mail: wine@hoodsport.com

Hunters Moon Meadery404 Immigrant TrailSeverance, CO 80550Bus: (970) 590-6059E-mail: kim@huntersmoonmeadery.com

Hydomiel Apidoro2212 Calle ParanaPonce, PR 00758E-mail: apidoro@aol.com

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

Isaaks of SalemSalem, MABus: (401) 290-8256E-mail: ian@isaaksofsalem.com

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James Arthur Vineyards2001 W Raymond RdRaymond, NE 68428Bus: (402) 783-5255E-mail: javwines@windstream.net

Jilbert Winery1496 Columbia RdValley City, OH 44280Bus: (216) 781-4120 E-mail: dbjilbert@aol.com

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Kenco FarmsPO Box 454Sutton, WV 26601Bus: (304) 765-7680E-mail: kencofarms@rtol.net

Kookoolan World Meadery15713 Hwy 47Yamhill, OR 97148Bus: (503) 730-7535E-mail: kookoolan@gmail.com

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

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La Buena Vida Vineyards416 E College StGrapevine, TX 76051Bus: (817) 481-9463E-mail: adam@labuenavida.com

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

Lakewood Vineyards4024 State Rte 14Watkins Glen, NY 14891Bus: (607) 535-9252E-mail: wines@lakewoodvineyards.com

Laural Highlands MeaderyGreensburg, PA 15601Bus: (724) 249-6323E-mail: Meadmaker@LHMead.com

Linganore Wine Cellars13601 GlissansMill RdMt Airey, MD 21771-8599Bus: (410) 795-6432E-mail: info@linganorewines.com

Long Island Meadery1347 Lincoln Ave Ste 11 Holbrook, NY 11741Bus: (631) 285-7469E-mail: info@LIMeadery.com

Long Trout Winery84 Fork Mountain RdAuburn, PA 17922Bus: (570) 366-6443E-mail: askthehippies@longtrout-winery.com

Lost Tribes BrewBus: (888) 582-7397E-mail: info@losttribesbrew.com

Louisville Mead Company3028 Dartmouth AveLouisville, KY 40205E-mail: louisvillemeadcompany@gmail.com

Luna de MielSalinas, CA 93901Bus: (805) 985-7229E-mail: david@ghbrands.com

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Mace Mead Works250 E Main StDayton, WA 99328Bus: (509) 540-0000E-mail: reggie@macemeadworks.com

Magpie Farms Winery1849 State Hwy 41

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Bainbridge, NY 13733Bus: (607) 639-4400E-mail: magpie@magpiemead.com

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

Manatawny Creek Winery227 Levengood Rd Douglasville, PA 19518Bus: (610) 689-9804E-mail: manatawny@aol.com

Maple River Winery628 Front StCassleton, ND 58012Bus: (701) 347-5900E-mail: greg@mapleriverwinery.com

McPhee MeaderyPNW Puget SoundE-mail: bertharvey@mcpheemead-ery.com

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: mead@medovina.com

Meniru Meadery5868 Fulton Dr NWCanton, OH 44718Bus: (330) 244-8515E-mail: menirumeadery@hotmail.com

Meridian Hive MeaderyPO Box 1363Pflugville, TX 78691Bus: (512) 417-3769E-mail: meridianhive@gmail.com

Michigan MeaderyGrand Rapids, MIBus: (616) 301-9686

E-mail: david@michiganmeadery.com

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: info@mistymountainmead.com

Mobtown MeadBaltimore, MDE-mail: mobtownmead@gmail.com

Modern Craft Winery2760 E Booth RdAu Gres, MI 48703Bus: (989) 876-0270E-mail: moderncraftsocialmedia@gmail.com

Monks Mead265 B Newton Bridge Rd Athens, GA 30607E-mail: info@monksmead.com

Montezuma Winery2981 Auburn RdSeneca Falls, NY 13148Bus: (315) 568-8190E-mail: info@montezumawinery.com

Moonlight Meadery23 Londonderry Rd #17Londonderry, NH 03053Bus: (603) 216-2162E-mail: info@moonlightmeadery.com

