About us
Meet Keith
Lowkey Meadery began as a project and quickly became an inspired mission to share his passion for Mead with the world.
With the help of a few good friends and colleagues, we have built a facility to bring techniques from all forms of fermentation together to create the best possible product.
Our goal is to help reintroduce mead and bring the community a proper representation and fresh perspective of one of mankind's oldest fermented beverages and what it can be.
Meet Mead
Mead, put simply, is a fermented alcoholic beverage in which at least 51% of the fermentable sugars are derived from Pure Honey.
Mead is fermented similar to cider, wine, & beer and can vary widely in alcohol, residual sugar content, acidity, and flavors depending on the type and source of honey and the processes used to ferment it. The most basic of mead is 3 simple ingredients: Water, Honey, and Yeast.
There are many different types of mead and mead can range all the way from approx. ~3%-20% ABV. They have different names depending on what other ingredients or process is used to make the mead. The most common are below:
- Traditional - Brewed with only Water, Honey, Yeast
- Acerglyn - Brewed with Maple Syrup
- Bochet- Brewed with Caramelized Honey for richer, darker flavors
- Braggot - Beer / Mead Hybrid, Co-fermented with grains and at least 51% Honey
- Cyser - Brewed with Apples
- Melomel - Brewed with Fruits / Berries
- Metheglin - Brewed with Spices
- Pyment - Brewed with Grapes
- Hydromel (Session Mead) - A low ABV and usually carbonated mead, usually within 3.5-7.5% ABV
Mead can vary in sweetness by quite a wide range.
A lot of people have only tried overly sweet mead and formed an opinion for all mead based on a previous experience.
We create mead in all ranges, some of our offerings may be completely dry with no residual sugars left over after fermentation, some may me semi-sweet, and some may lean on the sweeter side. Just because the source of the alcohol comes from honey does not mean that the end product has to be sweet and with proper techniques and conditioning, including using oak, fruit, spices & herbs, you can create a beautiful balance of flavors, sweetness, and acidity while still preserving the natural variety & complexity of flavors that can come from the different types of honey.
Yes! Honey by its nature is gluten free!
However, there can be exceptions such as mead that has been aged in beer barrels, or any mead hybrids such as a Braggot: a Mead / Beer Hybrid that is co-fermented together with grains while maintaining a 51% Honey fermentable ratio.
Mead Is for EVERYONE.
Let's say that again. Mead is for EVERYONE.
A lot of people have a misconception when it comes to Mead, most of the time due to a bad prior experience.
Not all mead is good mead. Just like not all beer & wine is good beer or wine.
Mead is extremely versatile and can have a wide range of flavor expressions and aromas that depend on the type of honey, where the honey is from, what yeast is used to ferment the mead, what processes we use and what ingredients we condition the mead on. We make mead in all styles. From sweet to dry, traditional flavor to crazy one offs and exotic ingredients, we are always pushing the boundaries and are here to change peoples perspective of what they believe Mead can be.
We are firm in our belief we can change peoples mind about mead and its place amongst the rest of fermented beverages in the world.
Most people understand honey as being somewhat of a natural preservative, in that honey doesn't mold. It's just one of the many amazing things about Honey.
The great thing about that, is we see some of those preservative properties in effect in mead. Where as your typical bottle of wine will usually oxidize and spoil within roughly 7 days of opening, we see mead on average last at least 2 weeks from being opened as long as its been kept closed and in a cool environment. We have seen mead last even longer up to roughly 4 weeks when kept at 45 F or below in combination with using a vacuum wine saver cork that removes the air from the bottle.
Most people will agree the general rule of thumb is to consume your mead within 2 weeks of opening, depending on variables and kind of mead.
Traditional mead will stay fresh longer than mead with lots of fruit or other adjuncts, and mead with a higher ABV content will stay fresh longer than a mead with a lower ABV content.
Mead is very versatile and can be enjoyed at a range of temperatures.
We prefer to serve most of our mead at close to the same temperatures as white wine, approx. ~45-55°F. This allows the wine to slowly warm as you drink it and get a wider array of flavor & aroma expressions as it breathes.
Mead can be a cool, refreshing drink on a hot day and served hot mulled-wine style during the winter.
There is really no wrong way of enjoying it.
A lot of people are of a belief that mead needs to be aged for months-years before consumed.
This is simply not the case. Mead can absolutely be aged for many years if stored properly, but should not be required to make your product drinkable.
Mead is a fermented product similar to how beer, wine, and cider is made. During Fermentation sugars are consumed and converted into Ethanol, along with various other compounds, esters, and alcohols. Most "off flavors" in fermented products are caused by these various other compounds and alcohols produced by the yeast. Some yeast strains produce more of these off flavor compounds than others, and a stable environment & healthy yeast are essential to having a clean ferment. If not, you may need to age your product so that the undesirable compounds can be converted slowly over time. Sometimes, aging a product will not improve it's condition, if the goal is only to age out undesirable compounds and flavors.
Put simply, if you have a happy, healthy, nutrient fed yeast and you understand its preferred environment and can keep said environment stable, they will reward you with a clean ferment. Most fermented products should be able to be drank within a few weeks of being produced depending on the condition of your ferment and your process.
We are always improving and applying best practices and techniques from all forms of fermentation including: wine, beer, cider, and sake to try and achieve the cleanest ferments and best product possible.
Ancient Origins
Often regarded as "the drink of the gods," mead represents one of the oldest fermented drinks in the world, with over 4,000 years of consumption. Its origins can be traced to ancient civilizations across the world: from Europe to Africa and Asia, where honey mixed with water was left to ferment naturally.
The earliest references to mead we know of come from ancient China around 7000 B.C. with some form of fermented honey, rice, and fruit. Mead was also highly valued among both Greek and Roman cultures, each usually associating it with their gods. In Norse mythology, mead is described as "the nectar of immortality," consumed by gods and warriors alike in Valhalla.
Mead continued to prosper during the Middle Ages in Northern and Eastern Europe, particularly in monasteries where monks had perfected its making. Unlike beer and wine, which are prepared from grain and grapes, respectively, mead is crafted from honey. This made it more accessible where the former crops were in short supply. Mead therefore remained popular among the nobility of Poland and Lithuania, forming a staple drink during ceremonies and feasts.
Decline and Revival
The popularity of mead declined during the Renaissance period when industrialization of the processes for beer and wine improved production and availability. Honey became very expensive, and therefore access to mead was very limited. By the 18th century, mead had more or less disappeared from most beverages consumed and only survived in small pockets of communities across countries.
But the late 20th century saw it regain its popularity, and mead grew to become a specialty drink. Enthusiasts started to rediscover the versatility of the drink as it can be made either dry or sweet, and could be spiced with herbs and fruits. This mead renaissance has begun to spread all over the world, with craft meaderies popping up in North America, Europe, and beyond, giving a fresh twist to an age-old tradition.
Join the Mead Revolution
Today, mead experiences a renaissance on every continent, with many styles and flavors resonating with a whole new generation. Modern meaderies like us are experimenting with everything from rare ingredients to modern fermentation techniques and are excited to help showcase its versatility and complexities and bring mead back to the people.
Quality Mead = Quality Ingredients
We work directly with local farmers and apiaries here in beautiful Central Washington to hand-pick and source all of our fresh fruit and honey. It is our firm belief to get a quality product, you have to have quality ingredients.
We appreciate and salute all our Local Producers who make what we do possible.
