( stonekeep meadery: introducing a local renaissance for mead production )

stonekeep meadery: introducing a local
renaissance for mead production

by amy strauss

picking through numerous pounds of fresh peaches at frecon farms, of boyertown, a few years back, sheree krasley prepped one of the introductory meads she and her partner, marc johnson, would soon produce.

together, at a rousing evening of throwing weapons' practice, marc johnson, a native to birdsboro and krasley, of limerick, first spoke of their soon-to-be entrepreneurial friendship.

johnson, an active participant in the local chapter of the society of creative anachronism—an international-based group whose members willingly appreciate and recreate life as it was during the middle and renaissance ages, with costumes, craft guilds, courtly dances, archery, and mugs of mead—met krasley through the gleeful group, one of which she too is a lively affiliate.

following an energetic night laden amongst axes, knives, and gauntlets almost two years ago, the medieval assembly, who happens to journey up-and-down the east coast and also to nova scotia, conceptualized a partnership sculpted around an appropriate, historically-inspired meadery.

( marc johnson and sheree krasley are the operating duo behind 

stonekeep meadery of birdsboro. photograph by amy strauss )

"mead is such an ancient drink," revealed johnson. "yet, every couple of years, it makes its reemergence."

correct in his statement, the ancient beverage—also known as "honey wine"—is enjoying a renaissance of sorts in southeastern pennsylvania, particularly with recent help from johnson and krasley's blends, recognized under the moniker, stonekeep meadery.

stonekeep meadery, bred in birdsboro, is branded with a castle themed logo and situated in a certified, pristine space of johnson's home where he produces nine bottled blends with ingredients like honey, yeast, water, and ranging flavorings. the meadery's recipe roundup is concocted from original and historic documents that are suggested to date back as far as before the 16th century.

( a close-up of the black currant label of stonekeep meadery, 

as designed by co-owner sheree krasley. photograph by amy strauss)

stonekeep's product, in its basic form, is an alcoholic beverage made from fermenting honey (diluted with water) and yeast. identified by many as "honey wine," due to the fermentable sugars in the substance that are sourced from the main product—the honey—the liquid substances also make use of additives like fruit, spices, and malt.

  (a lineup of johnson's bottled blends displaying how honey from different 

seasons vastly changes the color of your meads. photograph by amy strauss)

soon rounding out their second established year, the meadmakers report that they processed over 5,000 pounds of honey within their liquids this year, which is up from last year's total of 4,000 pounds. already optimistic and striving to match their need for next year, the local creators project that they will make use of 7,000 pounds.

"we started raising hives of our own," said johnson. "right now, we have three hives, but we know we won't have an excessive amount at first. we will probably begin making a small reserve using just our honey."

( sheree krasley of stonekeep meadery demonstrates the complexities 

of wildflower honey,  as well as the different shades of colors created specific 

to the season in which it was produced. photograph by amy strauss)

however, fulfilling their demand for honey within their mead production would mean that they'd need to raise 100 to 150 hives, almost impossible for both partners who also work daytime jobs outside of the meadery.

 

( a comparison of how much honey stonekeep purchases against what the typical 

consumer buys, the infamous honey bear. photograph by amy strauss )

johnson, a software engineer, and krasley, an agent in collections and record gathering, together follow the regulations for holding a license as a pennsylvania-winemaker, which specifies that producers must use state-based agriculture.

for example, in the recent strawberry season, stonekeep purchased 600 pounds of berries in morgantown, which they used to produce their popularly-sweet strawberry mead.

“we process meads that are very diverse," explained johnson. "some are very sweet, very dry, heavy, or light with a crisp. mead has a full range of characters and is not just one entity."

the alcohol content of their meads varies too and can range from very low to very high, added johnson.

other varieties of the local meadery, aged from 10 months to two years, include a black currant melomel, perfect for those who adore red wines; a hibiscus metheglyn, a crisp mead with a citrus-like taste of hibiscus flowers; an elderberry melomel, booming with earthly flavors; and a vanilla ginger, described as a fragrant, delicate sip.

the approachable blends are available for purchase and pickup, as well as at their specialized tasting room, which is appropriately located at frecon's orchard outlet. varying bottles of mead are also at area restaurants including sly fox brewhouse and eatery of phoenixville, teresa's of wayne, and bube's brewery of mount joy.

"we love educating the public about what mead is," concluded krasley. "we have become very good at suggesting recommendations toward the tastes you are most drawn to."

"there's a stigma with wine that that if you don't know everything, people are afraid to ask questions," said johnson. "mead doesn't have that—we are more than willing to answer any questions and change the misconceptions people have about mead."

visit stonekeep online at www.stonekeepmeadery.com. 

this story is also in the print edition of news, not blues volume 1.