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With home brewing being much simpler to start, mead-making has seen expansive growth recently with more growth forecasted, as marketresearch.com is predicting the global mead market size — valued at $456 million in 2022 — will hit $1.475 billion by 2030.
Here in Washington, that growth inspired Good Buzz Brewing Co. owner Forrest Chesvick to contact other commercial craft mead brewers around the state to begin organizing Mead-Fest 2025, a 21-and-up event.
The first event, which Chesvick hopes to continue annually, will be held on Sept. 20 from 1 to 7 p.m. at The Juice Box, located at 216 S. Tower Ave. in downtown Centralia.
Chesvick is getting the word out now, though, for two reasons — the first being general admission will be limited to 200 attendees.
The second is to give home brewers competing in the competition ample time to brew a batch of mead big enough to sample at Mead-Fest 2025, along with ensuring it meets health standards to be served at the event.
Up for grabs will be copper-adorned ox horn drinking cup trophies for the people’s choice and judges’ choice winners. All home brewers entering a mead will also receive a smaller custom ox horn drinking cup.
“It has to be a honey-based alcohol. It could be a braggot, which is a honey beer, it could be a cyser, which is basically apple mead. It can be any variation of mead, as long as the primary fermentable ingredient is honey,” Chesvick said. “And it’s gotta be food safe.”
Chesvick is also offering assistance to home brewers to ensure their meads are properly kegged and bottled for the event.
A total of 16 competitor spots are available, with five of them already taken as of July 10, when The Chronicle visited Chesvick at Good Buzz Brewing’s Centralia taproom to learn more about the event.
Mead-Fest 2025 is also serving as a fundraiser for Veterans Journey Forward, with Chesvick, himself a U.S. Army veteran, giving 100% of donations from the event to the veteran-founded nonprofit which provides resources, benefit navigation and peer-counseling services for Lewis County veterans and their families.
“With this event here, we can do something that’s fun for the community, get people involved in mead making, support local beekeepers and also support veterans all in one event,” said Chesvick.
While some think wine was the first alcoholic beverage in ancient civilizations, many believe mead — an alcoholic beverage brewed by fermenting honey along with other ingredients like fruit, herbs and spices — is actually the oldest alcoholic beverage.
Archeologists have discovered evidence of mead consumption in ancient China dating back to 7,000 BC. Others have claimed there is evidence of mead consumption dating back even further than that.
“Mead can be fairly high ABV (alcohol by volume), depending upon how they make it. We have stuff that’s 6% (ABV), we have stuff that’s 12%. I’ve seen meads as high as 18%. And depending on what the individuals’ recipes are, it could be higher,” Chesvick said.
Those attending Mead-Fest 2025 will get a two-ounce sample of all 16 of the meads entered into the competition.
“And you will have the chance to vote and determine who made the best beverage … I also have a panel of five professionals in this industry that will be judging the meads based upon the BJCP (Beer Judge Certification Program) criteria,” said Chesvick.
The other judges are owners of other commercial mead breweries around the state, and are also advertising the event locally, according to Chesvick. So with the event being state-wide, how did Centralia end up hosting it?
“Well I’m the one that came up with the event and I really like The Juice Box,” Chesvick said. “We have a lot of kegs going through The Juice Box. I really love the venue and set up they have there, and for an event like this, the first of its kind here in Lewis County, I figure a venue like The Juice Box that’s well established and people are comfortable with … It just would be a good environment for a first event like this.”
Not only will home brewers get the opportunity to have their meads judged to professional standards and talk to commercial brewers to get tips, but Chesvick will allow the people’s and judges’ choice winners to brew a commercial batch of their recipes and have them on tap at Good Buzz Brewing’s taproom.
Those entering meads into the competition must not only keep track of their recipes to be able to reproduce them if they win, but to also list ingredients for Mead-Fest 2025 attendees to warn of potential allergens in their brews.
Additionally, Lewis County Axe Throwing will have its mobile axe-throwing trailer set up for the event.
“If they are too intoxicated, to the point where it is not safe (to throw axes), they will be told they need to sober up before they participate,” Chesvick added.
The bar and kitchen at The Juice Box will also be open during the event. Tickets to Mead-Fest 2025 for attendees are $32.71 and available online at https://tinyurl.com/42wfcrw5.
Home brewers interested in entering can learn more about the competition, judging guidelines and requirements along with signing up for Mead-Fest 2025 online at https://tinyurl.com/4fe5n32b.
