Greetings, Rebels! Today, we are attacking our second mead myth – the belief that all meads are the same.

When we are out selling, and ask someone if they’ve ever had mead, we hear several repeated responses…

·      What did you say? Meat?

·      No, what is it?

·      Yes, I love mead (this is still rare, but becoming more common!)

But there’s one response that we hear a lot, and it drives us crazy… “I don’t like mead”.

Our follow up is typically, “Where have you tried it?”

Inevitably, the response is one meadery and rarely two meaderies. Meaning, people tend to try mead once, don’t like it, and assume they don’t like mead.  My response to this is always the same, “Have you had a beer you don’t like? A wine you don’t like? A spaghetti dish you didn’t like?  The same is true for mead!”

The same way beer, wine, cheeseburgers, or any beverage or culinary dish differs from one another, so do meads.

The Beauty of Variety - Embracing the Differences

Let us set the record straight – not all meads are created equal, and that is the true charm of this age-old elixir. Just as each meadery has its own distinct character and identity, so does each mead. From the first hints of honey to the final lingering notes, every glass of mead tells a unique story, influenced by a myriad of factors:

1.      Ingredients: At Rebel Hive, we recognize that the key to exceptional meads lies in the quality of the ingredients. The flavor profile and aroma of the honey, the selection of fruits, spices, or botanicals used, the water source and even the variety of yeast all play a vital role in shaping the final masterpiece. 

2.      Fermentation Conditions: Mead-making is as much an art as it is a science. The fermentation process is carefully controlled to bring out the desired characteristics of the mead. Factors like yeast strains, fermentation temperatures, and nutrient additions impact the outcome, resulting in a wide range of flavors and complexities.

3.      Aging Process: Like fine wine, meads can mature and develop in character over time. The choice of aging vessels, such as oak barrels or stainless steel tanks, as well as the duration of aging, can significantly influence the final flavor and aroma profile. 

Exploring the Myriad of Meads

At Rebel Hive Meadery, our diverse range of meads invites you to explore the breadth of flavors that mead can offer. From the traditional and honey-forward to the bold and experimental, we take pride in crafting meads that cater to every palate and preference. Allow us to take you on a journey through our mead offerings:

Rebel Core: These are our 4 year-round meads that have become a staple to Rebel Hive. If it’s your first time trying mead or first time trying Rebel Hive, we highly recommend trying these four meads. They are all semi-sweet and 12% ABV, providing a good overview of the diversity of flavors mead can contain:

·      It’s Not You, It’s Mead – a traditional made from Florida Orange Blossom Honey, providing floral and citrus notes.

·      Respect Your Elders – mead aged on dried elderberries, providing a fruity, earthy sensation to the mead.

·      Cherry Lee Lewis – a mix of sweet and tart cherries, with sweet cherries being the focal point.

·      Jazzy Java – mead cold-steeped with a flavored coffee, Jazzy Java, from a local coffee roaster, Reading Coffee Roasters.

Specialty Offerings: In addition to our year-round, Rebel Core, we also release limited edition meads throughout the year. These range from our dry-hopped Citra, to our heavily spiced Don’t Chai To Stop Me, to our best-selling peanut butter & jelly mead, Rebel Lunch. We are constantly pushing the boundaries of flavors and redefining “what mead is”.

From The Hive: Just as wine showcases the nuances of different grape varieties, our Honey Varietal Meads highlight the distinct characteristics of specific honey types, such as Mesquite Blossom, Meadowfoam Blossom, and Brazil Wildflower.

Barrel-Aged Marvels: These are our rarest meads and some of the most complex. Our most recent release, Rebellion Year 4 was aged in Bourbon Barrels. As Rebel Hive grows, we plan to grow a barrel program along with it, to produce even more of these spectacular meads.

The Quest for the Perfect Mead

Just like tasting a bad beer or a lackluster cheeseburger doesn't condemn all beers or burgers to mediocrity, encountering a mead that doesn't resonate with your taste buds should never deter you from exploring the vast realm of mead. 

Okay, we are going to be brutally honest here, the vast majority of meads on the market suck! Our own owner and meadmaker won’t drink 90% of them, so you are not alone! Most are unpalatable at best while others are downright undrinkable. 

At Rebel Hive, we take new-aged approaches to meadmaking to ensure our meads are clean-tasting, phenomenally flavored, and insanely drinkable. We carefully balance all our offerings (more on that in a future blog). We never cut corners and only produce meads that we are 100% excited about sharing with our own friends and family. We continuously strive to push the boundaries of mead-making, crafting unique and exceptional libations like the world has never seen before.

So, gather your curiosity, raise your glass, and join us in celebrating the wondrous diversity of mead at Rebel Hive Meadery. With every sip, may you experience the essence of our craftsmanship and the boundless flavors of this ancient elixir. Cheers to the journey of discovery!