B. Nektar Meadery Celebrates 10 Years of Geeky, Weird Quirkiness
By Sara Teller
B. NEKTAR MEADERY WAS FOUNDED IN 2006 BY BRAD AND KERRI DAHLHOFER, with the help of good friend Paul Zimmerman, in the Dahlhofers’ basement. Not long after its inception, the crew’s brews began winning awards at homebrewing competitions, so they decided to take their endeavor to the next level and set up shop in downtown Ferndale. The B. Nektar Meadery that’s become a favorite hot spot for Ferndalians opened its doors on National Mead Day, August 2, 2008.
“Being in Ferndale was an easy choice. Brad and Kerri live in Ferndale and it just made sense,” said Sales and Market-ing Director and Taproom General Manager, Miranda Johnson. “The community was more than helpful, and it continues to be an amazing city to have our headquarters.” She added, “I believe the diversity is what makes Ferndale amazing. It’s always growing but never losing its true vibe. The community is one of the best.”
Now, B. Nektar proudly celebrated its 10-year anniversary on Thursday, August 2nd. “We had our 10th birthday party with friends and fans, cake, balloons and all. There were three bottle releases – Sanchez, Cyser Of the Lambs, and Cinnamon Raisin Cyser,” Johnson said.
Asked where the team gets their creative inspiration, she replied, “The creative for the products comes from all angles. Brad is the visionary of what he would like to see a product taste like and is always pushing the envelope with flavors and ideas. Kerri is the creative behind the label concepts, and alongside both of them is the team that brings it all to life.”
The Dahlhofers, with the help of the Ferndale Area Chamber of Commerce, are also responsible for organizing the recent FerndalePalooza. They wanted to put on a world-class beer festival in Ferndale with a goal of raising money for local non-profits and charities. Other area organizations that pitched in include the Detroit Roller Derby, Ferndale Literacy Project, Blessing In A Backpack, and Fermenta – Michigan Women’s Craft Collective.
“For most of the breweries and meaderies, this was their first time participating in a Michigan festival,” Johnson said. “To make things really special, Brad and Kerri asked them to bring their best, most rare, one-off products that aren’t usually available in bars or stores. So, many of these beverages had never been available before in Michigan.”
As for the future, there’s no sign of slowing down, “Keep a look out for new events in our taproom, more charity work from Brad and Kerri, and more bottle re-leases,” said Johnson. “We are finishing up a production move. Our main facility on Wordsworth will be moving into the Jarvis location in the coming weeks, and who knows what else – the geeky, weird, quirkiness is hard to stop at B. Nektar.”