Moonstruck Meadery2221 Madison StBellevue, NE 68005Bus: (402) 934-7544E-mail: brian@moonstruckmead.com

Mount Felix Vineyard & Winery2000 Level RdHavre de Grace, MD 21078Bus: (410) 939-0913E-mail: mary@mountfelix.com

Mountain Meadows MeadPO Box 1199Westwood, CA 96137Bus: (503) 256-3233E-mail: meadman@citlink.net

Mountain View MeaderyPO Box 370Lench Valley, Tasmania, Australia 7008 Bus: (61) 0408 331 165E-mail: info@tasmeads.com.au

Mt Hood MeaderyWashougal, WAE-mail: cschloe@gmail.com

Mystic Meadery1650 Judson DrLongmont, CO 80501E-mail: mysticmeadery@gmail.com

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Nani Moon MeadPO Box 939Kapa’a, Kaua’i, HI 96746Bus: (808) 823-0486E-mail: nanimoonmeadinfo@gmail.com

Nashoba Valley Winery100 Wattaquadock Hill RdBolton, MA 01740Bus: (978) 779-5521E-mail: email@nashobawinery.com

Nectar Creek Honeywine33848 SE Eastgate CircleCorvallis, OR 97333Bus: (541) 760-1592E-mail: info@nectarcreekhoneywine.com

Nector of the Gods Meadery1205 NE 2d StBend, OR 97701Bus: (937) 478-1718E-mail: info@nectarofthegodsmead-ery.com

Northwest Mountain Winery2825 Marvin Rd NE Ste QOlympia, WA 98516Bus: (360) 464-7125E-mail: raycurtis@nwmountainwine.com

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Obec MedovinaE-mail: mike@obecmedovina.com

Oliver Winery8024 N State Rte 37Bloomington, IN 47404Bus: (812) 876-5800E-mail: admin@oliverwinery.com

Orchid Cellar Winery8546 Pete Wiles Rd Middletown, MD 21769Bus: (301) 473-3568E-mail: info@orchidcellar.com

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

Prairieberry WineryBus: (605) 574-3898E-mail: info@prairieberry.com

Prawlocki’s Stout Viking MeadDel Ray Beach, FL 33445Bus: (407) 922-5562E-mail: info@leviathanfinearts.com

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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: warren@raftsholvineyards.com

Redstone Meadery4700 Pearl St #2-ABoulder, CO 80301Bus: (720) 406-1215E-mail: info@redstonemeadery.com

Ring of Fire Meadery178 E Bunnell StHomer, AK 99603Bus: (907) 235-2656E-mail: ringoffiremeadery@alaska.

net

Rogue Ales2320 OSU DrMewport, OR 97365Bus: (541) 867-3660E-mail: joe.rogue@rogue.com

Rohan Meadery6002 FM 2981La Grange, TX 78945Bus: (979) 249-5652E-mail: wendy@rohanmeadery.com

Royal Court MeaderySheboygan, WI 53081Bus: (574) 971-7515E-mail: jestingthreads@gmail.com

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Sap House MeaderyPO Box 595Center Ossipee, NH 03814Bus: (603) 539-1672E-mail: matt@saphousemeadery.com

Schramm’s Mead1545 McManusTroy, MI 48084Bus: (248) 816-1592E-mail: info@schrammsmead.com

Shady Grove Meadery709 Norris FreewayLake City, TN 37769Bus: (865) 426-4900E-mail: meadguy@shadygrovemead.com

Shalom OrchardRoute 200, 158 Eastbook Rd Franklin, ME 04634Bus: (207) 565-2312E-mail: info@shalomorchard.com

Shields Demesne Winery374 Smith Creek RdSpraggs, PA 15362Bus: (724) 435-7246E-mail: contact@shieldswinery.com

Skep & Skein Tavern & Meadery2106 Harrison Ave NW Ste B14 Olympia, WA 98502Bus: (360) 292-4400E-mail: skepandskein@comcast.net

Sky River Winery14270 Woodinville-Redmond Rd NE s Redmond, WA 98052Bus: (425) 242-3815E-mail: glenda@skyriverbrewing.com E-mail 2: denice@skyriverbrew-ing.com

