A place to drink mead may not be your first thought when someone asks, “What is this area really missing?” But now that it’s here, The Mazer is filling a seriously unappreciated absence.
The meadery – which also serves boutique wines and champagnes, ciders, craft beer, and light fare – gets its name from a Medieval drinking vessel that generally carried the honey wine. A “mazer” is also a common name for a meadmaker, a title proudly borne by one of the bar’s owners, Ed Stansel. Ed is an award-winning home brewer and mead-maker whose recipes have been taken on commercially by a few Jacksonville craft breweries. He owns The Mazer with his wife, Beth, and Regina and Whit Heffington.
The goal of the new taproom is to open the area to more unusual libations and creative alcohol choices. “The biggest misconception is that all mead is sweet,” says Ed. “Customers who come into the Mazer often are surprised to learn that mead can be dry, semi-sweet or sweet, still or sparkling, just like fine wine, and can be made with a variety of fruits, spices and herbs. There really are no limits to what you can do with mead.” He said some of his favorite meads are traditional – made only with raw honey, water and yeast. “Those really let the honey character shine through,” he said. Another favorite is cyser – a hybrid of honey wine and apple cider.
But The Mazer won’t merely be somewhere to go drinking on a weekend in an effort to try something new. They’ll feature regular events – from tastings to food and wine pairings, educational and art classes to homebrew sharing events to pollinator and conservation awareness programs.
Later on in the year (after licensing goes through), The Mazer will begin to produce its own meads and ciders brewed in house.
The bar is located at 1508 King Street in Jacksonville. For more information and to keep updated on upcoming classes and events, visit their website at www.mazerjax.com or follow them on Facebook.
