11-4-25 Tonight we’re talking with Bill Bellair, founder of the Michigan Mead Coalition. We’re going to talk about mead in competition.

Bill Bellair began his mead-making journey in 2008 when his mother expressed interest in trying tej, a traditional Ethiopian honey wine, which was unavailable locally. His early attempts—while not without the occasional “bottle bomb”—yielded surprisingly delicious results.

Following this, Bill turned his attention to beer brewing, and it would be several years before he returned to crafting mead. During this time, he joined the Metro Enologist ‘n’ Zymurgist (MENZ) club, where he expanded his skills in winemaking. This experience gave him valuable insight into the mistakes he had made in his early mead-making efforts, reigniting his passion for the craft.

This marked the beginning of a dedicated era of mead production that continues to this day. In 2019, Bill founded the Michigan Mead Coalition, the state’s largest mead-exclusive organization. The coalition has fostered a thriving community of skilled brewers, many of whom have earned prestigious awards and even pursued the coveted title of Mead Maker of the Year.

Look no further than Honnibrook Craft Meadery in Castle Rock, Colorado, for your go-to destination for wonderful, light, and refreshing mead! We have 20 meads on tap and four seasonal mead slushees. 

To join live, you can use this link, and here are instructions on how to join in. Once you enter the waiting room, we get a notification and will bring you in!

Upcoming Shows

• November 18 – Blair Houseley – Etowah Meadery
• December 2 – Blöm Meadworks

Show links and notes

• Let There Be Melomels by Rob Ratliff
• The Big Book of Mead Recipes by Rob Ratliff
• Let There Be Session Meads by Rob Ratliff

Upcoming Events

• Nov 7 – Funktastic Meads and Beer, Midlothian, VA – Mead and Music by Damian Allen
• Nov 7 – B. Nektar Meadery, Ferndale, MI – Open Mic Night Comedy
• Nov 8 – St. Ambrose Cellars, Beulah, MI – Mead and Cheese Pairing with the Cheese Lady
• Nov 8 – UNL Bee Lab & Kimmel Orchard, Nebraska City, NE – Mead Making Workshop
• Nov 8 – Stardust Cellars, Wilkesboro, NC – Mead Making Course
• Nov 8 – Stardust Cellars, Wilkesboro, NC – Harvest Mead Fest
• Nov 8 – Grimsby Hollow Meadery, Middleville, MI – Drink Mead, Learn Things: Potions, Poisons and Snake Oil
• Nov 9 – St. Ambrose Cellars, Beulah, MI – Sunday Brunch
• Nov 13 – Silver Hand Meadery, Williamsburg, VA – 10th Anniversary Dinner Series – Mead Pairing Dinner
• Nov 15 – St. Ambrose Cellars, Beulah, MI – Mead and Cheese with the Cheese Lady
• Nov 18 – WTF What to Ferment Meadery, Milford, DE – Mead and Cookie Pairing
• Nov 20 – Nucleus Mead, Linesville, PA – Mead and Read
• Nov 22 – Crafted Artisan Meadery, Mogadore, OH – Mead and Meditation
• Nov 22 – Dawg Gone Bees Meadery & Apiary, Hanover, PA – Mead Making Class
• Nov 22 – Four Brothers Mead, Festus, MO – Tom Borek and Veronica Mary Agnes Musician live music

You can buy mead online at https://shopmeads.com

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Vicky Rowe

Owner at Gotmead.com and Craft Beverage Marketing

Vicky Rowe has been active as a promoter and supporter of the mead industry since the mid-90's with Gotmead.com, and is totally serious about seeing the mead industry take its rightful place as a popular craft beverage on the world recreational drinking stage.

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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Latest posts by Vicky Rowe (see all)

• 12-2-25 Lauren and Matt Bloom – Bløm Meadery – Ann Arbor MI - December 2, 2025
• 11-4-25 Bill Bellair – Michigan Mead Coalition – Competing with Mead - November 4, 2025
• 10-21-25 Brian Bookmiller – Queen City Meadery – Buffalo, NY - October 21, 2025