We discovered Hierophant Meadery at Pike Market, where we were encouraged to visit for their Summer…read moreSolstice event in Freeland, since we mentioned we were headed to Whidbey already that weekend. The meadery is a quirky, welcoming, family-friendly spot and for this event they featured live music, cosplay (sword fighting in full armor) and fire dancing, along with food vendors. They have picnic grounds, a great taproom, and plenty of mead flavors. Bring your own food, because they don't serve food, only drink here, typically. Or visit during a special event, when they'll have outside vendors as guests and food available. For Summer Solstice they had Whidbey Pies (known for strawberry rhubarb, marrionberry and cherry pies) and a local wood-fired pizza maker. A hierophant is a guide to sacred mysteries, which feels like the perfect name for a spot prepared to introduce you to the mysteries of mead. We recommend checking out their online calendar, to catch an event here.

Super fun spot! We…read morecame here around 3 on a Thursday so there was no one else. Lots of parking! This place is very cute! Lots of sunny and shaded outdoor seating with some on a patio and some out on the lawn with picnic tables, or inside the building. This is only the second meadery I've been to, and I feel like their flavors are much lighter, without any that I tried leaning towards the sweet dessert style mead. They have flat and bubbly options, as well as some really cool flavors. They have preset flights but on certain days you can create your own, so that's what I did! I personally really liked the spiced apple, PNW chai, and the hopped meadjito was my favorite! They don't make food but they do have a fridge with some items to make mini charcuterie boards! I found out that they sell their products at pcc's and metropolitan markets so I'm excited to grab some more from there!

After reading all of the great reviews, I stopped in this afternoon to try a flight of Mead. I am…read morenot much of a drinker but I have been told that I would love Mead because it is so sweet. The few times I have tried it, I enjoyed it, so I wanted to explore that. When you arrive, you will see a sign directing you to the rear of the building. There is plenty of parking. The meadery is well decorated and welcoming. They have large tables and small ones and a more cozy couch type seating area with a fireplace. They had lots of table games on offer and signs for D&D (another thing I know nothing about but my son loves). I really enjoyed the music they were playing and the ambiance was lovely. The flight is $12 before tip end you get six different needs to taste. Currently they are: Traditional, Cherry, Blackberry, Blueberry, Bearskal and Dragon's Blood. I enjoyed the traditional mead but it was much less sweet than any I had tried before, which makes sense as it was listed at a sweetness of 3 out of 10. The other samples were earthy and tart and tasted like fruit wines I have tried but again much less sweet.The highest sweetness on the flight was 6/10 but that seemed high to me based on what I experienced. I actually found the 3/10 original to be sweeter than any of the others. I am sure, especially based on the reviews here, that to alcohol connoisseurs they are delicious, but as I said, I have a novice palate and they were just not for me. When I returned the flight and went to pay, the young lady working asked me if I liked them and I answered honestly. She explained to me based on what I was saying that I would enjoy much sweeter, more honey based meads and gave me a taste of a peach mead they were almost out of. I quite liked it. She also said it sounded like I would prefer meads on tap as opposed to bottled and now I have a much better idea of what to look for in the future. I had a nice time here and appreciate the opportunity to experience the different meads and learn in a friendly environment. I would gladly come back again, especially when they have some sweeter meads on tap :)

My sister and her husband went with me to check out this meadery. We were the first person coming…read morein and the owner greeted us with a friendly smile and was extremely helpful. He suggested one or two of the meads that we would like and got a couple of glasses to drink while chatting. The place is so spacious but a little on the cold side. I'm sure when there are more people it warms up quite a bit since it's a warehouse like location. They have games you can play with your group and since they do not really sell food besides a few bags of chips you can bring your own food to eat as long as you clean up after yourselves. Also the place is dog friendly as well.

Just as good as I remember it. Missed the event a few weeks ago and had a chance to stop in. Super…read morefriendly staff. Lots of great choices. Mix and match is the way to go. Strawberry is amazing as well as Lavender. Will be back for sure!

OMG the meads are great! From dry to sweet to fruity to spiced. Had a 5-taste flight. Glenda took…read morecare of me and was a good conversationalist. I ended up picking up a variety of 4 bottles. Yum! I prefer a sweeter drink, so the Sweet was perfect. I also got their Strawberry Mead and the Solas. The Solas was the highest alcohol yet was the sweetest. It had hints of vanilla or marshmallow and whiskey barrel. I'll finish with another OMG it is so delicious! Thanks Glanda!

