“Mead is the oldest drink known to man, the very nectar of the Gods,” says Paul Peterson, Owner of Black Dragon Meadery in New Buffalo. The tasting room, located at 910 W. Buffalo Street, is cozy and inviting, accented with warm colors: deep burgundy and merlot, bright gold and, coincidently, honey yellow. A massive dragon head sits perched atop the fully stocked retail shelves, protecting the products like bejeweled treasure.
With bright smiles, Paul and Brenda greet everyone with enthusiasm and excitement, elated to have the opportunity to share libations with new customers. Mead is typically referred to as ‘honey wine’, and though it is sometimes made with hops, it is neither beer nor wine. The process of fermenting honey and water with additional ingredients like fruit, spices, and grains, delivers the most refreshing, sippable, gulpable, beverage.
While spending three years in Germany with Special Forces during the Cold War, Paul fell so in love with a certain black beer that upon his return to the states, it had him brewing and steeping in his attempt to recreate it. Through trial and error, Dragon’s Breath was born: a nearly-perfect replica that he introduced into the Renaissance Faire circuit, gaining many followers thirsty for his next creation. Naturally, this opened a door into the world of mead, where he began fashioning recipes based on the opinions of tasters from Ren Faires. His mead hit the shelves in 2015, and his logo and brand were created from Dragon’s Breath to draw in the patrons he acquired while pedaling brews across the region.
Since opening his first retail space in New Buffalo, Black Dragon Meadery has been diligently working to bring people into the new tasting room. Paul has a huge following in Indiana and the Chicago area already, and it will not be hard for him to win over the taste buds of we Michiganders. On June 18th, the Viking Warrior Festival in Marshall will debut his new mead ‘Immortality’, which he created specifically for author Treasa Kloth’s ‘The Harrow Vikings’ book series. The mead created for her book titled ‘Desolation’ is a cranberry orange mead, and is currently ranked #1 on untapped.com. ‘Immortality’ will be a plum vanilla mead.
(artwork by Nate Baranowski)
The Magnum Mead Ale is semi-dry, made with clover honey and magnum hops, and it is sweet, refreshing, and luscious. The Blackberry Cyser I sampled is well-aged, semi-sweet, and made with apple cider from Coloma. It is a little fruity, a little floral, and offers the perfect amount of sweetness. All fermentation is done on site, and Paul uses local ingredients whenever possible: blueberries from Sawyer, honey from Eau Claire, and he frequents Coloma Frozen Foods often.
“I’m open to the possibility of a franchisee for the future,” Paul says. “Then we could truly expand into the Michigan market.” Michigan retailers that are interested in selling Black Dragon Meadery products can contact Eagle Eye Brands, a distributor based in Michigan that is quickly expanding internationally.
Black Dragon Meadery is open Thursday through Monday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m, with the option of hosting groups and parties– just call in advance. “Themed parties are always on the table, too,” says Paul, “We’ll dress like pirates!”
For a detailed list of all of the meads and their ingredients, where to buy, and which local restaurants serve it, visit blackdragonmeadery.com. Congratulations and welcome!
By Jocelyne Tuszynski, MOTM Contributor
