Anyone who has tuned into the WILK Friday BeerBuzz for more than a few shows will know I love pushing boundaries. Whether it’s beer styles or non-traditional brews I think it’s a good thing to check out new and excising brews and constantly push your tasting boundaries. With that in mind I thought I’d feature something new on the show…and while this beverage may be renowned as one of the oldest fermented beverages on the record books, it’s also a brew most people have never heard of.
Today on the show we decided to feature for the very first time a Mead on the show. Now I know the traditional craft beer lover may question my choice, but since many mead makers have their roots in home brewing, and with the American Homebrewers Conference coming to Philadelphia on June 27th, I thought this was perfect choice. We also reached out to someone I consider one of the foremost authorities and creators of Meads and one of the most unique Meaderys in the U.S…
Today our guest was Michael Fairbrother from Moonlight Meadery in Londonderry, NH. Michael is someone I consider a god when it comes to Meads and he is perhaps responsible for some of the more unique ciders to hit distribution. Moonlight Meadery comes to us from Londonderry, NH and after sampling some of Michael’s work, I’m really excited to see the Mead market growing outside NH.
It was a real learning experience talking to Michel about not only the process of creating a Mead, but also the various types of Meads from Melomel’s to Metheglin and even Cysers. Michael also creates some really unique barrel-aged meads so as you can see there is much exploring and sampling to do in he world of Meads.
I think Michael is a testament to commitment in his passion for Meads and I really liked how he was influenced by Omar from Surly Brewing who told him you can’t brew or do anything you love that much if you only do it part-time….and clearly Michael has jumped in to Moonlight Meadery full-time.
It was a blast sampling Meads with Michael today and as you can see there is not only a wide variety of styles, but also a wide range of ABVs, including some big ones. We really enjoyed the fruit mead but the barrel-aged versions are an amazing twist on the traditional mead. Be sure to try Moonlight Meadery meads for yourself and you’ll see what I mean. Moonlight Meads are bottled and distributed to 24 states, including PA so they are easy to find.
Thank you to Michael Fairbrother from Moonlight Meadery, Nancy, John & Joe for yet another fun Friday. The Friday BeerBuzz…bringing good beers and good people together. As always you can check out the video on-line at the WILK Friday BeerBuzz page by clicking HERE.
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Thank you for the Mead education. I had no idea. Jerry
ReplyDeleteMichael Fairbrother makes some amazing meads. I wish we could bet them more easily in PA. Eric
ReplyDeleteGreat show. I love that to bring us different things. Amy
ReplyDeleteNever heard of a mead but now I'm excited to try one. I'm online at Moonlight now! Jenna
ReplyDeleteMead-101 today. Nice show and I want to try one now too.
ReplyDeleteI love that they use Utopias barrels! TJ
ReplyDeleteThese are more like a wine than beer? Chris
ReplyDeleteYes Chris. Meads are technically a honey-wine and no malt/baley/wheat is typically involved.
ReplyDeleteNice show. I had a mead once in Florida and we liked it a lot. It was a little plain so the fruit version sounded neat. Ron
ReplyDeleteFrom Facebook: Looks like you can order from PA Wine & Spirits stores either online or call 1-800-332-7522 to have it shipped to store or your house. In PA have 6 kinds available by the case (12bottles) only. http://www.finewineandgoodspirits.com - just search on m...See More
ReplyDeleteI love meads but now I know a lot more about them. Kristen
ReplyDeleteThank you to Michael Fairbrother from Moonlight Meadery for joining us to sample Desire & Utopian and for teaching us all about the craft of making a Mead.
ReplyDeleteThanks to Michael Fairbrother for being on the show today. Not often we get a chance to sample mead (not ever!) and both were excellent! Let's thank prehistoric man for figuring out that putting the honey in the water keeps the bees away AND ends up as mead!
ReplyDeleteAdmittedly high-test stuff, these are 'appointment' drinks as in 'appointment with the couch or recliner.'
Thanks Michael, thanks Bill from MyBeerBuzz.com, and thank you for listening!
Best,
John
webster@wilknewsradio.com