B. Nektar Meadery expanding in Ferndale to keep up with demand

What is commonly believed to be the oldest alcoholic beverage known to man is the newest drinking fad in Metro Detroit.

If you haven't heard of Mead, a honey wine, then you should try some. The only problem, good luck finding some. The ancient drink is a very popular choice at drinking holes across southeast Michigan.

"Most people know it through renaissance festivals and books like 'Beowolf'," says Brad Dahlhofer.

He and his wife Kerri started Ferndale's B. Nektar Meadery a few months ago in 1,500 square feet on Jarvis Street. Their product has become so popular that they have sold out most of their first product run. Plans are now in the works to more than quadruple their production space, taking over 5,600 square feet next door.

The Dahlhofer's first brewed 500 gallons. It only took a matter of weeks to sell out of all except one of their brews. Now, the wine has been selling as far away as Jackson and Saginaw and as close as the Holiday Market in Royal Oak and Woodward Avenue Brewers in downtown Ferndale.

"They (the WAB) went through nine cases in a month," Dahlhofer says. "They said it was one of the fastest selling brands they had."

So fast that the Dahlhofers haven't been able to keep up with the demand. They brewed a skeleton sampling at first to keep costs down for their fledging business. Now they are preparing to brew 12,000 gallons by the end of the year.

"It's such a niche market we don't know what the demand would be," Dahlhofer says.

Source: Brad Dahlhofer, co-owner of B. Nektar Meadery
Writer: Jon Zemke

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B. Nektar Meadery expanding in Ferndale to keep up with demand

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