Street: What inspired you to start brewing mead? MB: I’ve been reading a lot of Icelandic literature, a lot of the Viking sagas and epics, and it just seemed like a pretty cool thing to do. WZ: It was definitely a “why not” sort of thing. Mead brewing isn’t super difficult, and the internet is full of recipes and instructions.
Street: Where did you learn your process? MB: We went to the Philadelphia Brewing Company in Fishtown to buy the right yeasts and we talked it over with the people that worked there. They really knew their stuff and were very helpful.
Street: There’s a massive bucket of honey in your kitchen. Where did you get it? WZ: We bought 40 pounds of honey from a wholesaler in Lancaster. It’s the smallest amount they sell. MB: I think they source honey for large volume demands like Honey Bunches of Oats.
Street: Have you guys run into any trouble so far that other home brewers might be able to avoid? MB: Aside from some small hiccups in the beginning, every batch has actually gone surprisingly well. It’s really just a lot of patience. WZ: Yeah, the only problem is that now we have several gallons of mead sitting in our fridge. And we still have about 30 pounds of honey.
