History of Buzz'd Meadery

It all started back in 2008 when Justin, our founder and head mead maker,  was enjoying a night of Skyrim with one of his long-time friends,  an ardent fan of medieval board and video games. It was then that he discovered the iconic beverage of Nordic warriors.  MEAD!

Months to follow, Justin and his friend purchased several different meads to toast their new discovery. But, alas, they were not content by what was available.  That’s when Justin undertook his Viking quest for the perfect mead! Years of research, trial and error, and untold stories of triumphs and failures followed.   

One man’s quest to make exceptional mead and one woman’s dream to make his vision a reality lead to the founding of Buzz’d Meadery in 2018. Our mission is to make the finest meads to enjoy with friends, family and more. 

Buzz'd to Bottle and Full of Cheer!

Justin & Joanne Gagnon 

Mead conjures images of husky, horned-helmeted warriors and ferocious Goths drinking from clay chalices, which is true, it was a preferred drink among Vikings and Norse Men.  Mead was also very important in the Norse mythology for example Kvasir, the wisest man in the world according to Norse mythology, was able to give a satisfying answer to any question. This revered drink though has a much longer and broad history then just the Vikings though.  

It is believed by many to be the world's oldest alcoholic libation dating all the way back to 10,000 BCE with the first evidence of it's existing dating to 7,000 BCE in China.  This drink has been enjoyed by many cultures and during many era's such as India, Rome by the ancient Athenians in Greece

• 7000 BCE – China: First evidence of honey-rice fermentation in pottery vessels.
• 2800 BCE – Europe: Mead residue is found in Bronze Age, inverted-bell beaker, drinking vessels. 
• 1700 BCE – India: The ritual honey drink is featured in the hymns of the Rigveda, one of the four sacred texts of Hinduism.
• 1500 BCE – Denmark: An ancient male warrior is buried with a large jar containing a honey-barley-cranberry grog.
• 400 BCE – Greece: Described as ambrosia or nectar of the gods, mead becomes the preferred drink of ancient Athenians.
• 60 CE    – Rome: Prominent agricultural writer, Lucius Columella, publishes the first known recipe for mead in Western history.
• 400 CE – Scandinavia: Medieval newlyweds are given mead during their first 28-days (moon) of marriage, creating the tradition of a “honey moon.”
• 550 CE – Britain: Renowned Celtic bard, Taliesin, composes the "Song of Mead," and the poet, Aneirin, describes warriors feasting in the mead hall of Din Eidyn (Edinburgh).
• 793 CE – Northumbria: The Holy Island of Lindisfarne becomes the only known locale outside of Ethiopia to continuously produce mead to the present day.
• 1000 CE – England: Epic Anglo-Saxon poem, Beowulf, is set in the great mead hall of Heorot in medieval Scandinavia.
• 1200 CE – Iceland: Anonymous authors write down the poems and sagas of Old Norse mythology, including the divine origin of the fabled Mead of Poetry and subsequent theft by Odin, who gives it to humans.
• 1609 CE – England: Charles Butler, author of the first comprehensive book on beekeeping, publishes Queen Elizabeth I’s favorite mead recipe.
• 1669 CE – England: Sir Kenelm Digby, father of the modern wine bottle, describes mead as the “Liquor of Life” in his posthumously published cookbook.
• 1700 CE – Europe: The popularity of mead begins to decline as cheaper beverages, such a beers and wines, become widely available to the lower classes.
• 2001 CE – Worldwide: Mead consumption resurges due in part to the popularity of The Lord of the Rings (Galadriel bids farewell to the Fellowship with white mead and the great Golden Hall of Theoden is named Meduseld, Mead Hall) and Harry Potter (it’s Hagrid’s drink of choice and a regular menu item at the Three Broomsticks). Alas, mead is not consumed in The Game of Thrones, despite the many drinking horns featured.
• 2012 CE – USA: Mead sales increase by 130% over 2011, according to the American Mead Association Survey of producers. 
• 2018 CE – USA: Buzz’d Meadery founded in Abington, Massachusetts in a quest to produce the finest meads to enjoy with friends, family and more.