087: Cyser or Cyzer? Kombucha & Mead - Oh My!

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Three guys and an endless supply of credit cards helped build what is today called Artisan Beverage Cooperative (ARTBEV) in Greenfield, Massachusetts. General Manager and co founder Garth Shandyfelt provides an overview on how ARTBEV grew plus;

• working in a cooperative
• getting capital to expand via a direct public offer of stock
• what is mead
• what is cyser
• creating a sustainable model for growth

Started in 2010 making mead, ARTBEV's multi tiered business now produces a range of products to keep stock rolling out the door. Mead and Cyser, for instance, can take upwards to a year or longer to condition, whereas the Ginger Libation made by ARTBEV can be made in two weeks, much like beer.

What is Mead?

Fermented Water, Honey and Yeast or what Garth calls wine made with honey.

"It is a mead if you have more than 50% of your fermentable made with honey."

A Braggot is a beer made with honey and cider

What is Cyser or Cyzer (as ARTBEV calls it - go to 1 hour in on the podcast and find out why)

A cider made with some amount of cider during initial fermentation.

Some cider has honey added for sweetening, but may not be considered a cyser.

How much honey does ARTBEV use yearly?

• Upwards to 6000 pounds of honey all delivered via 5 gallon buckets

How much honey do you need to make a 5-gallon batch of mead?

You will need upwards to 12-15 pounds of honey for a 5 gallon batch.

Garth was inspired by Dan Conlon is a key figure in New England working with bees at Warm Colors Apiary.

Books mentioned by Garth in this chat

The Complete Mead Maker by Ken Schramm

2. Sacred and Herbal Healing Beers: The Secrets of Ancient Fermentation, by Stephen Harrod Buhner

Contact Artisan Beverage Cooperative

website: http://artbev.coop/

telephone: 413- 773-9700

email: info@artbev.coop

Address:

324 Wells Street

Greenfield, MA

In the same building as Franklin County Community Development Corp.

Tasting Room hours

Friday 4-7pm

Saturday 2-6pm

Ask for the following 7 #CiderGoingUP Campaign cider supporters - By supporting these cider makers, you in turn help Ciderville.

1. Kurant Cider - Pennsylvania : listen to Joe Getz on episode 14
2. Big Apple Hard Cider - NYC : listen to Danielle von Scheiner on episode 35
   
3. Oliver's Cider and Perry - Herefordshire/UK ; listen to Tom Oliver on episode 29
4. Santa Cruz Cider Company - California : listen to Nicole Todd on episode 60
5. The Cider Project aka EthicCider- California
6. Albermale CiderWorks : listen to Chuck Shelton on episode 56
7. Cider Summit : listen to Alan Shapiro founder of this cider fest on episode 75.

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