Mead, cider and bites unite at Bellingham’s Honey Moon
Nestled in a discreet back alley in downtown Bellingham, Wash., Honey Moon is brewing up mead and cider that will blow your taste buds away.
Honey Moon, owned and operated by wife and husband team Anna and Murphy Evans, is a “basement hobby run amuck” business for the couple. After homebrewing mead for years, Murphy needed a place to expand his production and ended up in a funky building that had previously warehoused glass products. When city zoning laws would not allow them to just produce alcoholic beverages in the space, the Evans’ opened up Honey Moon as a part urban winery, part tasting room, complete with eats.
This “back alley speakeasy” has a relaxed, comfortable atmosphere. Copper tabletops, a recycled church pew and live music in the evenings pair just right with a full glass of mead. White Christmas lights adorn the edges of the room, drawing attention to colorful Northwest art on the walls and setting a romantic mood.
Mead is one of the oldest fermented beverages recorded, and is sometimes referred to as the food and drink of the gods. Although its recipe is old, the mead at Honey Moon creates a fresh response and only uses ingredients from the Northwest. Made simply from honey, water and yeast to begin with, mead can take many flavor forms when spices, berries or citrus are added.
Try Honey Moon’s original Lover’s Mead—a basic warm, floral honey wine—or get a taste of the North Cascade berries in the snappy Raspberry Mead. Anna told me that my current favorite, the Rhubarb, sometimes even uses rhubarb straight from the Evans’ backyard.
Honey Moon also brews up a dry cider from Bellingham apples. Dubbed “CiderHead,” this cider is loved in the tasting room, and can be mixed with any of the mead. What should you order? Just ask for a cyser, and you can control the mead to cider ratio for your own specific taste. This “Make Your Own” option is popular with the regulars at Honey Moon, so don’t be shy when sitting at the bar.
Though Honey Moon does not have a full kitchen, they have several delectable items on the food menu. Soups, sandwiches, versatile artisan cheese plates and salads are available, and a rich, baked mac n’ cheese arrives in a dish that is hard to keep away from the fork. If you’re looking for more of a tasting night, “little bites” and desserts are also available like the sumptuous cheesecake with blackberry mead glaze.
Several Honey Moon meads are bottled on site and sold at other locations (including the Seattle area), as well as their CiderHead and soon to be cysers.
A friendly staff is around every Monday through Saturday night 5–11pm, serving up any and all mixtures of mead, ciders, wine and more to customers. And don’t forget your family, Honey Moon is open to all ages, and has refreshment options for the youngins. Who knows, you might even run into Murphy and Anna!
Honey Moon || 1053 N State Street Alley, Bellingham, WA || 360-734-0728 || honeymoonmeads.com
Follow on Facebook: Honey Moon LLC
Track on Twitter: @HoneyMoonBham
