A visually undocumented good time was had by all.
Mead, cider, and kombucha - who could ask for anything more? (Well, we did squeeze a beer in there, too.) The incredible trio of craft beverage producers on this tour may have a varied tap list, but all three reside in the same fabulous city: Ferndale! And Michigan Brew Tours was on the scene!
Our big, boisterous, beverage-savvy group gathered at Urbanrest for charcuterie and three varieties of delicious kombucha to start the tour. Our host, Jenna, was attentive, well-schooled (shout out to Schoolcraft College BDT!), and totally cool as she showed us how the goods are made 'round back. We even got to see the SCOBY, which was a lot more of a sc-fi monster in my memory than in actuality, which, frankly, was kind of a bummer.
Next stop was the always-stellar Schramm's Meadery and the always-enthralling Shawn, who provided the group with samples of some truly delicious mead, along with a variety of honey samples to help us get a understanding of the impact that raw ingredients can have on the final product. The mead must have been good because quite a few bottles were purchased for future consumption by the tour guests. Nice.
Ferndale continued to just knock it out of the park with our third and final stop, B. Nektar Meadery. Miranda and Matt were knowledgeable and congenial hosts as they guided us on the grand tour of the production facility. From the towering fermenters and stacks of repurposed barrels, to the legendary half-pipe, we saw it all. They then served up a selection of delectable mead, cider, and melomel, before knocking us out with some sweet, sweet B. Nektar swag. Nobody doesn't like swag. Am I right?
All in all, a great tour group and a great trio of tour stops. Can't wait to do this one again!