Salt Point MeaderySalt Point, NYE-mail: SPM@saltpointmeadery.com

San Francisco Mead Company1180 Shafter AveSan Francisco, CA 94124 Bus: (415) 819-4947 E-mail: sara@sfmead.com

Sandhill Crane Vineyards4724 Walz RdJackson, MI 49201Bus: (517) 764-0679E-mail: heather@sandhillcranevine-yards.com

Spruce Mountain MeaderyLarkspur, COBus: (719) 351-4909E-mail: Information@SpruceMoun-tainMeadery.com

Spurgeon Vineyards and Winery16008 Pine Tree Rd Highland, WI 53543 Bus: (608) 929-7692E-mail: info@spurgeonvineyards.com

St Ambrose Cellars971 S Pioneer RdBeulah, MI 49617Bus: (888) 912-0017E-mail: zydecogroove@yahoo.com

Starrlight Mead4606 Stllliview DrDurham, NC 27712Bus: (919) 533-6314E-mail: info@starrlightmead.com

Stonekeep MeaderyBoyertown, PABus: (610) 743-8693E-mail: info@stonekeepmeadery.com

Strad Meadery430 Scenic Vista Way

AMERICAN MEAD MAKER 43

Fair Oaks, CA 95628E-mail: dan@stradmead.com

Sugar Clay Winery & Vineyards1446 240th AveThurman, IA 51654Bus: (712) 628-2020E-mail: sugarclaywinery@iowatele-com.net

Summerside Vineyards Winery & MeaderyGrand Lakes o’the Cherokees 441251 E Historic Route 66 Vinita, OK 74301Bus: (918) 256-3000E-mail: wine@summersidevineyards.com

Superior Lakes Mead & Wine36241 JeffersonHarrison Twp, MI 48045Bus: (586) 231-9501E-mail: aaron@superiorlakes.com

Superstition Meadery120 West Gurley Street Cellar-1Prescott, Arizona 86301Bus: (480) 296-4212E-mail: superstitionmeadery@hot-mail.com

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Table Mountain VineyardsBox 24Huntley, WY 82218Bus: (307) 459-0233E-mail: info@tablemountainvine-yards.com

Texas Mead Works5151 FM 20Seguin, TX 78155Bus: (830) 379-9463E-mail: info@texasmeadworks.com

Thistle MeaderyGawler, S. AustraliaE-mail: thistlemeadery@gmail.com

Tomahawk Mill Vineyards & Winery9221 Anderson Mill RdChatham, VA 24531Bus: (434) 432-1063E-mail: tomahawk@gamewood.net

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Urban Farm Fermentory200 Anderson St Bay 4 Portland, ME 04101Bus: (207) 773-8331E-mail: uffcontact@gmail.com

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Valley Vineyards2276 E US 22 & 3Morrow, OH 45152Bus: (513) 899-2485E-mail: info@valleyvineyards.com

Volcano Winery35 Pii Mauna DrVolcano, HI 96785Bus: (808) 967-7772E-mail: info@volcanowinery.com

Von Jakob’s Vineyard1309 Sadler RdPomona, IL 62975Bus: (618) 893-4500E-mail: info@vonjakobvineyard.com

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Walton’s Mountain Winery & VineyardsPO Box 526West Point, CA 95255Bus: (209) 293-4010E-mail: winery@flojobrew.com

White Winter Winery68323A Lea StIron River, WI 54847Bus: (715) 372-5656E-mail: jon@whitewinter.com

Wild Blossom Meadery & Winery10033 S Western Ave Chicago, IL 60643Bus: (773) 233-7579 E-mail: greg@bev-art.com

Wills Winery814 S. Main St Ste 3Lapeer, MI 48446Bus: (810) 245-9463E-mail: theowners@lapeerwinery.com

Winehaven Winery & Vineyrd

9757 292d StChisago City, MN 55013Bus: (651) 257-1017E-mail: wines@winehaven.com

Woodstone Creek Winery & Dis-tillery3641 Newton AveCincinnati, OH 45207Bus: (513) 569-0300E-mail: woodstonecreek@yahoo.com