Delaware’s up-and-coming Brimming Horn Meadery introduced two limited-release meads late last month. Brimming Horn is a Scandinavian-style mead hall that features a tasting area where meads and ciders are on tap, and served in bottles, growlers and glasses.
First, the Milton meadery (28615 Lewes-Georgetown Highway) is churning out Wolf Peach—a honeyed beverage made with locally grown tomatoes and lemons, with a citrusy result, coming in at 11-14 percent ABV.
Why green tomatoes? Founder Jon Talkington says that tomato is an old-country wine maker’s favorite ingredient. “So I thought, ‘Why not make it a mead?’”
With 25 years of mead-making experience, Talkington and business partner Robert Walker, Jr., took the plunge.
The mead’s name derives from Germanic folklore. According to Talkington, the common German word for “tomato” translates to “wolf peach.” Folk tales indicate that witches used the wolf peach to produce and summon werewolves.
Second up is Blackberry Chai, made with local Georgetown blackberries and spicy chai tea. Sweet, fruity and spicy notes make up the mead, which also ranges from 11-14 percent ABV.
Both meads are available at the Milton tasting room (Fridays and Saturdays 12-7 p.m., Sundays 12-4 p.m.) as well as the online store brimminghornmeadery.com. The meads are limited to 12 cases each, and are on a limited tasting basis at the meadery for $3 per one-ounce pour.
In addition to the hall-style tasting area, other Scandinavian influences permeate the business, including the name— Brimming Horn. A horn, overflowing with mead, traditionally would be passed among friends and kin to toast and bring people together, and Talkington and Walker aim to recreate that for their guests
