Mead Brewing Class - December 3 & 10

Learn to brew mead using raw honey produced by local bees! In this two-day workshop (two Tuesdays), you will learn all about this alcoholic drink made from fermented honey AND get hands-on experience making, and tasting, this beverage. And, take home your own bottle of brew that you helped craft. No prior brewing experience is necessary to enjoy this class.

In the first class, you will help make rich batches of mead using the ancient "washed wax" method. We will discuss the history and myth of mead, the equipment you need to make it, mead-making techniques, and varieties of mead. In the second class, we will rack our brew into secondary fermenters and bottle last year's mead.

This class is taught by local beekeeper and avid mead brewer, Ry Meyer. It will cover basic brewing techniques focusing specifically on the unique properties of honey and mead. Mead tasting is part of each class, and you will be able to sample at least two varieties of mead, if 21 or older. From raw honeycomb to the corked bottle, this class is a complete overview of mead-making... and mead drinking. Cheers!

Classes are Tuesdays, December 3 & 10, 6-8pm

Instructor Bio: Ry Meyer is a native Dubuquer and graduated from Clarke University in 2003. Following college, Ry enlisted for a six-year active-duty Navy enlistment. After completing his service, Ry attended Vermont Law School before returning to Iowa to work as an attorney. Growing up in Dubuque and in his travels, Ry developed a deep appreciation for nature and a fascination with the living plants, animals, insects, and other organisms that share our world and improve our lives. He is an avid insect- and bird-watcher, and each summer hosts a colony of migratory Purple Martin songbirds in his yard. Ry has been a beekeeper and mead-maker for over 15 years, successfully maintaining his own beehives and assisting other beekeepers with their hives in places like Hawaii, Vermont, and at Convivium in Dubuque.

Convivium is a nonprofit committed to helping increase accessibility to the tools and knowledge of how to grow and prepare your own food. As part of this commitment, and in pursuit of a more wholesome and secure food experience for all, Convivium is now offering most of our classes on a sliding scale.

The sliding scale system allows for classes to be obtained at multiple price points, based on the circumstances of the participant. It allows folks who may otherwise be priced out of something to have the chance to take part in it.

When completing your registration, please self-select from the following three payment levels:

Contributor: The contributor level is a pay-what-you-can option that allows you to do just that – pay what you are able to for the class, at this time. Please note there is a $5 minimum per the Eventbrite platform. If this minimum, or paying with a credit card, is a barrier, please call us at 563.557.2900.

Supporter: The supporter level is the normal ticket price of this class. It covers all the supplies and materials needed, as well as the instructor fee.

Sustainer: The sustainer level is a buy-one, give-one model that covers the complete cost of your class plus a small donation that helps supplement the cost of a Contributor level participant. By choosing this level, you are ensuring we can continue to offer this class in a way that is accessible and affordable to all – thank you for your generosity.

A note on refunds:

Convivium Urban Farmstead has a no refund policy for all classes and workshops. If you are unable to participant in the class after you registered, your fee will be donated to our pay-what-you-can sliding scale level, which helps to ensure our classes are accessible and affordable to all.

However, if Convivium cancels or reschedules a class for any reason (weather, instructor illness, etc.), participants will be notified as early as possible by email and their registration will automatically be transferred to the date of the rescheduled class. In the case that the participant cannot make the rescheduled class date, Convivium will issue a gift card in the full amount of the class that can be used toward any future class. This gift card can be mailed to the participant or picked up at Convivium (2811 Jackson St. Dubuque, IA 52001). We appreciate your understanding and thank you for your cooperation.

Host or Publisher Convivium Urban Farmstead