Sweet As Honey - Brothers Drake Fine Mead

In ancient Babylon, a bride’s father supplied his new son-in-law with all the mead, or honey wine, he could drink in one lunar month—hence the term “honeymoon.”

(I think the term “hangover” was coined shortly thereafter).

Mead, which is wine made from honey rather than grapes, is an unfamiliar drink to many. Yet here in Columbus a local meadery is brewing up some pretty incredible blends that would make for quite the honeymoon, Babylonian or otherwise.

As part of my gig with Edible Columbus magazine, I recently got to check out Brothers Drake Fine Mead, located in the Short North.

You can read the complete story here, but I thought I'd "pour a taste" for my a la mode LOVERS...

Originally started by brothers Eric and Woody Drake, is located in Weinland Park just outside the Short North. As the sole developer of mead in the Central Ohio area, Co-owner and Head Mead Maker Woody Drake is always looking to educate people about the unique flavor you find in mead.

Now, with a new location and a new tasting room, the folks behind Brothers Drake have the opportunity to introduce locals to a drink they probably haven’t heard of.

“Basically, people don’t consider mead because they don’t know what it is,” said Woody. “We are on a mission to change that.”

It is a process he’s gotten down to a science. Since discovering his passion for mead over 16 years ago, Woody has turned his hobby into an award-winning business. Developed through a two-step fermentation process, Brothers Drake Mead can take anywhere from six months to a year and a half to complete.

Woody says that it’s all about finding the best ingredients and the right equation—what started as learning by trial and error turned into quite the science. His recipes have altered over time and, as with wine, the final product will vary based on the ingredients.

“Our goal is to be as local as possible,” said Oron Benary, co-owner and general manager at Brothers Drake. “We recently started exclusively sourcing our honey from Marysville; we’re also getting our lavender and fruit locally. Basically, we have made it a serious priority to source our ingredients closer to where we’re selling our product.”

Join the local movement and check out Brother Drake’s tasting room, which is open Wednesday and Thursday from 4 p.m. – 10 p.m., Friday 4 p.m. – 1 a.m. and Saturday from 1 p.m. – 1 a.m.