Breaking News - Planet Buzz! Mead Festival
September 4, 2002 -- Festival of Mead, Cider and Perry Slated for November 8-9 in Chicago
Organizers of the Real Ale Festival today announced plans for Planet Buzz!, a celebration of mead, hard cider and perry to be held in Chicago on November 8 and 9, 2002. Mead or honey wine includes a range of still and sparkling products that sometimes include fruit, spices or malt as flavorings. For more information on mead, see Honeywine.com. Perry is hard cider made from pears.
"Modern craftspeople are increasingly making mead and cider in the US---much as their forefathers did long ago," said author and event organizer Ray Daniels. "I believe the time is right to help today’s mead and cider makers promote their products by introducing a broader segment of consumers to the diverse and interesting flavors available in fermented honey wines, hard ciders and perrys."
Daniels is modeling the new event on the successful Real Ale Festival which he has organized along with the Chicago Beer Society for the past six years. (See http://realalefestival.com.) The event will include judging of commercial meads and ciders with awards given in multiple categories. These competitions will be conducted as the International Mead Competition and International Cider Competition. Other activities will include speakers, amateur mead and cider makers’ meetings, as well as guided tastings and perhaps a "Mead Makers’ Choice" event. Details for the event will be posted on www.meadfest.com starting September 1.
Daniels says the time is right to focus more attention on these beverages. "People often ask me when cider---which is popular in the UK---will start getting more attention in the US. And in the past year or so I’ve seen increased commercial production of mead as well as heightened consumer interest. The very hip Spin magazine even ran an item on mead earlier this year."
For this first festival, Daniels hopes to attract 50 to 75 different beverages from US and international producers. "That kind of selection will make it interesting for consumers and the media and also make for a worthwhile competition among the producers," he said. On the consumer side Daniels said he will be promoting the event nationwide as he does the Real Ale Festival. "We get people from 30 different states for RAF, so I would imagine that an event like this could have a similar draw," he said.
To house the event, Daniels has contracted Chicago’s Black Orchid Showroom and Lounge---an attractive vintage facility located in the same complex as the famed Second City comedy theater. (See http://theblackorchid.com) The facility is located between the city’s Old Town and Gold Coast neighborhoods, close to downtown. "The location makes it convenient to a wide range of restaurants, hotels and entertainment venues," says Daniels. "Folks who come to Chicago for this event will certainly have a good time."
Sponsors for the festival will include honeywine.com, Redstone Meadery, and Chicago area wine distributor Vin Divino.
For details as well as travel and event information, see the web page at http://www.meadfest.com, e-mail ray@meadfest.com or call the Craft Beer Institute at 773-665-1300.
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