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2-5-19 Our guest tonight is Michael Fairbrother, owner of Moonlight Meadery in Londonderry, NH. Back in 1995, Michael tried a cyser (apple and honey mead) for the first time. Since that first sip Michael has developed a passion, and a single minded dedication to making international award winning meads. After being recognized as New England’s best mead maker for three consecutive years, Michael quit his full time day job in 2010 and progressed from moonlighting as a mead maker to full time production – he has not looked back.
Michael will be speaking at the AMMA MeadCon on March 12-14 in Broomfield, CO on distributing commercial mead. Michael has been working with distributors since 2011, and has 8 years of finding, changing and working with distributors. Anyone who has dipped into distro knows that it can be a very frustrating experience. Michael will give us a taste of his talk for the AMMA.
Then we’ll drag him off to talk about some pretty awesome braggots he’s made in the past during his home meadmaking days, and rumor has it, may be coming out in their lineup. We’ll talk shop, methods, and flavors, and dig into the mead (of course).
Got questions? Definitely let us know by sending us a DM from facebook.com/gotmead, on Twitter @gotmeadnow, or dropping it into our live chat (link below).
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9PM EDT/6PM PDT
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Bring your questions and your mead, and let’s talk mead! You can call us at 803-443-MEAD (6323), or Skype us at meadwench (please friend me first and say you’re a listener, I get tons of Skype spam), or tweet to @gotmeadnow.
Show links and notes
- Tupelo Honey for $375 for 5 gallons
- ScotLabs Sparkling Handbook
- ‘Recent Advances in the Science of Champagne Bubbles‘, Gerard Liger-belair, Chemical Society Reviews, Volume 47, Number 11, November 2008, pages 2361-2580.
- BJCP – for information on mead styles and faults and flaws
- Meads and Their Lactones: A Cautionary Tale for Mead Makers by Dan McFeely, “Bee Culture”, September 2002
- An Analysis of Mead, Mead Making and the Role of its Primary Constituents (reprinted with permission from the authors), Daniel S. McConnell and Kenneth D. Schramm* Technical Director, G.W.Kent and President, The Yeast Culture Kit Company *Director, The Mazer Cup Mead Competition
- Yeast Inoculation Strategies – Getting The Best Fermentation Possible!, Lallemand, Winemaking Update, Number 2, 2005
- Raisins are NOT a Significant Source of Nutrients in Mead, Tom Repas, BJCP Certified Mead Judge, Certified Master Beekeeper (University of Montana 2016)
Mazer Cup International, Home Best of Show Winner 2015 & 2017, AMMA Meadmaker of the Year 2018, pub. Sept. 3, 2017 - Advanced Nutrients in Meadmaking, Travis Blount-Elliot, May, 2018
- Let There Be Melomels by Rob Ratliff
- The Big Book of Mead Recipes by Rob Ratliff
Upcoming Events
- February 7 – Bos Meadery – Mead to Laugh, a Comedy Showcase
- February 7 – Haley’s Honey Mead – Mead and Spirits- A Haunting Night
- February 9 – Honey Pot Meadery – Grand Opening
- February 14 – Wild Blossom Meadery – Make Your Love Wine for Valentines
- February 16 – Black’s Fairy Meadery – Brazos Fest of the West
- February 16 – Rushford Meadery and Winery – Live Music by Skipper Jack
- February 23 – Valhalla Meadery – Mead-Ieval Fund Raiser
- March 2 – Wild Blossom Meadery and Winery – Mardi Gras Silent Day Party
- March 3 – Heidrun Meadery – Crabfest
- March 12-14 – American Mead Makers Association MeadCon and Trade Show
- March 14-16 – Mazer Cup International Mead Competition and Mead Mixer Mead Tasting
- March 30 – Starrlight Mead – Intermediate Mead Making Class
- March 30 – Southern California Mead Alliance – Off Flavors Sensory Training
- July 27 – Orcas Island Cider and Mead Festival
Got an event you’d like us to mention on GotMead Live? Send us an email at gotmeadlive@gotmead.com and tell us about it!
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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