1-16-24 Carlos Herrera – Texas Longhouse Meadery – Starting and Building a Meadery

1-16-24 Welcome to 2024! GotMead Live is back with Carlos Herrera, owner of the soon-to-be Texas Longhouse Meadery in Wylie, TX, just north of Dallas. Carlos has done a lot in his life so far. He spent 8 years in the army as an airborne infantryman. He was medically discharged in 2011 due to combat injuries and became a Paramedic in 2013. In 2015 decided he wasn't ready for civilian life and went back overseas as a high threat diplomatic security contractor team medic. He then spent 2 years at the US Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan and a year in Northern Iraq with the US Consulate before injuring his back again. He's had 3 spinal surgeries since then. Thank you for your service, Carlos! Carlos has been solo brewing mead since 2016. He was helping an older gentleman before that who used to make it for his Norse Heathen kindred group's ceremonial purposes. They used to make it what he would call the 'old ways' (open ferment in a bucket or old wood barrel, with no nutrients, and would add the kitchen sink if they could). Carlos thought there was a better way to do it so he started off on his own and learned a lot long the way thanks to people like Carvin Wilson, Tom Repas, Ken Schramm, and others. He decided to go commercial after winning multiple awards and being pushed by his homebrew club and friends to take the leap. Carlos loves bochets, pyments, and barrel projects. Carlos is in the process of building his meadery and is going to be talking with us about his journey in licensing and building a meadery, and also about his meads. Join us to see how he's doing! This player will show the most recent show, and when we're live, will play the live feed. If you are calling in, please turn off the player sound, so we don't get feedback.[break] Sponsor: Honnibrook Craft Meadery. Rated the very best winery in Colorado! Visit our state-of-the-art meadery and tasting room south of downtown Castle Rock, Colorado, in a converted man cave. Mention the Got Mead Podcast this month for a free draft taster!  Google H-O-N-N-I Brook for hours and directions. They love visitors!  www.honnibrook.com If you want to ask your mead making questions, you can call us at 803-443-MEAD (6323) or send us a question via email, or via Twitter @realGotMead and we'll tackle it online! 9PM EDT/6PM PDT Join us on live chat during the show Upcoming Shows Show links and notes Let There Be Melomels by Rob Ratliff The Big Book of Mead Recipes by Rob Ratliff Let There Be Session Meads by Rob Ratliff Upcoming Events Valkyries Horn Mead Competition Home and Commercial Entries are open until Feb 2! Enter your Meads! Commercial https://commercial.valkyrieshorn.com/ and home https://comp.valkyrieshorn.com/ https://emmconference.comThe European Mead Makers Conference is coming up, and registration is open until Feb 18. The Mead Madness Cup is taking entry registrations until Jan 31. Registration for MMC https://meadmadnesscup.com/ Registration for EMMcon https://emmconference.com/ Jan 19 - Lilly Belle Meads, Lancaster, NY - Music with Trever Stribing Jan 20 - Four Brothers Mead, Festus, MO - Music with Lisa Jones Jan 20 - Meduseld Meadery, Lancaster, PA - Mid-Winter Mead and Music including Music, Magic, Trivia and Axe Throwing Jan 20 - Hickory Tree Farm Apiaries, Kent City, MI - Mead Make and Take Class Jan 21 - Old Station Honey and Mead, New Sarepta, Alberta, Canada - Northern Alberta Mead Makers Meet Up Jan 21 - Lilly Belle Meads, Lancaster, NY - Brunch at the Meadery Jan 23 - J. Bird Wines, Cambridge, MN - January Mead Pairing Dinner Jan 25 - Adesanya Mead and Microbrewery, Grandville, MI - Open Mic Comedy Night Jan 25 - Bumbling Fools Meadery, Minneapolis, MN - Trivia Night Jan 27 - Four Brothers Mead, Festus, MO - Music with Veronica Mary Agnes Jan 27 - MeadKrieger Old Norse Mead, Loveland, CO - 1st Anniversary Party Jan 27 - Grimsby Hollow Meadery, Middleville,