Local Maryland Meadery, Orchid Cellar, Takes Home Medals at the World’s Largest Mead Competition
Frederick, MD (PRWEB) April 03, 2015 -- For the third year in a row, Frederick County’s own Orchid Cellar has won multiple medals at The Mazer Cup International Mead Competition in Broomfield, Colorado. Mead is an ancient drink made by fermenting honey with water that many believe predates all other alcoholic beverages. Recently, there has been a resurgence in the popularity of mead in the US as consumers turn to alternatives to beer and wine.
The Mazer Cup International Mead Competition draws entries from meaderies all over the world. This year, the competition judged 350 commercial entries and awarded up to three medals in each category: gold, silver, and bronze. Orchid Cellar’s “Hunter” was awarded a bronze and “Big Game Hunter” was awarded a silver in the specialty open category for sweet meads. Orchid Cellar has won multiple medals for a variety of their meads in the past few years, but this year a special subset of their products took home awards: Capsicumels.
Capsicumels, or meads made with hot peppers, have become Orchid Cellar’s most popular drink. “The combination of sweet honey and capsaicin pair surprisingly well when the balance between the two is just right” says Andrzej Wilk Jr., the meadmaker. “It’s been so well-liked by our customers that we decided to make three more that we’re releasing this summer: one with local fish peppers, one with the notorious ghost pepper, and one with the even hotter trinidad moruga scorpion pepper.”
Orchid Cellar is a small family owned meadery and winery located in the Middletown Valley just west of Frederick. The unique father-son duo operate as the winemaker and meadmaker, respectively. Utilizing their extensive knowledge of organic chemistry, they aim to recreate some of the world's oldest alcoholic recipes in their finest form. Orchid Cellar opened the doors of their first tasting room to the public in 2010. A full service tasting room is set to open this summer. For more info call 301.473.3568, email dan(at)orchidcellar(dot)com , or check out http://www.orchidcellar.com.
Dan Kennedy, Orchid Cellar Meadery and Winery, http://www.orchidcellar.com, 301.473.3568, [email protected]
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