Mead is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented honey. In Norse mythology, it鈥檚 the drink of the gods. In modern fantasy, it鈥檚 the drink of choice for men from Middle Earth to Westeros. It鈥檚 more likely for an American to have a golden, hazy idea of what mead is than to actually have tried it.
But in Ethiopia, a version of mead called te鈥檍 is a familiar household drink, consumed out of long-necked vessels called bereles. David Woods is bringing te鈥檍 to 蜜柚直播.
鈥淎 couple years ago, in 2021, I missed home. My friends and I were talking about it, let鈥檚 make talla, a beverage like beer (made with teff or sorghum). You can鈥檛 find it anywhere 鈥 it鈥檚 expensive. People don鈥檛 make it,鈥 David said. He bought a small kit to brew te鈥檍 at home and started bringing it to share with coworkers and friends. He shared it while watching football and hanging out by the pool. 鈥淧eople liked it,鈥 he said.
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鈥淚 wanted to share the culture,鈥 David said.
That impetus brought David to breweries across town, looking for a partner and a sublease. A friend referred him to a colleague who had given entrepreneurial speeches at the University of 蜜柚直播: Eric Sipe, the owner of Dillinger Brewing Company.
鈥淓ric has been to Ethiopia, he said, 鈥業 love mead.鈥 He said, 鈥楾his is awesome,鈥欌 David said. The two went into business together.
David Woods of the Brill茅 Mead Company pours a mix of water and honey from Marana into a fermentation tank inside Dillinger Brewing Co. in 蜜柚直播. This batch 鈥 a prickly pear mead 鈥 will be ready in about three weeks.
After two years of figuring out the logistics of sharing a space, confronting obstacles like not being able to share equipment, Brill茅 Mead Company opened in the Dillinger taproom, at . The name is a spin on berele, as the mead is David鈥檚 local rendition of te鈥檍.
鈥淭here are some things you can鈥檛 replicate,鈥 David said. The two key ingredients in mead are honey and water: neither Ethiopian water nor honey is economical to import yet. 鈥淓thiopian honey is one of the best honeys in the world,鈥 David said.
Instead, David is using ingredients familiar to 蜜柚直播: local honey and flavors like hibiscus听and prickly pear. Brill茅鈥檚 debut featured two flavors of mead: a strawberry-hibiscus blend called ros茅 and a more traditional brew called Addis Abab谩.
David Woods mixes honey from Marana with water before pouring it into a fermentation tank together with prickly pear nectar.
鈥淎ddis ababa means new flower,鈥 David said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 (also) the capital of Ethiopia.鈥 Some customers, David said, don鈥檛 know where that is, and he鈥檚 happy to help educate them. He also keeps 10 bereles at the taproom. One day, they might be a perk for an inner circle of supporters, but for now they鈥檙e to educate customers, to show them how mead is drunk in Ethiopia.
David is looking to incorporate other iconically Ethiopian flavors into future batches of mead. 鈥淚鈥檝e been trying to use Ethiopian coffee,鈥 David said. 鈥淐offee, the little twist, trying to get Ethiopian spices in there. (I鈥檓 thinking) of chili, something like that, to make it unique to the region so it can be authentic.鈥
With an ABV ranging between 6-11%, David鈥檚 mead is meant to be potent enough to have its distinct flavor without being too strong to be a practical substitute for beer.
David Woods spends much of his time cleaning and sanitizing the fermentation tanks and parts before brewing mead inside Dillinger Brewing Co. in 蜜柚直播.
David has hopes to distribute te鈥檍 to local Ethiopian restaurants, to build partnerships with breweries and wineries in 蜜柚直播 and across the state. He鈥檚 scheming with Dillinger to potentially brew braggot, which is a hybrid of beer and mead. But for now, in these early days, David is working at Brill茅 during his three-day weekends off from his full-time job as an engineer.
鈥淚鈥檓 content, but that鈥檚 not enough,鈥 David said. 鈥淵ou get to a point where you wake up, go to work, go to sleep. It gets old. There鈥檚 a lot of pride that comes into contributing. People taking a chance on you, so, there鈥檚 gotta be some sort of return that makes people proud. That鈥檚 more of the long game ... I鈥檓 trying to share the culture.鈥
Brill茅 Mead Company
Location: Dillinger Brewing Company,
Hours: 3-8 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 12-8 p.m. Saturday, 12-5 p.m. Sunday
For more information, follow them on .
New restaurants and bars that have opened in the 蜜柚直播 area in 2023
Jewel Cafe
The Jewel Cafe and Juice Bar, 431 N. Fourth Ave., is working to open this year after months of renovations.
