Haymaker Meadery is changing the mead game.
Have you tried mead before? It can be sweet. Like, cloyingly sweet to the point where a small sample at a local tasting could have turned you off forever.
I was there. But then I discovered Haymaker Meadery.
Adam Crockett, head meadmaker, and his team push the boundaries of mead often taking inspiration from their cousins-in-fermentation, craft beer.
Ingredients span from the typical, like adding grapes and grape juice, to adventurous additions of horehound root and aging in barrels that once held blueberry brandy.
Haymaker Meadery isn’t at all what you’d expect from this ancient libation.
What is mead?
Mead is considered one of the oldest alcoholic drinks.
A simple base recipe of honey, water, and yeast might be one of the reasons that people have been enjoying this drink since before Cleopatra reigned in Egypt.
Mead in its simplest form is probably what a lot of people have stuck in their minds. A sweet, honey-water with little to no complexity or depth of flavor.
Haymaker proves that mead doesn’t have to be boring by leaving the old ways in the dust for their take on modern mead.
Modern Mead
Haymaker finds this happy home in a three bubble ven diagram of wine, traditional mead, and craft beer with their version of mead sitting squarely in the middle.
One difference you might notice is their line of canned session meads. Instead of meads clocking in at 12% ABV and above, Haymaker softens the blow with a full line of 6.5% ABV meads in a convenient, portable package.
These meads are carbonated and drink more like a sparkling wine or cider than a mead. Four year-round session meads include All Day Rosé (rose wine-inspired), Sweet Leaf (dry-hopped), Dandy (plum & jasmine), and Folklore (pineapple, vanilla, and cinnamon) make up their everyday lineup.
Adam’s team is always creating new and exciting meads. One of our favorite one-off session meads was Weekend Water, a raspberry lemonade-inspired honey spritzer.
Now, let’s talk about those high-ABV bois.
Haymaker Meadery’s line of still meads each start off with the three base ingredients of honey, water, and yeast, but after that, all bets are off.
Sometimes they’ll mix it up with a rare honey varietal. Maybe one that even tastes like a perfect campfire marshmallow? Yes, it exists and we’ve heard it’s delicious.
Other deviations include fresh fruit, grapes, herbs, and spices. Haymaker also loves to make use of French Oak, Bourbon Barrels, and other aging vessels.
Many of Haymaker meads are dry, and the rest are semi-sweet, meaning they won’t weigh you down with a cloying, too-sweet after-taste.
Drink Different
Haymaker Meadery dares their imbibers to drink differently.
For instance, check out the new Experimental Series featuring the first round of Pet Nats, a naturally carbonated mead. The trio of Bougie, As Above, and So Below are bubbly and bone-dry with a variety of fruit added.
They also pull inspiration from all over the food and beverage world to craft new meads. Consider the new Mixologist Series featuring meads like Parlor, an Old Fashioned-inspired mead, or Rockin’ Rye, which is their nod to the classic Rock & Rye cocktail.
Got a sweet tooth? You might wanna grab a slice … or bottle of Cake, Cake, & More Cake, which was inspired by Mexican Chocolate Cake and made with cacao, vanilla, cinnamon, and ghost peppers.
Haymaker also enjoys exploring its base ingredient, utilizing specific kinds of honey in various meads. The Philly and Chester meads follow the traditional base recipe but each uses honey from Philadelphia and Chester, respectively, to demonstrate how honey can differ, even when gathered in relatively close proximity.
Okay, how do I get this?
You don’t even need to leave your couch! You can order Haymaker mead delivered right to your door.
Haymaker ships to 40 states, and right now shipping is FREE on all orders over $50! In Pennsylvania, you’re just a few short days away from delicious, interesting, modern mead.
Pick a few bottles and cans of your liking, or check out a curated bundle like the Mixologist Bundle which includes Parlor, Rockin’ Rye, and a Haymaker rocks glass for a discounted price.
Haymaker Meadery Tasting Room
Haymaker is in the process of moving into its future mead tasting room, so stay tuned for details on their grand opening in the coming months.
Currently, all Haymaker production is based at Free Will Brewing Co. and if you’re in Perkasie, Pa., you can purchase mead to go from Free Will as well.
Be sure to follow them on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date on releases, mead bar updates, and general fun mead knowledge.
