Mead dates back to 7000 BC in China where honey was fermented with fruit and rice. From the ancient Greeks to Medieval monks, this nectar has been enjoyed wherever honey bees thrive. At Bløm Meadworks in Michigan, honey from local apiaries is turned into dry, session-style mead. Working in partnership with farmers and beekeepers across the state, Lauren Bloom and Matt Ritchey are creating ferments that capture the essence of the region’s flavor, shifting to reflect fruit, hops and herbs that are ripening each season.

Take a peek inside the meadery at Bløm Meadworks in Ann Arbor

Bløm’s meadery is a cozy spot designed to open people’s eyes to what mead is and how its made.

Catherine NevilleJanuary 5, 2020

What exactly is honey and how is it made?

It takes a massive amount of energy to produce honey, and the bees turn nectar into honey in order to be able to store it. Honey will never go bad. It may crystallize in the jar in your cupboard, but it won’t spoil.

Catherine NevilleJanuary 5, 2020

Making sweet Michigan honey since 1974

Great Lakes Bee Co. is one of the main honey suppliers for Bløm, offering the meadery raw honey produced in a responsible way.

Catherine NevilleJanuary 5, 2020

Bløm sources its ginger from Michigan State's Student Organic Farm

Check out this self-sustaining student-run farm at Michigan State in this slideshow.

Catherine NevilleJanuary 5, 2020

Marc Boone cultivates hundreds of pawpaw trees in Michigan

Pawpaws are native to North America, growing from Missouri to Alabama to the Eastern seaboard and up into Michigan, which is the northern edge of the tree’s current range. The fruit is not commercially viable, which is why most of us have never heard of it before. It’s ugly — and the uglier the better in terms of the fruit’s flavor.

Catherine NevilleJanuary 5, 2020