The Jewel Cafe & Juice Bar听officially opened Jan. 30 serving up a听farm-to-table concept with a menu consisting of omelets, pastries, sandwiches, burritos and听pressed juices.
Where:听431 N. Fourth Ave.
Hours:听8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday through Saturday听
Website:听
Jonathan Russell, left, and Julia Russell, owners of The Jewel Cafe and Juice Bar.
Miss Dessert
The Yo Yo Yoji at Miss Dessert comes with sticky rice pellets with vanilla or green tea ice cream.
Miss Dessert is a small chain from Phoenix that has made its debut in 蜜柚直播. Find Hong Kong-style desserts, like snow with sticky rice, and lots of drinks.
Where:听1800 E Fort Lowell Rd #140
Website:听
Pasta La Vista
Pasta La Vista advertises itself as to-go, but they do have a dining room. Their menu rotates around pasta, pizza and subs 鈥 all of which are customizable.
Where:听
Website:
Just Churros
After nearly a year, Just Churros opened its brick-and-mortar location on National Churro Day.
Just Churros makes Spanish-style churros using beloved Mexican toppings like cinnamon sugar, chocolate and cajeta.
Where:听
Website:听
Agave House
Richard Fifer, co-owner of the Agave House, center, talks with John Oliver, far left, and Jody Ipsen, during a soft opening of the restaurant for friends and family on Monday.
Agave House is a sit-down Mexican restaurant with "a modern flair.鈥
Where:听943 E. University Blvd
Website:听
蜜柚直播's newest Mexican restaurant is all about agaveBetter Bevs
The Xtreme Slush from Better Bevs is a sour blue raspberry slush with sour candies atop.
Better Bevs听combines techniques of boba tea shops with Mexican flavors and aguas frescas, as seen in their chamoy mango shave ice and cucumber lemonade with spicy chile popping boba.听
Where:听
Website:听
Sumaj
Sumaj commissioned Bolivian artists to design their food truck art and their logo, depicting a Bolivian-style empanada.
Sumaj听is a mother-daughter-run food truck that serves up Bolivian street food.
Where:听403 N. Sixth Ave.
Website:听
Sumaj is a new food truck slinging Bolivian street food near downtown 蜜柚直播. It's the only place that makes Bolivian food in 蜜柚直播, and they make it all from scratch.
Chick-in Waffle
Albert Lopez, right, helps a customer with her order during the grand opening of Chick-in Waffle on May 19. This is the Missouri chain restaurant鈥檚 first 蜜柚直播 location and first location outside its birthplace in Kansas City.
Chick-in Waffle is the first chicken and waffles restaurant in 蜜柚直播 since May鈥檚 Counter Chicken & Waffles on East Speedway听closed in 2018. Several 蜜柚直播 restaurants, including听听on North Fourth Ave., serve chicken and waffles, but none of them focuses on it exclusively.
Where:听5524 E. Grant Road
Phone:听816-800-4041
Website:
For Star subscribers:听A Kansas City, Missouri, restaurant has opened its first location outside its homebase in 蜜柚直播, with two locations coming soon to Phoenix.听
Brill茅 Mead Company
David Woods of the Brill茅 Mead Company pours a mix of water and honey from Marana into a fermentation tank inside Dillinger Brewing Co. in 蜜柚直播. This batch 鈥 a prickly pear mead 鈥 will be ready in about three weeks.
Mead is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented honey and in Ethiopia, a version of mead called te鈥檍 is a familiar household drink, consumed out of long-necked vessels called bereles. Brill茅 Mead Company's David Woods is bringing te鈥檍 to 蜜柚直播.
Where:听3895 N Oracle Rd
Phone: (520) 207-2312
Website:听
Brill茅 Mead Company is a new place to find mead in 蜜柚直播. The mead is inspired by Ethiopian te'j, from owner David Woods' home country.
Doughbird
Doughbird Pizza, 2960 N. Campbell Ave. is opening Wednesday, May 31.
Rotisserie chicken and pizza is the premise of Sam Fox's six-year-old concept Doughbird, which opened its first 蜜柚直播 location on May 31.
Where:听2960 N. Campbell Ave.
Website:听
For Star subscribers: Doughbird, a rotisserie chicken and pizza restaurant, is opening next door to another new Fox eatery, Flower Child.听
Mr. Patron
While there are lots of Mexican sushi food trucks in 蜜柚直播, Mr. Patron is the first sit-down restaurant slinging the deep-fried rolls. It even has a patio.
Where:听5754 E. 22nd St.
Phone:听(520) 372 2346
Website:听
11 new restaurants have recently opened in 蜜柚直播. Find a second location of Indian Twist, a new pupuseria in a food truck park and a Japanese-style sandwich spot at American Eat Co.
