It’s not quite mead; it’s not quite beer. By Avneet Takhar Located on the North Shore and having opened recently in May 2022, Braggot Brewery holds an impressive title as “the oldest alcoholic beverage in the world”! Creating a unique blend that’s not quite mead, but not quite beer it’s not like anything you’ve ever tasted before. This primeval liquid refreshment dates back to the 12th century and used to be enjoyed by the Vikings and Celtics! The word “Braggot” is where the Norse (Viking language) verb “Brugga” comes from. Brugga means “to brew”, indicating that even for them it was the original brewed beverage. It’s a staple drink for a Sunday meal with the Welsh even to this day and is deemed a snug-like drink for cold nights. As fall is upon us, that couldn’t be more welcoming! At the brewery, they make up the braggot with fermented organic…
By Kristi Alexandra With sprawling greenery, idyllic farmland, and wild brambles flourishing in the sub-rural town of Langley, it’s no wonder it’s is home to so many winery vineyards — and a couple breweries, too. Spring is in the air to thaw the frost of winter, and with that comes new berries, new grapes, and new spirits. Enter a new season of sipping. From mead to wine to beer, here’s where you can find fresh new bottles to imbibe in Langley. Festina Lente Estate Winery 21113 16th Avenue From King Arthur’s court to Game of Thrones, the ancient art of mead has always been a tasty one. Festina Lente Estate Winery brings traditional honey wine to the present day with their “modern, sophisticated twist.” This year, they’re introducing two new wines whose names harken back (perhaps) to when mead was a dinnertime staple. Venus Melomel is aptly named after the…
Images by Michele Mateus Words by Alexis Baran Seven years ago, Teresa Townsley and her husband Bill bought a 5-acre hobby farm in Langley, and got to work on delighting the palettes of wine lovers in BC and any visitor lucky enough to find them. From an unfenced grown-over lot next door to Campbell Valley Regional Park, the two of them have cultivated the land to mind horses; chickens; and best of all (for the rest of us), colonies of honey bees, which happen to help make some of the region’s most delicious varieties of mead. Festina Lente’s specialty is mead, or honey wine. Although it’s made by fermenting honey, the end result is not necessarily sweet. Varieties are smooth and crisp, some with herbal and fruit infusions. The unique coffee-infused mead, “Zephyr” and the lavender-infused “Flora” are absolute must-try flavours. Far from novelty, these meads are as sophisticated as…
Local beekeepers are doing vital work to keep bees thriving and pollinating across Canada’s West Coast while producing varieties of pure honey that goes into recipes, meads, and honey wines. Featured in this video: Campbells Gold Honey Farm and Meadery, Fraser Valley Cider Company