“I encourage people to try new and different things,” said Bill Cavender, founder and director of Black Heath Meadery.
“I encourage people to try new and different things,” said Bill Cavender, founder and director of Black Heath Meadery.
“I encourage people to try things that are supportive of our community and our state and this is certainly one of them.”
Black Heath Meadery is opening its doors Today, Wednesday, March 3, in Scott’s Addition. It will feature a year round mead, made from wildflower honey and a special seasonal bottle called Hiver, which is flavored with juniper berries.
Cavender said it’s one out of the four from a seasonal series he plans on brewing.
Mead is made from fermented honey and water. The flavors are manipulated through a combination of different grains, hops, fruits, or spices. The practice is ancient, Cavender said.
Cavender had been a home brewer for 20 years, creating both beer and mead. His hobby began in Alexandria, Virginia, and followed him through grad school in Texas, and finally to Richmond.
“I had a little success with some of the home brew contests and got good feedback from people and decided a few years ago that we may want to give this a go.” Cavender said.
“Particularly as we saw craft beer and reception it was getting in Richmond and the growth of that market in Richmond. We felt like we had something to offer that was something different.”
Cavender’s partner in the business is also his wife. They both share a Celtic background, which influenced their decision to name the meadery Black Heath. While the name of their business also happens to be the name of the road they live on, heath was a very important pollen and nectar flower for bees on the British Isles.
The logo they created, features three bees in the form of a Celtic cross.
Cavender said his interest in bees began because growing up in Northern Virginia, his neighbor kept his own hives. Cavender now has his own mini apiary (bee hive) in Midlothian, which he harvests for the brew.
“We need to understand the impact of the bees on all of our food stuffs and pollination and make sure that we do what we can to help them thrive,” Cavender said.
“Having a business that primarily uses honey as their ingredient I hope will allow some of these local bee keepers to continue to produce and to help figure out ways to work through some of the challenges they have been facing.”
Cavender’s meadery is modeled after the farm to table movement, which he said has grown in the Richmond area.
“We try to follow the seasons with what we produce,” Cavender said.
“Honey is nice because honey lasts for ever so we can kind of stockpile honey. But as we go through the season I expect our mead to kind of follow what the freshest, nicest, most flavorful fruits and spices and herbs are in Virginia.”
Cavender said the time was right in Richmond and the craft brewing community to introduce a new product.
“Support local and try something new and different,” Cavender said. “I don’t think anyone has ever had a saison style mead in gin barrels before. I think for the most part people are going to find something they like.”
Black Heath Meadery is located at 1313 Altamont Ave. in Scotts Addition.
