Bos Meadery will bring mead to Madison, Wisconsin. This is not your ancestor's mead. This is mead made modern. Read more
Bos Meadery will bring mead to Madison, Wisconsin. This is not your ancestor's mead. This is mead made modern.
About this project
What is Bos Meadery?
Bos Meadery is Madison, Wisconsin’s first Meadery. Madison has local craft breweries and distilleries, as well as a thriving local beekeeping culture. It's time for a craft meadery to join the scene.
Bos Meadery makes the best fermented drink you've never had and I really want to share it with you.
For more information:
https://www.facebook.com/BosMeadery
What is mead?
Mead is fermented water and honey. It’s about the strength of wine and it's like drinking the aroma of honey. Great mead reflects the flavor its landscape and Bos Mead will be the essence of the flora of Wisconsin in drinkable form. Like craft beer, it combines well with some very unique ingredients and flavors, like black pepper or lavender. It also gives you a very happy buzz!
It is the world’s oldest fermented beverage. However, it’s also experiencing a renaissance here in the US. New meaderies are opening up all over the country. The rise of mead has been covered by the New York Times, Forbes and NPR. It's inevitable that one will open up here in Madison and I'm excited to be the one to do it.
Check out the following if you want to learn more:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/08/dining/mead-enjoys-a-renaissance.html?pagewanted=all
http://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewbender/2011/10/24/top-10-food-trends/
http://www.npr.org/2011/05/01/135818740/medieval-no-more-mead-enjoys-a-renaissance
What makes Bos Mead different from other meads?
Bos Meadery is going to make dry and sparkling meads from local and regional honeys. Many meads available nationally are traditional, sweet, still (uncarbonated) meads. Bos Meadery is focused on a modern approach to mead using the latest research on yeast and fermentation. The result is a mead that is smoother and lighter on the palate and more suitable for pairing with food. If you are a food and beverage connoisseur, you will really enjoy exploring this new avenue in food and drink pairings.
Bos Meadery will also source ingredients from local and regional suppliers as much as possible. The flavor will be unique to southern Wisconsin. And money you spend on Bos Mead will also be channeled into the local economy wherever possible.
What will the funding go toward?
These Kickstarter funds will go towards bringing Bos Mead to market. This includes buying honey, yeast, juices, and other ingredients for the initial batches. It also includes bottles, corks, foils, cleansers and so forth. You'd be surprised how these things all add up fast. I've got the space and the equipment, but your support in making these first batches the best that they can be will be critical to get Bos Mead on the market successfully.
Funds will also be used to get tables and chairs, so we can eventually have a small tasting room (mead hall!) on-site. If you live in Madison, you'll eventually be able to stop by our near east side location and quaff the latest in fermented gold. Bos Meadery will be a part of a food and drink renaissance on the east side that includes the Underground Food Collective, Old Sugar Distillery, One Barrel Brewhouse and many others who are keeping the east side as lively as it always has been.
My family and I have invested a lot of private capital and taken on considerable debt to get this Meadery off the ground and I am very close! With just a little help from you, we will have mead on the shelves of your favorite local store or available in your favorite bar this Fall and long into the future.
Of course, you'll also be indirectly supporting the Wisconsin honey farmers and beekeepers who are helping to ensure that the bee colonies are healthy and happy to pollinate our crops for years to come.
Who is behind Bos Meadery anyway?
I’m Colleen Bos, a former medieval historian and long-time home brewer. I’ve been making mead for 9 years. I’ve studied brewing technology at the Siebel Institute in Chicago, the world-renowned instructional facility of brewing science. I also worked as a project manager for research and technology companies for about 12 years. I’ve taken some business classes and I collaborated with an amazing network of people to help develop my business plan.
What’s in it for contributors?
Lots of things:
- You’ll get the satisfaction of being an elite member of a community of people who helped make this creative enterprise happen.
- You’ll be bringing more boozey goodness to Madison and the Midwest.
- You’ll be supporting a small business that will be a responsible member of the community and employ people in the future.
- You’ll get the cool rewards outlined to the right.
- You'll be supporting local agriculture and helping to keep bee colonies alive and thriving in Wisconsin.
How can I help?
Participate by selecting your reward from the list at the right.
Spread the word to others you know who might be interested. If I don't reach my entire financial goal by my project's deadline, I will receive none of the funds raised thus far. Use email, facebook, twitter, or good ol' word of mouth to help me spread the word. It goes a long way these days, and I appreciate it.
FAQ
Have a question? If the info above doesn't help, you can ask the project creator directly.
Rewards
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Pledge $15 or more
48 backers
Level 1 - You will receive a personal tour and tasting at Bos Meadery and a hand-written thank you note.
Estimated delivery: -
Pledge $25 or more
12 backers
Level 2 - I will write a haiku in honor of your donation on the subject of mead, honey, bees, flowers or booze (my choice) and send it out via Twitter (tagging you if you like). You will also receive a personal tour and tasting at Bos Meadery and a hand-written thank you note.
Estimated delivery: -
Pledge $35 or more
12 backers
Level 3 - You will receive a Bos Meadery travel corkscrew. You will also receive a personal tour and tasting at Bos Meadery and a hand-written thank you note. Please note: Add an additional $5 for shipping if you are not in the US.
Estimated delivery: -
Pledge $45 or more
19 backers
Level 4 - You will receive a Bos Meadery wine glass. You will also receive a personal tour and tasting at Bos Meadery and a hand-written thank you note. Please note: Add an additional $10 for shipping if you are not in the US.