Super fun, kind of hidden, cute spot!…read more I've always seen the sign but never came in until this past week with a few friends! This was my first time trying mead and I really liked a lot of them! The bubbly ones on tap were lighter and really yummy! I definitely like sweeter drinks, so the dessert ones (black magic and isilu shadow) were high on my list. They had lots of flavors with most of them being fruity. There are a few options for flights, and the choice to try every single flavor! The actual indoor area was pretty small, with only enough room for the bar, one table for 6 and a little bar top seat, and the bathroom. Because of the size, the bathroom is literally 2 feet away from the table and is inside a sliding door that does not fully seal shut. It was decently loud inside with the music playing but definitely not the place to go if you need privacy in the bathroom. They had another couple tables (2/3?) outside but it's tucked in a narrow alley so it was pretty tight out there as well. There is a stack of games to play inside and it has great decor! Overall, the drinks, vibes, and service were great! We had 7 people and completely filled the inside of the shop, so I would recommend a smaller group. The shop is down a narrow set of stairs between 2 building and another few stairs from the door down to the bar. I'm not sure if there is another entrance, so I believe this would be inaccessible for someone who was unable to use stairs. 4/5! Would definitely come here again and recommend to someone who wants to try something new! Very hidden spot type place!

This is such a unique gem of a place!! Loved the colorful atmosphere and great vibes. It is quite…read morecozy but I enjoyed the coziness. It was our first time trying mead so we went for the flight of 6. We tried a mix of the different types of mead and loved most of them! One tasted like whiskey, bit my cup of tea, but I really liked the sweeter ones! Would love to come back!

Great new meadery (at least it's new to me) in Bellingham! Artivem is located in the Granary…read moreBuilding near downtown Bellingham. I'm lead to believe that where the meadery is this is a fresh remodel and reconstruction to a historic building. In fact much of the area looks like it's fresh off of construction or there is some left including very scenic sidewalks and parks in the surrounding area. Definitely looking forward to seeing where this will go in a few years! The tasting room for Artivem is in a great spot in the building and you get to enjoy some of the view of the park and the nearby water. Lots of great looking mead! We got the Red Billed Firefinch. We bought a bottle of it and enjoyed it thoroughly during the Thanksgiving holiday. I did enjoy the vanilla and nutmeg features to the mead. It is sweet but not too sweet heavy. Well handled balance. Beautiful merchandise for sale here too. I got a very fetching Hoodie here with various birds on the logo. I know already this Hoodie will become a favorite! Looking forward to returning to Bellingham, this particular neighborhood and swinging by Artivem to try out more of their mead!

I love this meadery! We stumbled in a few months ago and Micah, the business manager is so cool and…read morefriendly. He gave us a few pours and we've been back (from Seattle) 5 times! My partner was an early member because we LOVE mead and I typically just come along for the ride and get free beer lol. But omg. I loved the mead so much I got a membership as well. They have really innovative and unique flavors and I love the bird branding. Carlos is an exceptional mead maker and I look forward to every thing they release!

Delicious meads!! A must visit in the area. Kind people that run it and a fun, steampunk feel.read more

Their mead is amazing! I really enjoyed their traditional (Zephyr) and one called (Royal Whimsy)…read more They were easy to talk to and very knowledgeable about their craft!

What a treat it was to visit Schilling Cider House on my recent trip to Seattle. The ambiance is…read moreinviting, the service exceptional and the cider choices are great. As a non drinker I was thrilled to try the NA Cherry Cider. It was sweet and tangy. I highly recommend this establishment.

Such a great spot! SO many cider options. The bartender was so nice, let us sample a few before…read moredeciding. It doesn't have outdoor seating which is a bummer but the indoor seating is very cool, tall tables with lots of board games. Also you can bring your own food! Such a great spot for a chill hangout. Will def be back!

This place is absolutely slept on. AMAZING MEAD, amazing owner, and the best plus is he has an…read moreadorable friendly dog. We stopped in just before closing time and did a tasting which was only $10. The meads were all the best I've ever had and the perfect balance of sweet/tart. We left with 3 bottles and Mark even waived the tasting fee. Give them a shot the next time you're in the area, you won't regret it.

This place was an amazing find. Liz (Nacho Mama) is awesome. Had some good tastings and some…read moreincredible conversation. I recommend it highly. Bought a bottle to bring home... delicious!

Having rudimentary knowledge of meads, I was intrigued to find this unique shop. While the location…read moreis right on the outskirts of the main Anacortes area, you can only access it while going northbound. It's a clean looking, well appointed space with furniture made from local wood. Once inside, you'll be warmly greeted by Mark, the owner and Vino, his Hungarian Vizsla puppy. There are so many different meads to taste and Mark happily went through the differences of each one. Ranging from sweet to dry, I was more than willing to try them all. My favorite was the Christmas in a Glass; think Chai. It was obvious that their use of premium local whole fruit and local honey, instead of fruit concentrates resulted in a much better product. I loved that they focused on using local products. Definitely will stop by whenever I'm in the area again.

My husband and I really enjoyed the tastings of the meads that they make. We picked up a bottle of…read morethe land with the chocolate and currants. We really learned a lot from owner, who seems very passionate about his craft.