Award-Winning Miramar Meadery Adding Morena Tasting Room and Kitchen - Eater San Diego
"Lost Cause Meadery is embarking on a major expansion that will move its production hub and double its capacity. First introduced in Fall 2017, the meadery has been sharing a 3,000-square-foot space in the Miramar area with Serpentine Cider and The Good Seed Food Company, and will continue to operate its tasting room there. At its new space in the Morena District near the junction of I-5 and I-8, Lost Cause will have just over 3,000-square-feet all to themselves, with the possibility for additional outdoor space that they could potentially share with neighbor Deft Brewing. Designed in collaboration with Hauck Architecture and Studio 32, the tasting room and production facility will also have a kitchen that will serve meat and cheese boards, hot-pressed sandwiches, and other small bites. Coming off a spate of wins at this year’s Mazer Cup International, known as “the largest commercial and amateur mead competition in the world”, Lost Cause brought home five meals and tied for the most medals won by any meadery. Head mead maker Billy Beltz, who runs the company with his wife Suzanna, says he plans on beefing up their barrel-aged program and creating special bottles for mead club members. Beltz, who will be releasing fortified meads, also intends to produce one-off experimental styles just for the new tasting room. His meads, which run the gamut from dry to dessert-like, each spotlight a different honey varietal. Bolt Fan Blues is made with orange blossom honey, blueberries, and lemons, Lucid Distortion is a collab with Mostra Coffee is based on caramelized honey with coffee and figs, and Wine Barrel Aged Easy Bender features wildflower honey, strawberries, and black currants and is aged for nine months in cabernet sauvignon barrels. Due this November, the Morena area outpost will also allow Lost Cause to host chef dinners and other special events for consumers and the craft beverage industry that will focus on mead education." - Candice Woo
