Southern Brewing & Winemaking (Southern) will release their first series of pyments on February 27th.

A pyment is a subcategory of melomel ­ a mead made with honey and fruit ­ that specifically uses wine grapes for the fruit addition. Also known as “grape mead” or “honeyed wine,” the beverage is an unexplored style for most beer and wine drinkers in the Tampa Bay area.

“Pyments are a great drink that marry mead and wine, and appeal to lovers of both styles,” stated Marketing Manager Cindy Lyons. “It’s a fun style that hasn’t been brewed in Tampa before, and we’re really excited to introduce it to the scene.”

For the first batch of pyments, Mead Maker Brian Wing used the same grape juices that are available in the wine kits on the retail side at Southern, along with Wildflower and Orange Blossom honey from a nearby Tampa Bay apiary.
“Here at Southern we’re in a unique position where we can easily work directly with suppliers to bring in high quality juice from around the world, and pair it with fresh, local honey,” stated Wing. “And on top of that, everything that we’re doing here can be done at home by homebrewers and winemakers, because all of the supplies used are offered in the shop.”

There will be three styles available at the release party: one red and two white. The red uses Wildflower honey and a full bodied, rich Chilean Malbec­Shiraz juice that runs a deep reddish purple and shows characteristics of plum and berries with hints of oak and spice. One of the whites combines Orange Blossom honey and a New Zealand Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc juice for a richer, more full­bodied pyment that highlights gooseberry tones, with hints of leather and tropical fruit. The other white features Orange Blossom honey and South African Johannisberg Dry Riesling juice to showcase a flowery bouquet of flavors, along with tones of complex fruit and hints of cinnamon.

Due to Southern’s unique position of holding both brewing and winemaking licenses, they are one of only two craft breweries in the area that can brew and serve ciders, meads, and wines on site.

Southern will begin serving the pyments on tap at 6p on February 27th, and 32 oz growler fills will be available. Hot Box’d Steamed Cheeseburgers will be onsite serving food from 5­10p.

Southern Brewing is located at 4500 North Nebraska Avenue in Tampa.