The four-year-old Ross’ presence was immediately made obvious when I knocked on the Beach Bee’s tasting room door. He’s a big burly beast with a great smile and unmatched fluff. All day long, it’s Ross who barks, wags, sniffs, but mostly lays around while the Meadery’s customers sip barreled mead and enjoy small-batch cider
Jack Blodgett, the co-owner of Beach Bee along with his father Curtis, assured me I had nothing to worry about. Seconds later, Ross rubbed his snout on my side, and laid down as soon as he was sure I was getting a combination flight of mead and cider.
The Blodgetts purchased their 1800s-era building on Long Branch Avenue about five years ago and began renovating. After more than a year, the Beach Bee Meadery opened – serving its own version of the honey wine which takes on many different flavors from Key Lime Pie or Pineapple-Coconut to Hibiscus and Cinnamon.
Today, Beach Bee invites Long Branch locals and visitors to try mead made from fermented honey, as well as hard cider made from apple-mash in a dog-friendly indoor/outdoor space. Making mead in an old Long Branch building is in stark contrast with new “luxury apartment” construction directly behind the Beach Bee.
“Mead is the oldest alcohol there is,” said 28-year-old Blodgett. “Before wine and before beer, there was fermented honey wine. There’s a lot of speculation about how old mead is. But the cool thing is it’s 51% fermented honey and you can add whatever fruits and spices you want to make it unique.”
While Jack and I were chatting, one of the staffers, Lauren, poured a flight–two ciders (5% ABV) and two samples of mead (14% ABV). At the same time, Curtis was in the brewing chamber mixing up something new. In front of me were two selections of each product on offer: Pirate Daze mead, African Wildflower mead, Blue Pomegranate cider, and Earl Grey Lemon cider.
Standouts included the AFW (sweet but smokey) and the Blue Pom (great color, on the dry side, with just enough sweetness). On any given week, Beach Bee customers can bring or order food to the Meadery to enjoy the products along with live music, and community events.
“We’re doing more pop-up events like sip and paint, we have a knitting group come here, as well as a book club twice a month,” explained Blodgett.
Curtis Blodgett got his start brewing beer back in the 80s, “before it was cool,” said his son.
The Blodgetts – looking to differentiate themselves from the many NJ breweries and distilleries – got into mead out of interest and in order to express creative freedom within the local-brand alcohol production business.
The Beach Bee provides a relaxed, interesting, and educational experience for customers. The Blodgetts and their employees are super-friendly, they keep active on their website and social media, and of course, whether online or in-person–customers and followers are sure to see happy-go-lucky Ross the Golden Retriever when buying products online, and when shopping or sipping at the Meadery.
"There’s a lot of speculation about how old mead is. But the cool thing is it’s 51% fermented honey and you can add whatever fruits and spices you want to make it unique."