Honey wine is having a moment in the state of craft beer

By Kristen Richard

Honey, yeast and water. It may sound like an odd combination. But if you mix them all together and let it ferment for at least a week, you’ll have what many historians consider the oldest alcoholic beverage: mead. Some archaeologists believe humans started gathering honey as early as 15,000 BC. Once pottery and other drinking vessels were created, mead was likely a “happy little accident,” according to author Ken Schramm, who has written extensively about the beverage.

After all, if rainwater were to drip into one of the pots holding honey, ambient yeasts would have everything they need to do what they do best: fermentation. And thus, the owner of said pot and honey would likely find something a bit stronger than they originally bargained for if they let it rest for a few days.

“We’re still spending a lot of our time educating people on what mead is,” says Kim Bowdish, who co-owns Hunters Moon Meadery with her husband, Greg, in Severance.

When it comes to Colorado, beer has certainly dominated the beverage scene. It’s home to over 400 breweries and only about 20 meaderies. Yet, Colorado’s mead industry has been plugging away for decades. And a state full of adventurous beer drinkers might be exactly what it needs in an ever-changing craft beverage landscape.

THE EARLY YEARS

Not quite 15,000 BC, but in 1995 Meadery of the Rockies in Palisade became the first of its kind to open in the Centennial State. Later bought by Talon Wines, guests can find meads ranging from apricot honey to honey sheré, a fortified dessert mead. They were the only one in the state until David Myers opened Redstone Meadery in Boulder six years later. It was 2001, and the early days of Colorado’s craft beer boom were in full swing. Microbreweries were starting to pop up and homebrewing was all the rage. Like many meadmakers, Myers was first introduced to the beverage via homebrewing.

“We knew we were pushing the rock up the hill,” he says when it came to introducing mead to the market. “It was just a matter of keeping at it. We pride ourselves on education and entertainment by putting ourselves out there at wine festivals, beer festivals and in-store tastings.”

Mead is classified as a wine and it often comes in at about 12–14 percent alcohol-by-volume (ABV). But Myers opted to take a brewer’s approach and created some of the first “sessionable” meads on the market, clocking in at about 8% ABV. He’s now distributing in 30 states.

But that rock wasn’t quite up the hill when Colorado’s third meadery opened its doors in 2014.

“Nobody had any idea what mead was,” says Alexandria Fox of Dragon Meadery in Aurora. “There was no ‘Game of Thrones’ and ‘being a viking’ wasn’t a thing yet. So we spent a significant amount of time teaching people what mead is exactly. And how it can vary so much depending on the honey and what you do with it.”

Like Myers, Fox and husband Shane put a lot of time and effort into educating consumers and figuring out what they liked to drink.

“We do a full tasting flight of everything we have available, usually 12 meads,” Fox says. “And we have a tri-fold menu with a legend inside explaining the different styles of mead like hydromels, cysers, metheglins and more. We have even spent time educating the government on the different categories of mead.”

But this seemingly continuous uphill battle can also present craft beverage makers with some unique opportunities. Like when Michael Fagan, managing partner of Honnibrook Craft Meadery in Castle Rock, was on the fence about the direction to go when it came to getting into the craft beverage industry.

“We had to make a decision,” Fagan says. “Did we want to join the hundreds of breweries or the handful of meaderies? We went the meadery route.” Currently, they have 90 approved recipes that rotate through their 20 taps. Guests can also expect a second taproom opening in Littleton this summer.

Today, Colorado has about 20 registered meaderies. Of course, there are 20 times the amount of breweries throughout the state. But maybe that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

“Even though mead is technically a wine, we have always billed ourselves with craft beer,” Myers says. “Craft beer drinkers are adventurous and tend to always be looking for something new to try.”

Adrian Beebe, founder and meadmaker behind Cloud City Meadery in Leadville, agrees. “People are always looking for something new and there are a lot of passing fads,” she adds. “But I don’t think that’s mead because it can be so many different things and is continuously changing and evolving.”

IT’S TIME TO GIVE MEAD A SECOND CHANCE

When someone says they don’t like beer, it’s usually after a lot of trial and error. Or perhaps they will say they like beer but not IPAs or sours. But that’s only after they have given these styles several chances at several different spots. However, when it comes to drinks like cider or mead, people only seem to give it one shot before writing off the respective categories completely. But these meadmakers would like you to reconsider. You might be surprised.

“Some people think it’s a honey beer,” says Bowdish of Hunters Moon. “Other people think it’s syrupy sweet, which it’s not. We have 24 meads right now that range from very dry to very sweet and everything in the middle.” One of their most popular offerings is the Earl Greg, made with Earl Grey tea and Colorado honey.

Similarly, Cris Slaymaker, co-owner of Slaymaker Cellars in Idaho Springs, has started to see a shift when it comes to mead

“This will be our fifth summer having a tasting room,” Slaymaker says. “And throughout the years I hear less and less people asking ‘what is mead.’ People also seem to recognize that there are a range of styles within the category.”

WHERE IS COLORADO MEAD GOING?

“The more players in the market can only help the category,” Fagan says. “Because the more people who have the opportunity to try it, the more likely they are to look for it in the future.”

Of course, it’s difficult for craft businesses right now. About 40 Colorado breweries shuttered in 2024. And there is a growing concern about drinking versus overall health amid a recent surgeon general’s warning regarding alcohol and cancer risks.

“It’s a tough time to be in the beverage industry,” Myers says. “Right now it’s not necessarily how you grow but how you keep from shrinking. But I still think it’s about connecting with the people, getting your story out there, and of course, always making a quality product.”

Kristen Richard is a drink and food freelance writer based in Denver. When she’s not traveling down the rabbit hole of random esoteric booze knowledge, you can usually find her camping, hiking, hanging with her dog, reading or rocking out to metal bands.