Bill Crider's Pop Culture Magazine

Cause Jayme knows from mead.

Worcester Telegram & Gazette News

SHELBURNE, Vt.— If mead, that ancient alcoholic beverage made from honey, conjures up images of lords and ladies and medieval banquets where you toss your turkey leg bones on the floor, Jake Feldman wants to change that. It’s time for the drink known as the nectar of the gods to snap out of the Renaissance and come into the 21st century, he said.

Meadmaster Feldman, who works for Honey Gardens Apiaries, is just days away from embarking on a mission to raise the profile and change the image of mead. Honey Gardens is releasing Feldman’s first batch of Melissa Sparkling Mead to a small group of natural foods stores and one downtown Burlington restaurant.

“I have to not only sell it; I have to educate people about what it is and why it’s a good thing to drink,” Feldman said.

Getting the word out about mead and dispelling myths is key, said David Myers, owner of Redstone Meadery, whose job title is chairman of the mead at the Boulder, Colo., meadery. Redstone is the largest craft meadery in the country, he said.