World-Class Meadery in Our Backyard
Hot on the heels of its seventh anniversary earlier this month, Brimming Horn Meadery continues to make waves in the world of mead. Woah, woah, woah, beer guy… I thought you talked about beer. What is this mead business? Thanks for asking. Mead is historic; arguably the oldest alcoholic beverage known to humankind. It is similar to beer in that it has undergone a fermentation process. However, beer gets its fermentable sugars from malted barley, while the fermentable sugars in mead come from honey. How sweet! Aside from honey, you’ll often see fruits, herbs, and spices used in mead-making. Like beer, alcohol percentage (ABV) in mead can vary from more sessionable options to higher spirit-level proofs. Here in the slower lower, we’re lucky to have a world-class meadery in our backyard.
Award-Winning
Nestled between the Lewes Georgetown Trail and Route 9 in Milton, it’s become an annual occurrence for Brimming Horn to bring home the hardware from award shows like the National Honey Board Mead Crafters Competition, where they had a clean sweep of the Best of Show awards in 2022. This success has led them to open a second location in Seaford, which started serving customers just over a year ago. Behind the bar, you can find a variety of mead offerings. They have fruit-forward melomel-style options like “The Blue King.” which overflows with blueberry flavors, and some more savory varieties like “Ancient Orange,” a metheglin-style mead infused with orange, clove, allspice, cinnamon, and nutmeg. I went with their flagship, “Freya’s Kiss”, a traditional mead made with mesquite blossom honey that did not disappoint.
More Than Meads the Eye
What can you expect aside from mead? Of course, you’ll frequently see events like art classes, trivia, and live music on their outdoor stage. Monthly they host Mead, Merchants, and Music, where you’ll find local vendors, musicians, and, you guessed it, mead. Mark your calendars, the next one takes place on August 4th. So you’re sitting on their patio, sipping your mead, and you realize you’re hungry. Fear not, for Brimming Horn has their own food truck on-site called Hammer and Horns. Donning a sweet black and yellow paint job, Hammer and Horns offers burgers, dogs, salads, and more. From inside the truck, Josh recommended the “Big Mac-abre”, an incredible name for an even more incredible burger. I also personally partook of a few pierogis, as my passion for pierogis rivals my affinity for craft beer, but enough about me. Back to Brimming Horn, stop by one of their locations and drink like a Viking today!
Zeke Ottemiller has been working in and around beer for the last decade. As a Certified Cicerone® (think Sommelier but for beer), he has covered all things craft from coast to coast, from sunny San Diego to the laid back Lower Slower. Zeke is the owner of Otter Craft Consulting, where he specializes in supporting craft breweries in their branding and marketing efforts.
