Mead, Heritage, and Behind-the-Scenes: What You’ll Find on Our Patreon
When we started Vinland Meads, we knew our story was bigger than the bottles. Every recipe, every barrel, and every step has a history behind it. Patreon has become our way to share those deeper stories—the kind that go beyond the tasting notes and labels and show the why and how of what we do.
Raising a Horn to the Bees
At Vinland Meads, every bottle starts with a promise—to protect the bees, honor the land, and craft mead with purpose. In a world where pollinators are vanishing and ecosystems hang in the balance, we believe meaderies can be part of the solution. By raising bees, harvesting raw wildflower honey, and turning it into small-batch honey wine, we’re doing more than reviving an ancient drink—we’re helping preserve the future. This article explores how mead makers across the world are supporting apiaries, biodiversity, and environmental stewardship—and why raising a horn to the bees might just help save the earth.
Mead Across Cultures
From the misty glens of Scotland to the royal courts of Ethiopia, mead has long been more than just a drink—it’s a shared legacy of humanity. Across continents and centuries, cultures have turned honey into sacred offerings, medicinal tonics, and celebratory brews. In this article, we explore the global journey of mead: how it inspired Norse poets, bonded Polish nobility, warmed Mongolian warriors, and flowed through ancient temples from China to Mesoamerica. At Vinland Meads, we honor this rich tradition in every bottle, keeping not only bees alive—but the stories, rituals, and heritage they helped ferment.
From Paperwork to Pouring: Our Journey to Opening a Texas Meadery
Opening a meadery in Texas isn’t just about honey and barrels — it’s about navigating paperwork, filing deadlines, and learning from every hiccup along the way. When we started Vinland Meads, we couldn’t find a single clear guide, so we pieced it together ourselves with help from fellow mead makers, late nights on Discord, and more than one trip to the Comptroller’s office. From fast TTB approvals to the headaches of label submissions and the surprise of missing eight months of RITS filings, we’ve learned the process the hard way. Here’s our story — and the lessons that might save the next mead maker some time (and a $5,000 penalty).
Beyond the Horn: Mead Mixology & Pairings for the Bold Drinker
Mead Mixology
At Vinland Meads, we’ll be the first to say that mead stands tall all on its own. But for those who like to experiment, mead is also one of the most versatile ingredients you can bring to your bar. With its honey backbone, bold fruit, and spice-driven styles, it can play the role of base spirit, modifier, or accent—depending on the drink and the strength of the mead.
Blood, Sweat, and Honey: The People Behind Vinland Meads
Making mead the way we do isn’t quick, easy, or clean. It’s sweat in the Texas heat, sticky hands from the honey house, and long days over fermenters. It’s family hauling barrels, friends showing up at dawn, and the steady hum of bees in the background. Vinland Meads was built the hard way—by people who cared enough to put their backs into it. This is who we are, how we work, and the reason every bottle carries more than just honey—it carries our story.
The Road to Texas Mead Fest: How Vinland Meads Got Here
From a first sip in 2015 to pouring our own in 2025, Vinland Meads’ journey to the Texas Mead Fest has been ten years in the making. What began with a few bottles from Texas meaderies and a win at the Texas Mead Cup has grown into a licensed meadery, countless miles visiting makers across the U.S., and a seat at the table alongside the state’s finest. This September, we’ll be pouring our heritage-inspired meads for the first time at the festival that sparked it all—come raise a horn with us.
Raising a Glass to Our Community: Vinland Meads in the Farmers Markets
At Vinland Meads, farmers markets aren’t just about selling bottles — they’re about shaking hands with neighbors, meeting the growers who supply our fruit, and sharing the centuries-old tradition of mead face-to-face. From our ties to Hays Manor’s honeybees to our collaboration with Heathen Beard Company, market days bring together the farm, the craft, and the community in one place. Whether you discover us under a canopy in the market square or on the shelves of your local wine shop, every pour carries the story of local roots and ancient craft.
