Mead Brewing Class - December 3 & 10

From raw honeycomb to the corked bottle, this two-session class is a complete overview of mead-making... and mead drinking. Cheers! Learn to brew mead using raw honey produced by local bees! In this two-day workshop (two Thursdays), you will learn all about this alcoholic drink made from fermented honey AND get hands-on experience making, and tasting, this beverage. And, take home your own bottle of brew that you helped craft. No prior brewing experience is necessary to enjoy this class. In the first class, you will help make rich batches of mead using the ancient "washed wax" method. We will discuss the history and myth of mead, the equipment you need to make it, mead-making techniques, and varieties of mead. In the second class, we will rack our brew into secondary fermenters and bottle last year's mead. This class is taught by local beekeeper and avid mead brewer, Ry Meyer. It will cover basic brewing techniques focusing specifically on the unique properties of honey and mead. Mead tasting is part of each class, and you will be able to sample at least two varieties of mead, if 21 or older. From raw honeycomb to the corked bottle, this class is a complete overview of mead-making... and mead drinking. Cheers! One ticket buys entry to both classes: Thursday, December 3 & 10, 6-8pm Instructor Ry Meyer is a native Dubuquer and graduated from Clarke University in 2003. Following college, Ry enlisted for a six-year active-duty Navy enlistment. After completing his service, Ry attended Vermont Law School before returning to Iowa to work as an attorney. Growing up in Dubuque and in his travels, Ry developed a deep appreciation for nature and a fascination with the living plants, animals, insects, and other organisms that share our world and improve our lives. He is an avid insect- and bird-watcher, and each summer hosts a colony of migratory Purple Martin songbirds in his yard. Ry has been a beekeeper and mead-maker for over 15 years, successfully maintaining his own beehives and assisting other beekeepers with their hives in places like Hawaii, Vermont, and at Convivium in Dubuque. SLIDING SCALE Convivium is a nonprofit committed to helping increase accessibility to the tools and knowledge of how to grow and prepare your own food. As part of this commitment, and in pursuit of a more wholesome and secure food experience for all, Convivium is now offering most of our classes on a sliding scale. The sliding scale system allows for classes to be obtained at multiple price points, based on the circumstances of the participant. It allows folks who may otherwise be priced out of something to have the chance to take part in it. How it works When completing your registration, please self-select from the following three payment levels: • Contributor: The contributor level is a pay-what-you-can option that allows you to do just that – pay what you are able to for the class, at this time. Please note there is a $5 minimum per the Eventbrite platform. If this minimum, or paying with a credit card, is a barrier, please call us at 563.557.2900. • Supporter: The supporter level is the normal ticket price of this class. It covers all the supplies and materials needed, as well as the instructor fee. • Sustainer: The sustainer level is a buy-one, give-one model that covers the complete cost of your class plus a small donation that helps supplement the cost of a Contributor level participant. By choosing this level, you are ensuring we can continue to offer this class in a way that is accessible and affordable to all – thank you for your generosity. REFUND POLICY Convivium Urban Farmstead has a no refund policy for all classes and workshops. If you are unable to participate in the class after you registered, your fee will be donated to our pay-what-you-can sliding scale level, which helps to ensure our classes are accessible and affordable to all. However, if Convivium cancels or reschedules a class for any reason (weather, instructor illness, etc.), participants will be notified as early as possible by email and their registration will automatically be refunded by Eventbrite. We appreciate your understanding and thank you for your cooperation. Minimum Enrollment Policy If fewer than six participants are registered for an event, Convivium reserves the right to cancel or reschedule the event. The cut off time for cancellation due to low attendance will be one day before the scheduled date of the class. We will email and post cancellation notices on Facebook. Inclement Weather Cancellation Policy We will refer to the State Police website and road condition designations: https://511ia.org/. If the majority of the roads in Dubuque are designated “Travel not advised” (purple) or worse, we will cancel class. The cut off time for cancellation will be one hour before the start of each class. We will email and post cancellation notices on Facebook.