Mead café takes local drinks in a new direction

MIDDLEBURY — Self-described fantasy geek Alexandre Apfel first encountered the word “mead” while reading “Beowulf.” Little did he know he would wind up opening the first mead café in Middlebury in April of 2020.Golden Rule Mead, based in Apfel’s house on Elm Street, is set up with a furnished tasting room, a bar with mead on tap and a cellar where the fermented honey drink is brewed, in addition to Apfel’s personal living quarters.But everything has not gone to plan.When Apfel quit his job brewing beer at F … (read more)

MIDDLEBURY — Alex Apfel wants to add a new flavor to Addison County’s growing assortment of adult beverages that includes beer, wine, whiskey and hard cider. Mead — also known as “honey wine.” Apfel recently earned permission from the town of Middlebury t … (read more)