Zoning board news article

Mead Winery Gets Zoning Board OK for Home Garage, by April Guilmet, Londonderry Times

Shipping Address

Moonlight Meadery LLC
4 Sheridan Drive
Londonderry, NH, 03053
attn: Michael Fairbrother

603-234-9582

Note the winery is not open for public tours, or any one site sales.

Equipment starting to arrive...

Why

Back in the mid 90's I started homebrewing, I thought beer was it, and while beer is still an incredible passion, I found something else that sparks such a deeper passion that I had to find a way to share it with you.

Honey is a very complex ingredient and it takes on an tons of characteristics from the flowers which the bees visit. Several years ago I conducted an experiment where I fermented approximately 20 or so meads all from single source varietal honey. This is honey where the primary flowers the bees visit is from one plant type. This research taught me quite a bit about what works and what doesn't work when using just honey. This past year I conducted several more research projects where I used the same base mead, and used different types of spices.

I have been sharing my mead with friends for quite some time, and they all love it and always ask for more. So it's with pleasure and pride that I try to find the way to bring such a unique and wonderful beverage to the market place.

I have won Mead Maker of The Year for the last 3 years at the New England Regional Homebrew Competition, and I have won medals at several other prestigious mead only competitions, including the Mead Free or Die competition, which I started in 2009.

I find mead to be something that is unique, something that when shared with friends, love ones, makes for memorable times. I am blessed by those who love me and support me in my endeavors, and my dream is to bring you the absolute best.

May all your dreams be as sweet and wonderful as my mead.

Michael

Sample Pre-Production Labels

Let the journey begin

So where to begin... I think the biggest kick in the pants to get my meadery finally off the ground was winning the Best of Show at the 4th Annual New England Regional Homebrew Competition, where one of my meads took top honors out of 353 entries from across the country.

Back on December 16th I went in front of the zoning board for my town to ask for a special exception to having a winery in my garage. Well thankfully the zoning board unanimously granted me this permission. Did I do the jig... well only in my mind. I was quite thrilled, someday I hope my neighbors realize that I am a man of my word, and I will not change the makeup of the neighborhood if my meadery is successful I am moving it out of my garage.

So here I am on January 13th, and I now have an EIN, a business banking account, a corporate seal on its way, and federal paperwork being worked on.

Today was a huge day, and very special thanks to White Birch Brewing, for giving me the honor to co-brew a beer with them. It's a Russian Imperial Stout, with honey added, and it may not qualify as a Braggot, but in my mind it really doesn't matter. Here's a local homebrewer gone pro, giving me a huge boost, and for that I will always be thankful! It speaks volumes about the brewing community, we are bothers and sisters and help each other out, even when help isn't asked for.

The world needs to be ready... for the secret that's been kept from them for long enough, is going to be unleashed. Mead is the first fermented beverage, it's made from honey and water... and it was saved for royalty and those in power.

It doesn't need to be sweet, but can be.

Many of the terms that we use today, Honey Moon for example is based on the tradition of giving mead to a newly married couple for the first moon of their marriage.

So today marks my journey into professional beverage production... soon and I hope before the year is up, that you will be able to find and enjoy some Moonlight Meadery mead on a dark night with your "honey".

I am working hard to bring my passion for this beverage to you, and I look forward to offering you something like you have never had before! Production is going to be very limited, just 400 gallons per year. So it's going to be hard to find, but anything of great value often is.

Michael Fairbrother
President/Owner/Wine Maker
Moonlight Meadery LLC