2-12-2019 Tonight at 9PM EST, we’re talking with long-time mead history buff Dan McFeeley. Dan has been on the Gotmead forums for almost as long as Gotmead has *had* a forum. He was a regular poster in the Mead Lovers Digest email list before Gotmead even existed, and you can find his posts in the MLD archives on Gotmead. He hasn’t been super active lately, life and parenting has kept him busy, but his interest in history, and mead history, is still keen.
Dan has written several articles (linked below) on mead and mead history over the years. Back when he was actively making mead, he won a number of medals (and there weren’t all that many comps then!) in the Indy International, the International Mead Festival (the predecessor to the Mazer Cup) and the AHA Midwest Regional.
Dan is going to talk with us about mead in history and legend. One of the discussions we’re planning on is an examination of the ‘honeymoon’ legend, often talked about. We’ll delve into mead in Africa and Europe, examine some of the sources used by Morse. We’ll delve into indigenous culture, bees and beekeeping, and explore the cultural attachments of honey and mead.
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9PM EDT/6PM PDT
Bring your questions and your mead, and let’s talk mead! You can call us at 803-443-MEAD (6323), or Skype us at meadwench (please friend me first and say you’re a listener, I get tons of Skype spam), or tweet to @gotmeadnow.
Show links and notes
- Articles by Dan:
- Honey in History. Dan McFeeley, Bee Culture: February 2002 Volume 130 Number 2.
- The Taste of Mead: Acidic Properties and Flavor. Dan McFeeley, Zymurgy: September/October 2006 Volume 29 Number 5.
- Those Olde English Meads. Dan McFeeley, Repast: Quarterly Publication of the Culinary Historians of Ann Arbor Fall 2010 Volume XXVI Number 4.
- Roger Morse in Review: Contributions to Mead and Meadmaking, Dan McFeeley
- Meads and Their Lactones: A Cautionary Tale for Mead Makers by Dan McFeely, “Bee Culture”, September 2002
- The Sacred Bee in Ancient Times and Folklore, Hilda Ransome
- A Sip Through Time, A Collection of Old Brewing Recipes, Cindy Renfrow
- Ancient Brews: Rediscovered and Re-created, Dr. Patrick McGovern
- Uncorking the Past: The Quest for Wine, Beer, and Other Alcoholic Beverage, Dr. Patrick McGovern
- Sacred and Herbal Healing Beers, Keith Pepperell
- Ale, Beer and Brewsters in England: Women’s Work in a Changing World, Judith Bennett
- Lady with a Mead Cup: Ritual, prophecy and lordship in the European warband from La Tene to the Viking Age, Michael J. Enright
- Wassail: In Mazer of Mead, Robert Gayre
- Mead: The Libations, Legends, and Lore of History’s Oldest Drink, Fred Minnick
- Making Mead (Honey Wine): History, Recipes, Methods and Equipment, Roger Morse
- The World History of Beekeeping and Honey Hunting, Eva Crane
- Articles by Dan:
- February 14 – Wild Blossom Meadery – Make Your Love Wine for Valentines
- February 16 – Honnibrook Craft Mead – Grand Opening – Castle Rock, CO
- February 16 – Black’s Fairy Meadery – Brazos Fest of the West
- February 16 – Rushford Meadery and Winery – Live Music by Skipper Jack
- February 23 – Valhalla Meadery – Mead-Ieval Fund Raiser
- March 2 – Wild Blossom Meadery and Winery – Mardi Gras Silent Day Party
- March 3 – Heidrun Meadery – Crabfest
- March 12-14 – American Mead Makers Association MeadCon and Trade Show
- March 14-16 – Mazer Cup International Mead Competition and Mead Mixer Mead Tasting
- March 30 – Starrlight Mead – Intermediate Mead Making Class
- March 30 – Southern California Mead Alliance – Off Flavors Sensory Training
- July 27 – Orcas Island Cider and Mead Festival
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She is also an experienced marketing coach and consultant who has recently decided to focus her marketing expertise exclusively on the craft beverage market to help meaderies, cideries, breweries and distilleries expand their business and get more customers while doing what they love.