It all started in the summer of 2005. Dan was encouraged by his Aunt Nancy to head to Denmark for 10 days with his 2 cousins to do some "on the ground research" regarding the family genealogy. He left Deb back in Massachusetts with infant twin girls just over a year old. He on vacation, Deb in baby work world. So, he, being the thoughtful husband, brought back for Deb a ceramic bottle of "Viking Mead." "Viking Mead??" She scratched her head. Very romantic (??). Never heard of mead. He (being testosterone laden) thought it looked cool. Deb (being full of estrogen) thought it a waste of money (She would have loved a lovely old vine zin at that point being by herself with 2 "busy" babies to look after while he was gone "researching.") So, there it sat on the liquor shelf along with all the other half used weird booze one buys for a specific cocktail you only use once.
Fast forward several months...
"Hey, what is this?" as he dug deep into the pantry. There is was, no worse for wear, a bit dust coated, but "well aged." We opened it, lacking that lovely old vine zin of which Deb spoke, and poured 2 glasses. We sniffed. We sipped. We were HOOKED. Mead was amazing! It was not the sweet syrupy drink we assumed it was! Delicious. "We can make this!" He said with a smirk. The rest, as they say, is history.
We had always been beer brewers - started that in grad school as a hobby and to save some money. But mead and wine was to follow. Dan tried his hand at all sorts of wine, some good, some okay, some, well, good for cooking. Mead creating soon followed the wine. Neighbors came to sample and give feedback. "This smells like dirty socks." "Wet sponges?" "Nice fruit overtones." These are some of the comments overheard on our deck among or many friends. Dan became the "mad scientist," keeping dutiful log notes about quantities , measurements, temperatures, and fermentation activity. Honey was ordered by the bucketful. Spice racks were gone over and perused and spices chosen. Kids were shooed out of the basement. We waited. We watched the bubbling. We waited some more. And then we sipped. Pure bliss! He did it! The hard work had paid off!
So, now many years down the road, we are ready to share our passion for mead with others. We hope you will come and check us out, come tour the production room, partake in the tasting room, and hopefully support our honey nano-winery!
This multi-berry mead (blackberry, raspberry and blueberries), all locally sourced, are fermented dry with local wild
flower honey. A slightly tart berry first mead, combines with a hint of honey for this almost red-wine tasting mead.
This mead was named in honor of the legend of the "Devil's Footprint" here in Ipswich. So the story goes:
The famous Rev. George Whitefield was traveling thoughout New England giving sermon to thousands of people.
His stop in Ipswich was no different - he was preaching atop the town hill, at the location of the First Church of Ipswich.
So impassioned was his speach, in front of thousands of listeners, that the Devil himself showed up, as he did not like
what was being said about him. A wrestling match ensued, with the Reverend and the Devil going at it! They chased
each other around the pews a few times, and eventually made there way to the the top of the steeple. There, the preacher,
in all his glory, knocked the Devil of the top of the church. The Devil found him falling to the ground, and when he landed, his
feet hit the ground, sending sparks everywhere. He had left his footprints embedded in the rocks. We do not know what
happened to the Devil after this, but his footprints can still be found!
Learn all about mead making and bottling, honey and bees! Join us for a quick, informative tour of our production facility. We can tell you about the history of mead, show you how we make it and let you cork your own bottle. If you are adventurous, you can hand dip a bottle of your very own!
First, have a tasting! Learn about the various styles of mead, and get a basic understanding of how mead is made and how we make it here at 1634. Most of all have fun and ask questions. We are here to show off and educate you on our products!
Next, ask to get a tour of the production area! Have you ever wondered why mead is the most ancient of all fermented beverages! Well, we will help you learn, by guiding you through the process. From teaching about different types of honey, explaining the fermentation process and then showing bottling at the most basic level
We put a lot of hard work into each bottle we produce, and we want you to help! Please cork a bottle to find out how mechanical corkers work! Everyone knows how to UNCORK a bottle, but corking one is a bit different!
Then you can wax the top of bottle if you want! We hand dip every single bottle that goes out the door! So we need some help here - please grab a bottle and give your own personal twist to the top!! Don't worry, if you mess it up, we can easily re-do the wax job!
We will show you how we bottle the mead! From aging, to filtering and then the final stop of filling and corking bottles.
So, stop by and visit us! Hopefully you will find a mead you like (most people do!). We would happy to point out other things to do in Ipswich- places to eat, other libation tours, and of course, the beach!
Our 'Lil Jack Hormer mead has been release! This fine, after dinner sipping mead is made from local plums
and local honey. Aged to perfection (over 10 months), this mead goes down easy. Fresh plum aroma with
warm soothing after taste, this off-dry mead will please you pallet!