A Toast to Forever
“The honey changes with the season—and so does the mead. That’s why, when you commission a custom wedding mead, you’re not just choosing a drink. You’re capturing a moment in time, sealed in a bottle. From ancient Norse handfastings to sacred church vows, mead has always marked the joining of lives. Sweet, strong, and born of the land—just like love itself.”
July 22nd Release from Vinland Meads
"We don’t chase consistency—we celebrate change. Every flower the bees visit, every shift in the season, every hive we inspect alters the honey—and the mead. That’s why our bottles don’t just carry flavor. They carry the moment they were born in."
Not the Same Heritage. And That’s the Point.
“Heritage isn’t about making the same mead every year. It’s about honoring the process while letting nature lead. This year’s honey came from a different bloom, a different hive, a different season—and the result is a mead with its own voice. Lighter, brighter, and wholly unique. Because at Vinland, we don’t just bottle tradition—we bottle time.”
A Gentle Awakening at First Light
“Violet Dawn captures the quiet magic of morning—when the air is cool, the berries are ripe, and the hive is just beginning to hum. With tart blueberry and delicate seasonal honey, this mead is bright, crisp, and full of early summer promise. A sip of first light, bottled.”
A Midnight Gift from the Orchard and Apiary
“Crimson Dusk is more than black cherry and honey—it’s a twilight caught in a bottle. Crafted in the brochet style and shaped by the deep summer nectar of Texas, this mead finishes smooth and dark, like the last light slipping over the trees. Each sip is a farewell to the day, and a toast to the stories that begin at nightfall.”
“Bottled Legacy: A First Look at Tribute – The Cemetery Mead”
In the heart of a forgotten cemetery in Ben Wheeler, Texas, a fallen oak revealed a secret hive—ancient, queenless, and filled with the darkest honey we’ve ever seen. That moment sparked the beginning of Tribute, a mead unlike any other. Five years in the making, hand-bottled in artisan glass, and released in a series of just 25—this is the story of how legacy, loss, and oak-aged patience became the soul of Vinland Meads.
Sacral Mead - A Journey Through A Sacred Tradition
We at Vinland Meads produce Sacral Mead. The term "sacral," though, perfectly encapsulates the essence of our mead. It is not merely a beverage; it is an embodiment of the sacred. From the honey harvested from hives we visit and help thrive, to the water that filters through the earth at Hays Manor, to the fruits and spices we acquire from local sources – all these elements are sacral in our construction of Mead.
HAYS MANOR & Vinland Meads
Situated just below Hays Manor, our meadery offers a truly unique experience. As you explore the property, you'll likely encounter our majestic Scottish Highland Coos grazing peacefully. Red Tail Hawks soar from the Falconry Chambers, while nearby, our bustling bee apiary hums with the activity of hives brimming with honey, a key ingredient in our handcrafted meads.
Vinland Mead Hall
Nestled amidst the towering hardwoods of Hays Manor in Murchison, Texas, Vinland Meads Mead Hall emerges as a haven where modern design converges with ancient inspiration.
Our Commitment to QualityHoney for Vinland Meads
At Vinland Meads, honey is the cornerstone of our craft. We meticulously select our honey, starting with the hives at Hays Manor and the Hays Clan Honey Hives. While these are our primary sources, they don't produce enough to meet the demands of Vinland Meads, our family, and our neighbors. Therefore, we partner with select local beekeepers and honey farms to supplement our supply supply.
What is VINLAND?
THE CREDIT FOR THE FIRST EUROPEAN TO SET FOOT ON NORTH AMERICAN SOIL GOES TO LEIF ERIKSON, WHO NAMED THE NEWLY DISCOVERED AREA VINLAND.
Evolution of the Vinland Meads Logo
The Evolution and Creation of Vinland Meads Shield Logo from a Viking ship sail to the shield that supports us today.