A small craft meadery (honey winery) based on the North Fork, Beacon produces balanced, modern meads inspired by winemaking tradition. All of Beacon’s products are designed and produced on Long Island.
Unlike wine and beer, mead is made by fermenting not fruit or grain, but honey. A critical part of Beacon’s mission is to show people just what a mead can be: despite their reputation for being sweet, meads can range from sweet all the way to bone-dry. Meads can be still or sparkling, light or rich, and on the palate they can be fruity, spicy, herbaceous, and everything in between. Mead is the world’s oldest known alcoholic beverage, stretching back thousands of years and referenced in the ancient cultures of China, India, Greece and Egypt. It makes the perfect beverage platform to express natural ingredients beyond just honey — like berries, spices, stone fruits, and even vegetables. Fortunately, this badly misunderstood beverage is finally enjoying a spirited revival.
What distinguishes the Beacon approach to meadmaking is their wine-inspired sensibility, their commitment to minimal intervention, and the scientific (highly iterative) way they develop each release. They use the best ingredients they can, with each release containing nothing but fruit, honey, water, and yeast. Beacon meads are whole-food products — no juice, no concentrates, no fillers.
