An Abundance NC DIY Sustainability Workshop with Ben and Becky Starr
Sunday, March 20, 12pm-4pm
Located at the Plant at 220 Lorax Lane, Pittsboro, NC.
For directions, click here.
One of the most simple and unique wines one can make is honey wine, traditionally known as mead. With roots reaching deep into six of the seven continents – this wine has been a celebration for centuries. In fact, it’s thought to be the oldest brewed form of alcohol known to man. Mead is a communion – a gift from nature.
Making mead is as fulfilling as it is fun. Novices. Vintners. Home brewers. Bee Keepers. Just about anyone can make this heavenly honey wine when given the tools, wisdom, and know-how. Join Ben and Becky star of nationally renowned Starrlight Mead as they share their wisdom in this hands-on mead making workshop.
In this class, students will learn everything you need to know about mead – as well as sample a few different locally made meads. Ben Starr will share his expertise, demonstrate how to make mead, and talk about what you need to get started brewing your own mead at home. You will also learn about ways to flavor and infuse mead to make your honey wine more unique, complex, and interesting with seasonal and natural flavors such as flowers, berries, fruit and hot peppers. Each student will take home a one gallon “mead in progress” of their very own!
The minimum age to participate is 21 by the class start date.
Pre-Registration is required. Register Here
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ABOUT THE INSTRUCTORS:
After several years as home mead makers, Ben and Becky Starr opened nationally renowned Starrlight Mead in Pittsboro NC.
They first discovered mead in CA at the Southern California Renaissance Pleasure Faire. Several years later, they found friends that were home brewing mead with good results. Ben and Becky decided to try their hand at it too.
In February 2006, they entered their first competition and took Best in Show out of over 210 entries in the home mead-maker category at the International Mead Association’s Mead Festival. The competition was judged by seven professionals in the mead industry; including Ken Schramm, author of The Compleat Mead Maker, and meadery owners from around the world. The Best in Show prize was selected from the gold medal winners in nine categories. Their “Starrlight Mulled Apple Cyser” was awarded not only the gold medal in the cyser (mead made with apples) category, but was also selected as the best overall representation of mead making. It was at that point Ben and Becky decided to try creating a business from their deep love of mead.
Ben shares his expertise and love of brewing by conducting demonstrations and workshops on mead making in the local community. They organize and conduct the local Mead Day celebration each August (since 2005) and are a key part of the product tasting team for mead reviews on Gotmead.com. Becky worked with Chatham Hill Winery for 2 years learning tasting room and wine club management. They are members of the Chatham County Beekeepers Association, and the NC Winegrowers Association. Becky currently runs sales and manages the tasting room. Ben makes the mead.
For more information on tastings, products, additional classes, and distributors, visit Starrlight Mead’s webpage HERE.
