Honeygirl Meadery

 

Located at 105 Hood Street in downtown Durham, Honeygirl Meadery offers homemade meads by the glass as well as bottles to go. Tasting flights, outdoor seating, and curbside pickup are available. The tasting room is open from noon to six on Fridays and Saturdays and noon to five on Sundays.

 

I don’t think I’d had but a small sip of mead previously, and Honeygirl made for a fine introduction. The tasting room is small but bright and clean. Combined with a friendly and knowledgeable staff, it makes for an inviting space.

 

Honeygirl offers more than a dozen meads from basic to barrel aged and semi-sweet to dry. The ingredients are sourced locally (and, in one case, foraged by the manager) and incorporate a variety of apples and herbs. 

Hard-pressed (pun semi-intended) to make a decision, my wife and I settled on a flight consisting of spiced apple cyser, farmhouse wildflower, hibiscus lemonthyme, and tri-berry. The wildflower was all that I expected mead to be: a smooth honey wine. The cyser boasted some nice spice notes, but it also made me realize that I strongly prefer cider to its wine-based cousin. The tri-berry, on the other hand, was outstanding. A seasonal offering, it brings together mulberries, blackberries, blueberries, and black currant juice. The resulting concoction offered complex flavors and was not too sweet. We liked it so much that we ended up getting a bottle to take home.

 

Honeygirl isn’t cheap – a flight of four is $15 and most glasses are in the $8-$12 range – but it’s a great way to try something different.