Dragonmead is a U.S.
microbrewery
Craft beer is a beer that has been made by craft breweries. They produce smaller amounts of beer, typically less than large breweries, and are often independently owned. Such breweries are generally perceived and marketed as having an emphasis o ...
,
meadery and
brewpub founded by Earl Scherbarth, Larry Channell, and Bill Wrobel in January 1997. The small brewery produces many varieties of beer, wine, and mead, and has received awards including gold medals at the
World Beer Cup.
History
Before opening the Dragonmead Larry Channel and Bill Wrobel worked for
Chrysler
Stellantis North America (officially FCA US and formerly Chrysler ()) is one of the " Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is the American subsidiary of the multinational automoti ...
while Earl Scherbarth worked at
Ford. Their first interest in brewing came from a home brew kit bought for Scherbarth's birthday.
They decided to try different methods and ingredients to create new beers. During this period the group of friends looked into starting a business in the areas of computers or printing. Wrobel proposed that they start a brewery after they became familiar with the process of brewing. A year later the partners opened Dragonmead in May 1998. The company still sells to the home-brew community.
In 1998, the ''
Bay City Times
''The Bay City Times'' is a newspaper published in Bay City, Michigan, United States, published Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays, with a Tuesday edition jointly published with ''The Saginaw News''. The paper is published by Booth Newspapers, owned ...
'' wrote:
: "Word about Dragonmead's magic is spreading, though they only make 18 barrels weekly and won't reach full capacity at their hospital-clean factory until spring 1999. Detroit celebrity chef Jimmy Schmidt stocks Dragonmead at various high-end restaurants."
Johnny Klein, owner of Steamers Pub, on Bay City's West Side, and Steamers Pub South, in Saginaw, praised the brewery and its product.
In 2015, the brewery surpassed its "
nanobrewery" character, upgrading to an 11,000 square foot facility, with a 1,000 square foot taproom,
and re-purposing old equipment. It used a three-barrel system to produce 2,500
barrel
A barrel or cask is a hollow cylindrical container with a bulging center, longer than it is wide. They are traditionally made of wooden staves and bound by wooden or metal hoops. The word vat is often used for large containers for liquids, ...
s per year. The brewery purchased and installed a computer-automated Braumat software driven unit. According to Channell, the increased capacity will enable the pub to increase the number of "taps from 52 to 103 or more, and have at least one of each Beer Judge Certification Program-accepted style and sub-style available".
The brewers intend to extend their distribution. More seasonal brews are expected with the expansion.
Beers
Dragonmead uses at least 57 types of grain for brewing, and sometimes as many as 75 from seven countries in a year.
Yeast strains the company stocks fifteen are used only once for brewing.
The brewery's most popular product is named Final Absolution Trippel, a bottled ale.
in December 2014 the brewing system was expanded to allow the production of an increased range of beers.
This brewery has formulated beer recipes for 26 varieties.
These include multiple formulations of
American style ales,
English ales,
German-style ales, a
German lager,
Belgian ale
Beer in Belgium includes pale ales, lambics, Flemish red ales, sour brown ales, strong ales and stouts. In 2018, there were 304 active breweries in Belgium, including international companies, such as AB InBev, and traditional breweries inclu ...
s,
Scottish ale
Beer in Scotland is mostly produced by breweries in the central Scottish Lowlands, Lowlands, which also contain the main centres of population. Edinburgh and Alloa in particular became noted for the export of beer around the world in the 19th ...
s, and a
Russian Imperial Stout.
Other regionally distributed beers include "Under the Kilt Wee Heavy" (7.8% ABV Scottish style strong ale), and Sin Eater .
[ The "Big 5" are their most popular beers, available as four-bottle packs in stores On tap the pub features a wide range of beers, including seasonal varieties.]
Facilities
As the Chicago Tribune noted and photographed, the bar features a plethora of unconventional beer tap handles, ''i.e.'', just a portion of the 75 handles were photographed, "plus the stained-glass windows in the mirror's reflection. Belgian abbey, medieval watering hole, or Dungeon's & Dragons haunt: you decide."
Awards
The brewery won a 2006 Gold Medal in the World Beer Cup popularly and unofficially called "The Olympics of Beer" for their Belgian Triple ''Final Absolution'',[ with a rating of 94 at ]RateBeer
Beer rating is assessing and evaluating beer using a point system. The process is similar to that used in beer judging competitions, such as those organised by the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) in America, though the participants are cons ...
. That beer is memorialized in a beer tap handle.
Other products
The brewery also produces mead
Mead () is an alcoholic beverage made by fermenting honey mixed with water, and sometimes with added ingredients such as fruits, spices, grains, or hops. The alcoholic content ranges from about 3.5% ABV to more than 20%. The defining character ...
.
Related joint venture and trade organizations
Dragonmead entered into a joint venture with another Warren, Michigan microbrewery, Kuhnhenn Brewing Company
The Kuhnhenn Brewing Company is a small microbrewery, winery and meadery in Warren, Michigan, United States. They have several beers rated in the top 100 in the world on beeradvocate.com and ratebeer.com. The business was established in 1998, but d ...
. The agreement entailed production of "Dark Heathen", an "extremely high gravity Doopelbock-hybrid style of beer". This 12.5% ABV beverage would take 6 months of lagering before being packaged.
Dragonmead is a member of the Michigan Brewers Guild and the national Brewer's Association. Their individual brewers are members of the Master Brewers’ Association of the Americas Detroit chapter.
See also
* List of microbreweries
Notes
References
External links
*
*{{cite web , url=http://www.brewbubbas.com/site/Michigan_Beer_Scene/Entries/2013/2/15_Michigan_Beer_Scene__Episode_27_-_Dragonmead.html
, work=Michigan Beer Scene , title=Episode 27, Dragonmead (MP3) , quote="How did they upset the Belgian's at the World Beer Cup?" , publisher=Brew Bubbas Radio , access-date=February 22, 2015
Beer brewing companies based in Michigan
Companies based in Macomb County, Michigan
Companies established in 1998
Tourist attractions in Macomb County, Michigan
Warren, Michigan