How to Make Washed Honeycomb Mead with Medieval Flair

By Susan Verberg via the AHA

My fascination with honey fermentation, as well as my frugal inclinations, led me down some unexpected paths: learning to keep bees for easy access to raw honey seems pretty straightforward, but that quickly devolved into boiling-wax-comb experiments, dead bees and all, to make plausible medieval must, and culminated in winning a bronze medal in the National Homebrew Competition. Who would have expected that! And why did I go down this rabbit hole? The combination of my avid interest in medieval brewing techniques with keeping the occasional hive and growing many types of fermentable fruit on our smalltool kit. Sure, boiling dead bees sounds like an excellent reason not to emulate the past, but careful examination of medieval and renaissance texts suggested that was not what they were doing, actually, contrary to popular fiction!

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Dogfish Inn

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As a follow up on our post from a few weeks ago about Dogfish Head founder Sam Calagione’s voyage on the high seas this summer, we have some hot news to share about the new inn the brewery is launching in Lewes, DE near its Milton headquarters.

Doors open to the Dogfish Inn July 4th weekend, but the reservation line will begin booking rooms sooner. Calls will be accepted starting Friday, June 27.

The 16-room inn extends style and convenience consistent with the standards today’s travelers expect, while celebrating a bygone era of family vacations, big cars and endless summers. Naturally, rooms are appointed with beer-centric amenities and design elements. Each one is outfitted with a wool Dogfish blanket created in collaboration with the iconic American apparel maker Woolrich, a Tivoli radio and screenprints of beer labels from Dogfish Head’s music collaborations. Delaware artist Steve Rogers created a treasure hunt throughout the motel by painting the historic Lightship Overfalls somewhere in each room. A National Historic Landmark and one of only 17 lightships remaining, the real Lightship Overfalls is docked just a few hundred feet away.

Mini-fridges in rooms come stocked with locally made snacks, and there’s barware to enjoy the beers guests bring back from the Dogfish brewery and brewpub. Retro American-made beach chairs and Apolis tote bags are ready for trips to the local beaches. A library in The Cottage was curated by the renowned City Lights Bookstore in San Francisco. Guests can borrow or buy a beach read or a heavy hitter. The patio features the Cowboy Cauldron where friends and families can gather ‘round a fire and count shooting stars.

To help guests get the most out their stay at the Dogfish Inn, the team there has put together a map highlighting local landmarks. With a kayak launch, nearby Junction and Breakwater Trail and the Cape Henlopen State Park all in close proximity, the inn serves as a springboard to dive deep into the beauty of coastal Delaware by bike, by hike, by paddleboard or kayak.

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HERE

Competitions and Festivals

Title: Franklin Brewfest
Location Franklin, TN
Description: Beer festival offering 40 different beers and Irish whiskeys
Start Time: 6pm
Date 2010-3-13
End: 9pm

Title: The Blue Bonnet
Location: Amarillo, Texas
Description: BJCP Competition
Start Time: 1:00pm Friday
Date: 2010-03-19
End: Sunday