Over the weekend my wife and I visited a meadery for the first time!

As I've shared before, my wife and I are something of craft beer enthusiasts. For the past several years, we've been adventuring around Minnesota and the Midwest checking out different craft breweries, trying different craft beers and sharing our findings along the way.

@aleadventuresmnUrsa Minor Brewing! ##foryou ##fyp ##brewery ##craftbeer ##duluth ##minnesota ##summer ##vacay ##onlyinmn ##marriedlife ##adventure♬ Mr. Blue Sky - Electric Light Orchestra

Over the past few years, we've had opportunities to sample a beverage we really haven't known much about otherwise -- mead. Mead is an alcoholic drink that dates back over a thousand years and is commonly attributed to Norsk vikings, though it was found common in Chinese and Ethiopian cultures as well. Made from fermenting honey with water and -- in some cases -- fruits, spices, grains or hops, mead can come in dry, semi-sweet and sweet varieties. Sort of a honey-hybrid between beer and wine, alcohol content in mead commonly ranges from a low 3.5% ABV all the way up to 18% ABV. My wife and I have always enjoyed the samples of mead we've tried and have been eager to explore it more. This past weekend, we got to do just that!

White Bear Meadery is a family-owned and -run meadery located in White Bear Lake. A whole family affair, dad Josh Eckton calls himself the President/Food Science in Action Mead Maker, wife Dana is Spokes Model/Guinea Pig Whisperer and kids Jake, Zara, Zaylia and Zoelle are Head of Graphics, Head of Security, Head of Kid’s Corner and Head Berry Taster respectively (if not a little facetiously). The tasting room is hard to miss, located County Road East just past the Vadnais Sports Center. It was a kitschy but fun space filled with Scandinavian/Viking oddities and ornaments. We opted for the slightly slapped-together patio space set up in the parking lot. The menu was made up of over a dozen varieties of mead including some made with apples and cinnamon, berries, caramelized honey, cherries, and even coffee! We got two flights to share between us, which was a good idea -- the average ABV (alcohol content) at White Bear Meadery was a shocking 12.5%! Our favorites were the Viking Blood cherry mead, Spiced Eple and another one similar to a red wine!

Check out our TikTok video below for a quick recap of our visit!

@aleadventuresmnWe checked out White Bear Meadery in Minnesota! ##minnesota ##CraftBeer ##foryou ##foryoupage ##SummerDIY ##CloudBread ##InMyAEJeans♬ Robin Hood - Philharmonic Wind Orchestra