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Funktastic Meads owners Matt and Heather Carroll
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Funktasic Meads has partnered with nearby Tazza Kitchen, and QR codes allow guests to order on their phones and get food delivered to the taproom.
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Funktasic Meads is located at 1212 Alverser Plaza in Midlothian.
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It's Not a Camper, It's a Winnebago is a mead fermented with wildflower honey, flambeed bananas, peanut butter, marshmallow and bourbon staves.
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A mural inside Funktastic Meads
“Six years ago, I knew mead was honey wine, but that was it,” Matt Carroll says of the ancient alcoholic beverage.
Part of the mead renaissance, the professional chemist turned mead maker, along with his wife, Heather, is set to open the doors of their urban winery on Thursday, Jan. 6. Located at 1212 Alverser Plaza, Funktastic Meads will bring a new-school vision to the niche market rooted in Old World traditions.
Despite lacking a taproom until now, Funkastic Meads holds the No. 4 spot for highest-rated meadery/brewery in the world on the beer app Untappd. Its offerings have attracted drinkers across the globe, with bottles shipping to the Netherlands, Germany and South Korea. Funktastic has collaborated with fellow up-and-coming meaderies such as Pye Road Meadworks near Tampa, Florida, and Four Fires Meadery outside Toledo, Ohio. The meadery regularly sold out of pre-release bottles and took home silver and gold in multiple mead categories, along with best in show for the Mead/Cider category, in the 2019 Virginia Dominion Cup brewing competition.
“That helped me with the risk-averse part,” says Heather, an accountant by day, with a laugh. “We made baby steps into this taproom to where we already had a following."
“My focus has always been using unique additives and unique adjuncts,” Matt says. “Smorgasbord,” one of Funktastic’s most popular meads, “has 18 different ingredients,” he says, spouting off a list that includes cinnamon, almonds and seemingly every berry under the sun.
Banana and peanut butter, marshmallow and mango, and apples and cinnamon are just a few of the creative combinations among their repertoire of meads. Bold flavors, attention-grabbing names and intriguing ingredients make up the Funktastic approach.
And while the beverage, first produced by fermentation thousands of years ago, has been considered one for more adventurous drinkers, in the lead-up to Funktastic’s opening, it seems imbibers have proven they're ready for the unexpected and unfamiliar.
In recent years, mead has made quite a mainstream return. Wine Enthusiast says, “According the American Mead Makers Association (AMMA), the number of commercial meaderies in the U.S has increased 650% since 2003. And the trade group claims that more than 200 meaderies plan to open in the next two years.”
Local meaderies include Black Heath Meadery in Scott’s Addition and Haley’s Honey Meadery in Hopewell. Statewide, there are fewer than 30 meaderies, and nationally, around 600. Combining craft beer and wine techniques, this nuanced beverage with an average ABV of 14% stands on its own in the spirit world.
Matt says he initially became infatuated with the beverage made from water, honey and fruit after a visit to Black Heath, which opened in 2015.
“I got to thinking about mead and how the backbone is a little leaner than beer,” he says. “When you make something super clean, then the things you’re adding are the things you taste.”
A food fanatic and home brewer, Matt was hooked. Shortly after, he purchased "The Compleat Meadmaker" by Ken Schramm (dubbed "the godfather of mead") and began attending beer events and mead festivals such as Sugar Belt — the first festival dedicated strictly to mead — across the country to learn and network. He also turned to Richmond’s beverage leaders, including Bill Cavendar of Black Heath and The Answer Brewpub’s An Bui, and continued to immerse himself in the tight-knit community.
In early 2020, the Carrolls began to search for a space to produce mead commercially. Partnering with Lazy Days Winery in Amherst, they released about 300 bottles a month, typically selling out within five to 10 minutes. While the demand was there, it wasn’t until a change in Virginia law that the Carrolls made the leap to a taproom.
“At the time, if you wanted to be commercial winery, you also had to serve food,” Matt says, noting that they didn’t want to manage a kitchen, “but at the end of 2020 Virginia changed one of the requirements and [wineries] no longer had to. … In March we made the call and said, 'Let’s start looking for locations.' ”
Looking for a spot in the Midlothian area, the couple landed in a 1,500-square-foot space that was formerly a Conte’s Bike Shop. The red-walled taproom features a huge Funkastic Meads graffitied mural, a lounge area with plush chairs and couches, and tables that offer a view of production.
Many of the selections at Funktastic take a cue from the fruited goses, decadent stouts or pastry-inspired porters of the craft beer world. Acknowledging the hard seltzer craze, the meadery also pours fizzy or carbonated meads, lower ABV, more sessionable options that include root beer and apple-cinnamon varieties. Also on tap are waterless meads, a rarity in the industry made with only juice and honey, creating a more concentrated, super fruit-forward sip with a thicker mouth feel.
Additionally, there are grape wines available, along with Funktastic’s spin on a traditional cabernet sauvignon with a touch of honey dubbed Cab Sauv the Bees.
The meadery currently sources a number of honey varietals including meadowfoam, widely known for flavors akin to vanilla and marshmallow, and mesquite, which exudes earthy and lightly floral notes.
"Each honey can have a different flavor depending on where the bees are pollinating," says Heather, adding that they are excited to educate the public about mead and its base ingredient. “We’re hoping that mead starts to get more and more popular in terms of the normal, non-craft beer person. We can't wait to open."
Funktastic Meads’ grand-opening events will feature a honey tasting and a number of special releases, including a collaboration with The Answer Brewpub. The meadery will be open Thursday from 5 to 9 p.m., Friday from 4 to 10 p.m., Saturday from noon to 10 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.
