Texas Mead Craze Causes a Bear Rebirth (Probably)
Bear sneaking into Texas for the Mead!
Why Bears Are Wandering Back to Texas: The Mead Effect
Something sweet is brewing in the Lone Star State — and the local wildlife can smell it. From the Hill Country to Houston, Texas has quietly become one of America’s most vibrant mead regions. As the honey wine renaissance takes hold, a strange rumor has started circulating: bears are coming back to Texas because of all the meaderies.
It sounds like folklore, but when you look closer, the connection makes a certain kind of sense.
A State Buzzing with Mead
In 2015, Texas had only a handful of meaderies. Today, it’s a honeycomb of craft producers — from the fermenters at Meridian Hive in Austin to the Norse-inspired Idle Viking up north and Believe Meadery in Argyle, to Vinland Meads in East Texas. The map of Texas meaderies looks like a constellation of golden hexes — each one a beacon for bees, flowers, and apparently, bears.
These aren’t your granddad’s sweet honey wines. Texas meaderies are experimenting with jalapeño meads, prickly pear melomels, and barrel-aged braggots. The state’s mead scene blends tradition, terroir, and a hefty dose of Texas personality.
State of Texas Meaderies - Thanks to Harrison Cole and Hammered Honey Farms and Mead for this map.
Bear Sightings & the Return of the “Honey Bears”
The Texas Game Wardens have increased public notices about bear sightings across the state, urging citizens to keep a safe distance. Confirmed sightings have been reported in East Texas — including Cherokee, Anderson, Panola, and Rusk counties — as well as in South Texas (Zapata County) and even parts of North Texas.
Wildlife experts say these are most likely young male black bears that have left their mothers and are exploring new territory from neighboring states with established bear populations. Because black bears are listed as a threatened species in Texas, it’s illegal to harm or harass them.
Vinland Meads & the “Honey Bears” Legend
One meadery taking this news to heart (and having a bit of fun with it) is Vinland Meads, tucked away in deep East Texas near Murchison. Founded by Sarah and Clyde Hays, the meadery follows the traditional methods of their ancestors — fermenting honey into mead with care, patience, and a little Norse spirit.
But at Vinland, the bears aren’t just in the headlines — they’re part of the lore.
🐾 The Bear Lore — Full Circle
Clyde’s grandfather used to tell stories about “honey bears” spotted along the Sabine River — small, brownish-black bears with a notorious sweet tooth. According to family tales, these mischievous bears weren’t afraid to raid farms or snatch up supplies left unattended. Those stories stuck around for generations.
Now, as bear sightings rise again in East Texas, the old family legend seems to be coming full circle. Vinland Meads sits not far from the Louisiana border — right where many of these bears are believed to be wandering in from.
And yes, Clyde admits — he’s keeping an eye out.
🐾Vinland’s “Bear-Wise” Measures
Vinland Meads has responded with a wink and a grin, adopting a few tongue-in-cheek “bear-proofing” policies:
The mead cellar door is now “reinforced” (just kidding… mostly).
New signage reads: “Honey Inside — Bears Apply in Person for Tastings.”
As Clyde Hays, Vinland’s head mead-crafter, puts it:
“When the honey’s good enough to wake a honey bear, you know we’re doing our job. If a bear shows up asking for a pour, we’ll just welcome them in — and slide them a horn.”
Meaderies and Bears love that HONEY!!!
A Toast to the Wild
Whether it’s the bees, the bears, or the brewers, Texas mead is proof that wild things still thrive when nature and craft come together. So the next time you raise a glass of golden mead, think of the bears — out there, padding through the pines, following the scent of something sweet.
Because in Texas, even the wildlife knows:
Where there’s Mead, there’s Magic.
Its happening, and its most likely our fault…