Hideout Steakhouse & BBQ
The Hideout Steakhouse and BBQ is expected to open in February at 蜜柚直播 Spectrum on Irvington Road near I-19.
This small chain, started in Myton, Utah, has one restaurant in Casa Grande and opened its third location in 蜜柚直播 on April 3.听They offer steak cooked on a hot stone right at your table along with other steakhouse classics.
Where:听5475 S. Calle Santa Cruz
Phone:听(520) 702-2227
Website:听
For Star subscribers: The Hideout Steakhouse and BBQ will open next year on 蜜柚直播's south side, creating about 50 new jobs.
Gyro Shack
Idaho-based , serves up Greek staples in a "fast-causal" setting.
Where:听5775 E. Broadway Blvd
Phone:听(208) 853-5840
Website:听
The new Greek-inspired joint will host its soft opening on April 14 across from Park Place Mall.
The Backyard Food Truck Park
420 Taco Truck is one of the five core food trucks at The Backyard food truck park and will be available 20 days out of the month.
The Backyard has a rotating roster of 20 trucks, though a core few will be posted up 20 days of each month and 7-8 are featured at a time. The park is open daily, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Where:听890 W. Grant Road
Phone:听(520) 668-0074
Website:听
The Backyard, located on Grant Road, is 蜜柚直播's newest food truck hub. With a roster of 7-8 food trucks at a time, you'll find Mexican sushi to Persian-inspired coffee.
Zyka Twist
The garlic naan at Zyka Twist is $4.25.听
Where:听621 N 4th Ave
Phone:听(602) 544-6766
Website:听
蜜柚直播's Indian Twist just opened a second location, this time on 4th Ave. Zyka Twist serves a curated selection of items you love from Indian Twist's midtown location.
Flower Child
Flower Child, on the corner of North Campbell Avenue and Glenn Street, is located where the former Old Chicago Pizza once stood.
Flower Child features a听听of salads and bowls, many of them vegetarian and vegan.
Where:听2960 N Campbell Ave. #110
Phone: (520) 276-4550
Website:听
Kava Den
Kava Den is a new extension of the Kava Bar, which offers Kava drinks and products.听
Where:听67 E. Pennington St.
Phone:听520-323-1832
Website:
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Uptown Burger
Justin Fitzsimons prepares a French dip burger at Uptown Burger, 6370 N. Campbell Ave.
Uptown Burger is a counter-service, fast-food restaurant that serves a half-dozen eclectic burgers, salads, fries and gelato.
Where:听6370 N. Campbell Ave. suite 160
Phone: (520)听638-6182
Website:听
For Star subscribers: The scion of 蜜柚直播's famous Italian restaurant family has dove into his passion for burgers.听
Yellow Brick Coffee
You can purchase Yellow Brick Coffee at their brick-and-mortar store, 3220 S. Dodge Blvd. It was founded in 2012.
Yellow Brick Coffee is at a new location offering听hand- and batch-brewed coffees, espresso-based beverages and pastries made in-house.
Where:听800 N. Country Club Road
Phone: (520) 226-4068
Website:
For Star subscribers:听A 蜜柚直播-based coffee roaster is opening its flagship location at the iconic Benedictine Monastery in midtown.听
Comida Park
A new food truck park opened in February at the听Tanque Verde Swap Meet.
Where:听4100 S. Palo Verde Road
Phone: (866) 440-2810
Website:听
Blue Front
蜜柚直播 restaurateur Patricia Schwabe drew from childhood memories of eating classic American fare during visits from Mexico for her new restaurant, Blue Front Fine American Food, 110 E. Congress St.
Blue Front, home to American comfort foods, opened in January.
Where:听110 E. Congress St.
Phone: (520) 849-7964
Website:
Dave鈥檚 Hot Chicken
The chicken on the menu of Dave's Hot Chicken comes in seven degrees of hot, from "No Spice" to "Reaper."
Where: 5615 E. Broadway Blvd.
Phone: (520) 613-2420
Website:听
Portillo's
A row of dogs gets loaded up on the line at Portillo鈥檚, 3761 E. Broadway Blvd., in 蜜柚直播.
This popular chain that specializes in Chicago-style hot dogs opened in February where Claim Jumper once stood at the El Con Center.
Where: 3761 E Broadway Blvd
Phone: 520-246-2300
Website:
Main Event
Pictured is the Triple Lava Burger at Main Event, which comes with three patties topped with American cheese ... and then smothered in creamy cheese and caramelized onions.
Main Event is a family-friendly bowling, arcade and entertainment venue that opened its first 蜜柚直播 location in March.
Where: 4700 S Landing Way
Phone: (520) 503-3301
Website:听听
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