Bear with me (no pun intended) while I tell you about some of the small businesses I visited this summer in Alaska.

Known as the last frontier because of its geographic uniqueness from “the lower 48”, it also seemed to me the last frontier for unusual business opportunities.

Alaska is quirky. One of my favourite sayings goes, “The odds are good but the goods are odd.” Although it generally refers to the male:female ratio, it can equally well be applied to some of its business successes.

Anchorage, the state’s largest city, is also a small community. People know people. When I started looking for something uniquely Alaskan to buy as a gift, my son-in-law instantly shouted “Mead”. Through a complex network of acquaintances, he pointed me towards Michael Kiker at Celestial Meads.

Prejudging based on the name – Celestial – and the long history of fermented honey drinks (which can be traced back to the earliest records of food and drink) – I expected to meet a gently aging hippy.

Locating his meadery on a small business park, by definition deserted on the only day each week he welcomes visitors (Saturday), made me reconsider. Although he insists that his passion makes him “certifiably insane”, the necessarily sterile lab I could see behind the impersonal reception area fitted neither an aging hippy nor a mad scientist stereotype.

Setting out no less than a dozen bottles, Michael poured generous tastes that ranged from delicate to ultra-bold, dry to dessert sweet.

He uses more single floral source (varietal) honeys than any other meadery, whole spices and a wide variety of fruit, from Alaska whenever possible, he told me. Most are put on oak for a while and many “are downright assertively oaked”. Alcohol contents range from 6.5% to +15% ABV.
 
Ingredients and processes turned out to be far more complicated than fermenting honey. A glossary of terms on Celestial’s website explains braggot, capsicumel (made with chillis), cyser (blended with cider), pyment (blended with grape juice or wine), morat, rhodomel and sack amongst others.

Also available is a full description of each batch. Federal regulations don’t allow vintages on bottles but details of the honey and fruit used in each batch are available for anyone who visits either virtually or in reality.

Odd the product and producer may be, but for a small businessman, Michael Kiker has his head on straight.

http://www.celestialmeads.com

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By Bernice Hurst  on   Oct 14,2008

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America    Bernice Hurst    small business    drinks   

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