11-5-19 Mike Faul – Rabbits Foot Mead – peak honey, Irish mead and meadery IT

11-5-19 9PM EST Tonight we're talking with Mike Faul, owner of Rabbit's Foot Meadery in Sunnyvale, CA about several things. Mike has been in the mead industry for over 20 years, and has been a mead maker for much longer, having been involved in mead since the beginning of the resurgence of mead in the US. Mike is not just owner of one of the largest meaderies in the country, he's also an IT and automation geek, a student of honey in America, and an all-around pretty smart guy. And he's been active as an SCA and Ren Faire person, as well as getting into other interesting activities. Tonight we're going to talk about many things. One, an issue central to the US (and indeed, the world) mead industry is peak honey. With the making of mead, by both home and professional meadmakers, the demand for honey is ever increasing. When will we hit the wall on the honey supply, since beekeeping isn't increasing at the rate that use of honey is growing? We're also going to see what Mike's been up to in Ireland. One might think that mead is all over in Ireland, but this isn't so! There is, in fact, not all that much honey native to the Emerald Isle, and that has kept mead from returning to Ireland. However, Mike has managed to make a native Irish mead, with Irish honey, We're going to hear more about that, and why he decided to open a meadery there. And, Mike, being an IT and automation geek, has been hard at work making his Rabbit's Foot Meadery as efficient as he can, so that he spends less time on the onerous parts of meakmaking and can devote more time to the creative aspects, and keeping up with what is going on with mead in the world. And spend more time with his family, while ensuring his meadery continues to grow and provide excellent mead to mead lovers. Join us on the live chat and don't be afraid to call in if you want to! This player will show the most recent show, and when we're live, will play the live feed. If you are calling in, please turn off the player sound, so we don't get feedback. Click here to see a playable list of all our episodes! If you want to ask your mead making questions, you can call us at 803-443-MEAD (6323) or send us a question via email, or via Twitter @GotmeadNow and we'll tackle it online! 9PM EDT/6PM PDT Join us on live chat during the show Bring your questions and your mead, and let's talk mead! You can call us at 803-443-MEAD (6323), or Skype us at meadwench (please friend me first and say you're a listener, I get tons of Skype spam), or tweet to @gotmeadnow. Show links and notes Wine Folly Master Guide Scott Labs 2019 Yeast Book Scott Labs searchable yeast selection Sure lie and Bâtonnage (lees contact and stirring) Sur Lie additive SO2 Management SO2 Management Protocols Acuvin Quick SO2 test Evoak - Oak Solutions Black Swan Barrels (exotic woods) Ethiopian Spice Market (for gesho) Let There Be Melomels by Rob Ratliff The Big Book of Mead Recipes by Rob Ratliff Are You Afraid of the Rum: And Other Cocktails for 90's Kids by Sam Slaughter Upcoming Guests 11-12 and 11-19 in Poland 11 - 26 Amy Olsen and Annie Zipser - Michigan Mead Alliance and making great mead Upcoming Events Nov 7 - Big Lost Mead, Ankeny, IA - Mead Tasting event Nov 7 - Bos Meadery, Madison, WI - Mead to Laugh: November Edition Nov 9 - Victorian Mead Makers Meet Up at Firkin Cellars in Morwell Nov 10 - Rabbit's Foot Meadery, Sunnyvale, CA - 10th Annual Chili Cookoff Nov 16 - Heidrun Meadery, Point Reyes Station, CA - Women Who Explore Hike and Meadery Tasting Nov 22 - Schramm's Mead, Ferndale, MI - Sushi Dinner Party Nov 22 - Helderberg Meadworks, Cobleskill, NY - Wine and food Pairing Dinner Nov 27 - Brothers Drake Meadery - Jazz Wednesday with Ryan Folger Dec 6 - Tugwell Creek Honey Farm - Pinot Girls Series: Honey and Mead Dec 7 - Schramm's Mead, Ferndale, MI - Holiday Gala