SF Mead Company Brings European Honey Booze to the Bayview

Jay B writes in and hips us to the recent opening of the San Francisco Mead Company, a meadery looking to bring back the overlooked flavors of Europe's preferred honey drank:

This company opened up recently around the corner from my shop in the Bayview, at [1180 Shafter Ave]. They have tastings from noon to 6 Friday-Sunday. The taste is surprisingly dry on the front with the sweetness and honey flavor kicking in at the end. They also have a hopped mead, and an apple juice and spice desert one in the works. Worth a trip. Nice folks.

If you’re looking to go out and give it a taste, might I recommend also hitting up the Speakeasy Tap Room and making an afternoon of it?  Otherwise, you can get some a little closer to home at Rainbow, Zeitgeist, Mission Cheese, or Bi-Rite on Divis.

(Thanks Jay!)

Comments (21)

Oh wow, I’ll definitely have to give this a try. I really hope that they don’t make the same mistake that many of the new mead makers do, wherein they produce a sort of weak, wine-like mead. Almost more like a honey-flavored wine than a real mead.

The best meads I’ve had come out of Poland, and so far I haven’t been able to find anything produced domestically that comes anywhere close to that in quality. I’m always on the lookout, though, because good Polish mead can be hard to get, and expensive even when you do find it.

Does it come in flagons or tankards?

I used to buy a weird Polish mead that came in, like, an earthenware pitcher. But I don’t remember what it was called.

Hopefully they make actual mead and not the sticky, sweetened crap that you can usually find at retail.

You don’t know what you’re talking about. Mead should be sticky and sweet, not the crappy weak, wine-like stuff.

No it is basically like white wine. The sticky crap is what they sell because people who haven’t had mead before think that something made with honey should be very sweet.

You don’t know what you’re talking about.

I know exactly what I am talking about FYI.

Well, You’re spouting nonsense, so there’s really only three possibilities. You’re either A) Misinformed, B) Lying, or C) Crazy.

I don’t know you, so I can’t really say which it is, but I figured I’d give you the benefit of the doubt and assume the first one.

Mead can be sweet and it can be dry. The popular stuff is like “Chaucer’s Mead” which is sticky, sweet, and can be found pretty easily. There’s also dry mead which, IIRC, has been aged longer and uses a different yeast. That’s more difficult to find.

Chaucer’s is terrible. Blech.

No problem, Kev. I know you Pooh-bears like your Hunny. Can’t remember the last time I had a sip of mead, so I don’t know what it’s supposed to taste like. The consistency is similar to Port, with that extra boozy bite to it. The dude in charge is originally from somewhere in Europe, so I hope the good Doktor finds it to his liking. No flagons or tankards, but they do have kegs!

I am definitely looking forward to trying it out. I’ll pick some up at Rainbow this weekend.

If your looking to go out and give it a taste… sorry that typo bugs me. Love your blog!

Sorry, it happens.

This officially legitimizes urban beekeeping.