Silver Hand Meadery — Attraction in Williamsburg

As a small craft wine business, Silver Hand Meadery has discovered a unique blend of taste, education, and ancient joy. The honey and mead experience provides a relaxed atmosphere, especially in this covid-19 era, where one can sample the complex yet delicate flavors produced by the wonderful partnership of flower, bee, and environment. You will enjoy honey tastes that appear designed for this very moment. Some tastes will be familiar and others will be more exotic. And this is all part of the fun because what you find in the honey will come out in the mead. Since meaderies are put in the winery category for taxation and regulation, it is no wonder that SHM uses this to its advantage. The bottles, the labels, the tastings, and the pairing suggestions point more toward a traditional winery rather than brewery.

The beauty that SHM exemplifies, however, is in their product that spans much of the mead spectrum and even includes samples flowing into craft beer. Try the 'Tis The Saison for a true version bridging both industries. They have other wonders on tap, but you may miss out since they are specialties available for a limited time. Every sample I tried was excellent, though I enjoyed the dryer varieties most. One type, a cyser, may surprise you because it has super powers that change its character depending upon it's temperature.

The staff were friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful. The seating area was clean and clearly the staff take pride in the business especially during these...

11/12/2023: Over time of doing these reviews I've set some new standards and this place no longer rates 5 stars. On the one hand they do continue to expand their offerings with 25+ varieties available so you're certain to find.someyhing.you like. Of course they only do flights of 4 so actually getting something you really like may be kinda iffy. Also while they do have a good indoor, and a small outdoor seating area, this is not a place to hang out for long due to the lack of a kitchen or any kind of food truck. So essentially you'll come do a Meade flight or glass, and maybe a honey tasting which is unique to them, and then you'll be moving along to the next place.

First Meadery we had ever gone to. I don't have a lot of places to compare it to but this one was very good they're running small batches so it does change. Also never went to a place before where I tasted different types of honey.

Have to update this based on our last visit and I must admit they've really improved overall. They now control the entire building and have expanded to additional Meade flavors and overall the honey tasting has approved. So well worth it if you're in the Williamsburg area and...

Mead—essentially a wine made from honey—can be as simple as a one-dimensional alcoholic beverage with the flavor and sweetness of honey. But with the touch of a master's hand, mead can be transformed.

And so it is at Silver Hand Meadery. There, mead is transformed into a dizzying variety of flavors. I particularly enjoyed a glass of a mead that included floral notes, hints of dark chocolate, and a slightly spicy finish from a touch of chili peppers. Other offerings include more herbal notes such as rosemary, or the spice of cinnamon.

Not sure where to start? The friendly staff at Silver Hand Meadery will help you find the right mead for you by assisting you in constructing a flight of different meads for you to try.

What if mead just isn't your thing? Fear not—they also sell a wide variety of different honeys for your morning tea cup, fragrant soaps, t-shirts, and books about bees, honey, and the making of mead.

Oh, and before leaving be sure to visit their exhibition bee hive, and thank the little buzzers for their sweet gifts...