Estimated delivery: -
Pledge $65 or more
7 backers
Level 5 - You will receive a Bos Meadery T-shirt. You will also receive a personal tour and tasting at Bos Meadery and a hand-written thank you note.
Please note: Add an additional $10 for shipping if you are not in the US.
Estimated delivery: -
Pledge $75 or more
3 backers
Level 6 - You will receive a Bos Meadery wine glass and travel cork screw. You will also receive a personal tour and tasting at Bos Meadery and a hand-written thank you note.
Please note: Add an additional $10 for shipping if you are not in the US.
Estimated delivery: -
Pledge $100 or more
11 backers
Level 7 - You will receive a Bos Meadery T-shirt and travel corkscrew. You will also receive a personal tour and tasting at Bos Meadery and a hand-written thank you note.
Please note: Add an additional $10 for shipping if you are not in the US.
Estimated delivery: -
Pledge $125 or more
4 backers
Level 8 - You will receive a Bos Meadery T-shirt, wine glass and travel corkscrew. You will also receive a personal tour and tasting at Bos Meadery and a hand-written thank you note.
Please note: Add an additional $10 for shipping if you are not in the US.
Estimated delivery: -
Pledge $200 or more
16 backers
Level 9 - You will have your name listed as a Founding Supporter on a plaque hanging prominently on the wall of Bos Meadery and you will receive a Bos Meadery T-shirt, wine glass and travel corkscrew. You will also receive a personal tour and tasting at Bos Meadery and a hand-written thank you note.
Please note: Add an additional $10 for shipping if you are not in the US.
Estimated delivery: -
Pledge $325 or more
5 backers Limited (20 left of 25)
Level 10 - This is for drinking horn afficionados. You will receive a quality drinking horn, suitable for quaffing mead. You will have your name listed as a Founding Supporter on a plaque hanging prominently on the wall of Bos Meadery. You will also receive a personal tour and tasting at Bos Meadery and a hand-written thank you note.
Please note: Add an additional $10 for shipping if you are not in the US.Estimated delivery: -
Pledge $500 or more
7 backers Limited (18 left of 25)
Level 11 - You will receive a quality drinking horn, suitable for quaffing mead. You will receive a Bos Meadery T-shirt, wine glass and travel corkscrew. You will have your name listed as a Founding Supporter on a plaque hanging prominently on the wall of Bos Meadery. You will also receive a personal tour and tasting at Bos Meadery and a hand-written thank you note.
Please note: Add an additional $10 for shipping if you are not in the US.Estimated delivery: -
Pledge $750 or more
0 backers Limited (5 left of 5)
You and a guest will be welcomed warmly at the private Katie Powderly show at Bos Meadery on Tuesday, October 16th from 7:00 to 9:00 PM. We will provide Underground Kitchen meats, local cheeses and Potter's crackers for you to eat. We will provide up to 4 glasses of Bos Mead for you to drink. And you will be treated to a 45-60 minute solo acoustic set at this exclusive show. In addition, you will receive a Bos Meadery T-shirt, wine glass and travel corkscrew. You will have your name listed as a Founding Supporter on a plaque hanging prominently on the wall of Bos Meadery. You will also receive a personal tour and tasting at Bos Meadery and a hand-written thank you note. Please note: You must be able to travel to Madison to claim this reward.
Estimated delivery: -
Pledge $1,000 or more
2 backers Limited (1 left of 3)
Level 12 - You will be a VIP at the Bos Meadery Launch Party. This means:
1) Your name on a banner at the event.
2) A toast in your honor
3) The formal presentation of a drinking horn suitable for quaffing mead.You will receive a Bos Meadery T-shirt, wine glass and travel corkscrew. You will have your name listed as a Founding Supporter on a plaque hanging prominently on the wall of Bos Meadery. You will also receive a personal tour and tasting at Bos Meadery and a hand-written thank you note.
You must be able to travel to Madison to claim portions of this reward. Add an additional $10 for shipping if you are not in the US.Estimated delivery: -
Pledge $2,000 or more
0 backers Limited (3 left of 3)
Level 13 - You will be able to name a fermenter. You will be a VIP at the Bos Meadery Launch Party. This means:
1) Your name on a banner at the event.
2) A toast in your honor
3) The formal presentation of a drinking horn suitable for quaffing mead.You will receive a Bos Meadery T-shirt, wine glass and travel corkscrew. You will have your name listed as a Founding Supporter on a plaque hanging prominently on the wall of Bos Meadery. You will also receive a personal tour and tasting at Bos Meadery and a hand-written thank you note.
You must be able to travel to Madison to claim portions of this reward. Add an additional $10 for shipping if you are not in the US.Estimated delivery: -
Pledge $3,000 or more
0 backers Limited (1 left of 1)
Level 14 - You will be invited to consult with me on the development of a new mead recipe that will be tailored to your personal tastes. You will be a VIP at the Bos Meadery Launch Party. This means:
1) Your name on a banner at the event.
2) A toast in your honor
3) The formal presentation of a drinking horn suitable for quaffing mead.You will receive a Bos Meadery T-shirt, wine glass and travel corkscrew. You will have your name listed as a Founding Supporter on a plaque hanging prominently on the wall of Bos Meadery. You will also receive a personal tour and tasting at Bos Meadery and a hand-written thank you note.
You must be able to travel to Madison to claim portions of this reward. Add an additional $10 for shipping if you are not in the US.Estimated delivery:
Funding period
- (32 days)