Gary Gross first tasted mead at his son’s medieval-themed wedding in 2004. When he returned home, he went to Bader’s Beer & Wine Supply in Vancouver, got a starter kit and began home brewing beer and mead. After years of experimentation, and the encouragement of friends and family, Gary and his wife, Shirley, formed Ethereal Meads in 2012.
Mead is an alcoholic beverage made with three basic ingredients: honey, yeast, and water. Evidence of mead production has been found on Chinese pottery dating back from 7000 B.C. The ancient Greeks considered mead the nectar of the Gods. More recently, mead has been associated with Renaissance festivals or reading “Beowulf” in school.
At the moment, mead is enjoying a resurgence based on: growing interest in craft beverages, more people following a gluten-free diet (mead is gluten free), and the popularity of “Game of Thrones.” According to Gary, “Two years ago, 80 percent of people didn’t know what mead was. Now, thanks to ‘Game of Thrones,’ thanks to an interest in Vikings, more people know what it is.”
Ethereal Meads uses local ingredients. The fruit is from Columbia Fruit in Woodland, the apple juice is from the Yakima Valley, and most of the honey comes from Corvallis, Ore. On a visit to their meadery, Gary told me that he likes to “have a direct relationship with the beekeepers.” This gives Ethereal Meads a special Pacific Northwest flavor.
