If you didn’t make it to Locapour last Thursday, you missed out on the opportunity to taste Maryland’s best selection of locally produced ciders and meads. Most of us know what hard cider is, but there were a lot of people at Locapour there to find out about mead. Mead is the oldest recorded fermented beverage known to man, and has had many centuries to evolve from the drink of kings to the highly complex and delicious party-in-your mouth that can be found at your local wine shop.
Maryland Wineries Association teamed up with the Baltimore County Center for Maryland Agriculture to introduce Maryland to our local producers.
Vendors set up shop along a tree-line walk way, with the smell of sweet summer in the air.
The key component of a good mead is honey, and our local meaderies are using local honey harvested by beekeepers all over Maryland. Mary Gamper, CMBA Treasurer of The Central Maryland Beekeepers Association was on hand to answer questions on keeping hives. C.M.B.A. provides classes and mentoring on keeping bees and helping them thrive in Central Maryland.
Several Maryland mead and cider producers were on hand offering tastings of their amazing elixirs.
Orchid Celler Winery is located in the foothills of the Catoctin Mountains in Middletown, MD just between Frederick and Hagerstown. Winemaker Andrzej Wilk Jr. was on hand pouring his selection of premier meads.
Orchid Cellars offers a unique selection of honey-made meads, each with a distinctive blend of flavors. I enjoyed the Monk, made with rose petals, and the Hunter, a surprisingly complex mead made with hot chilis which tastes amazing paired with chocolate — and those are just a sample of their portfolio.
Great Shoals Winery was proud to showcase their hand crafted cider-style apple and pear sparkling wines, as well as an apple dessert wine for the 2011 vintage. Spencerville Red Hard Apple, Black Twig Hard Apple, and Bosc & Bartlett Hard Pear each display subtle and pleasant fruit flavors, while Great Shoals Spiced Apple contains a rich blend of apple and spice. These wines are made from locally grown fruit produced by our partners Heyser Farms and T.S. Smith and Sons. Check out Great Shoals at the 2013 Baltimore Magazine Best of Baltimore Party this August!
Millstone Cellars stunned the crowds with their baby ginger mead, Ember, which compliments their award-winning line up of tantalizing sparkling hard ciders. Rumor has it that they just pressed pressed 850 pounds of tart cherries from Baughers Farm (after fermenting on the skin, like red wine). That will be released in fall and will be called Cherrykriek. In mid-August, Millstone will release their new strawberry rhubarb cider called Rhuberry. Can’t wait!
Distillery Lane Ciderworks based out of Jefferson, MD is a historic working farm, dating back to the Civil War. They specialize in producing ciders using their rare blend of home-grown apples. Did you know that Thomas Jefferson’s favorite apple was the Newtown Pippin, originally grown in New York? DLC grows this apple and uses it to create their crisp, dry cider called The Jefferson, which is aged in American oak barrels and pairs phenomenally with smoked fish.
Linganore Winecellars was on hand with their selection of honey scented wines, including Medieval Mead (available at the MD Renaissance Festival). Made in the tradition of ancient kings, Medieval Mead recreates the honey wine of the Renaissance. TEJ is a pale-dry Ethiopian style honey wine, available only at the winery.
Locally produced BBQ Sauces & Hot Sauces, bottled by Mama Vida’s, a local company that offers complete packing, co-packing, and private label bottling for those seeking to break into, or expand their offerings in the market place.
Baltimore County Center for Maryland Agriculture hosted Locapour on their beautiful grounds, providing a beautiful scenic landscape for people to stroll.
Visitors enjoyed the large gardens with plenty of volunteers on hard to give advice on natural gardening practices, encouraging beneficial insects and keeping out the riff-raff.
The Baltimore County Center for Maryland Agriculture offers many classes throughout the year. There was a well-attended class on container gardening in session on the evening of the festival.
Chickens were brought down from the hen house, providing lots of feathered entertainment.
These two wise guys were more than willing to eat any ice cream the children were willing to give.
Miniature pony + little girl = Dreams come true.
Live (roving!) music provided by Sac Au Lait kept the mood festive.
Ice Cream churned by Priegel’s Family Creamery delighted many.
Mark your calendar for next year’s Locapour! Personally, I’ll be continuing the festival at home for the rest of the summer. Check out your local retailer for local ciders and meads and give them a try.
