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3-15-22 Tonight at 9PM ET, we’re talking with Ian, Adam and Isaac Rushing, owners of Honey and Hops Brew Works in Front Royal, VA.
Honey and Hops Brew Works is a meadery started on a shoestring, and the Rushing brothers have gotten it to a thriving business.
It started in 2019, with a Kickstarter that raised 11K in funds. Then the brothers went on to find a location, and secure that, and get the licensing started.
Then along came 2020 (queue ominous music) and the pandemic (more ominous music).
But the brothers from Alaska (now living in Front Royal, VA) were undeterred.
Honey and Hops opened their doors April 10th, 2020, about 3 weeks after the world shut down (Virginia went into lockdown on March 18th, 2020). They started with 5 flavors, and by the end of the first year had released just over 20 of their small batch meads. Within 8 months of operating out of their first location, they had a signed lease on a space 3 times the size of their original space, directly on Main St in Front Royal.
Owned and operated by 3 brothers (out of 8 siblings) that grew up in Alaska, they have grown steadily over the past 2 years since opening.
Adam started home brewing beer in 2015. Adam is fourth out of 8 siblings. He is our lead mead maker, and is the creative genius behind most of our flavor combinations.
Ian has a background in journalism and marketing. He is the oldest of 8 siblings, and somehow persuaded Isaac and Adam to move from Alaska to Front Royal VA to start this venture.
Isaac is the third oldest of 8 siblings. He has spent many years in management, and was our first “full time” employee, managing our day to day operations.
Join us to talk with Ian, Adam and Isaac and hear more about how they got things going on a shoestring in the middle of the pandemic, and what they’re doing with their meads.
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Sponsor:
Honnibrook Craft Meadery. Rated the very best winery in Colorado! Visit our state-of-the-art meadery and tasting room south of downtown Castle Rock, Colorado, in a converted man cave. Mention the Got Mead Podcast this month for a free draft taster! Google H-O-N-N-I Brook for hours and directions. They love visitors! www.honnibrook.com
If you want to ask your mead making questions, you can call us at 803-443-MEAD (6323) or send us a question via email, or via Twitter @GotmeadNow and we’ll tackle it online! 9PM EDT/6PM PDT Join us on live chat during the show 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.
Upcoming Shows
Show links and notes
- Let There Be Melomels by Rob Ratliff
- The Big Book of Mead Recipes by Rob Ratliff
Upcoming Events
- Mar 17-19 – ARTifice Ales and Mead, Manheim, PA – St. Patricks Day Weekend
- Mar 19 – Starrlight Meadery, Pittsboro, NC – A Visit with Friends – CLAWS bringing winged friends, owls, hawks and ravens
- Mar 19 – Lincoln Fill Station, Snellville, GA – Mead Fest featuring 17 different meads, and a viking inspired meal
- Mar 19 – Zoll Vineyards, Dutton, VA – Cider and Mead Grand Tasting
- Mar 19 – Wildflyer Meadery, Festus, MO – Heley Woolbright Band
- Mar 20 – MoonJoy Meadery, Lenoir, NC – Mead and Mindfulness at the Wolf Moon Salt Cave
- Mar 2 – Apis Mead & Winery, Carnegie, PA – Axes at Apis – ax throwing
- Mar 26 – Viking Alchemist Meadery, Smyrna, GA – Mead and Metal Live Blacksmithing and local artists
- Mar 26 – Deep Water Vineyard, Wadmalaw Island, SC – Candlemaking and Mead Tasting
- Mar 26 – Resource Conservation District of Greater San Diego and Wild Willow Farm, San Diego, CA – Mead and Honey Workshop
- March 27 – Mead Geek Society @ Lost Cause Meadery, San Diego, CA – First meeting of 2022 – Dessert Inspired Meads w/ Unpossible Mead
- Mar 31 – HoneyGirl Meadery, Durham, NC – Queen Bee Virtual Mead Tasting of 3 meads from HoneyGirl. Order your tasting kits to join in!
- April 2-3 Mountain Run Winery, Culpeper, VA – Mead and Mayhem 2022 – 2 day full contact armored combat fighting event
- April 3 – Starrlight Meadery, Pittsboro, NC – Honey and Mead Tasting Class
- April 3 – Skål Beer Hall, Seattle, WA – Spring Mead Festival – seven local meaderies on hand to pour: Æsir Meadery – Everett, WA
Artivem Mead – Bellingham, WA
Ethereal Mead – Battleground, WA
Hierophant Mead – Freeland, WA
Contrivance Mead – Tukwila, WA
Oppegaard Meadery – Tukwila, WA
Thunderland Mead – Duvall, WA - April 6 – Starrlight Meadery, Pittsboro, NC – Mead and Chocolate Class
- April 9 – ARTifice Ales and Mead, Manheim, PA – 2022 Central PA Kiltcon!
You can buy mead online at https://shopmeads.com
Got an event you’d like us to mention on GotMead Live? Send us an email at gotmead@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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