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Tonight on GotMeadLive – Guy McConnell, owner of Laughing Leprechaun Meadery, started home brewing beer in 1990 and making mead in 1992 while living in Alabama. He worked in high tech for 30 years, moving to Orlando, Florida and Huntersville, North Carolina before landing in Loveland Colorado where he has resided the past 17 years. 2 years ago this month, he was laid off with 300 of his closest friends from the company he had worked for for 13 years. After taking a year off to gain perspective, he decided to pursue his passion for craft beverages – mead in particular – and turn his mead making hobby into his livelihood. With mead just beginning to follow the growth trajectory of other craft beverages such as beer, cider, and spirits, the timing seemed right. He has leased an historic 1935 building in the heart of downtown Loveland, Colorado and is in the process of working with the Loveland Historic Commission and the City of Loveland to get approval to begin buildout of the space. The business will be a family affair with his wife, son, daughter, grandson, and son-in-law all helping out and our target for opening is March of 2016 – with St. Patrick’s Day as the perfect date![break][break]
Call in number: 919-229-9933
What we were drinking:
- Vicky – House Bear Brewing – Nursery Crimes – Strawberry, basil and citrus mead – this one was a medal winner at the Mazer Cup – I’ve kept it nice and cool since it came home with me from the MCI. The nose is a spicy honey note with undertones of citrus. The taste is honey and citrus, a bit acidic, with the basil coming in on the finish. This would be a refreshing summer mead.
- JD – Sap House Meadery – Vanilla Bean
- AJ – Orange Blossom from fellow GotMeader Curgoth’s very first batch
- Guy – Stars Fell – southern sweet tea mead – black tea, lemon juice, lightly carbonated
Links for Episode 18:
- Kamasumatra mead from Moonlight Meadery (coffee mead!)
JD’s Rube Goldberg meadmaking toys
See the details in the forum: http://www.gotmead.com/forum/showthread.php/25219-GotMead-Live-11-24-15
Digitally Controlled External Chiller
This is an inexpensive way to digitally control the temperature of your carboy if you don’t have room for a refrigerator.
- Project Box $8.10
- STC-1000 $16.77
- Submersible Pump $14.99
- Electrical Outlet $2.99 (Home Depot)
- Grounded plug $2.99 (Home Depot)
- 3-wire electrical cord (less than $10) (Home Depot)
- 40 feet 3/8″ copper tubing $55 (Home Depot)
- Plastic tubing – less than $10 at Home Depot
- Small hose clamps – less than $5 at Home Depot
- Insulated Carboy Wrap – Less than $10 at Home Depot
Mead Transfer Vacuum Pump (racking from one container to a carboy)
- Pump $22.58
- Tubing – less than $10 at Home Depot
- On Off Switch – less than $5 at Home Depot
See the details (with photos!) in the forum: http://www.gotmead.com/forum/showthread.php/25219-GotMead-Live-11-24-15
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She is also an experienced marketing coach and consultant who has recently decided to focus her marketing expertise exclusively on the craft beverage market to help meaderies, cideries, breweries and distilleries expand their business and get more customers while doing what they love.
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