Black Snake Meadery

Wind your way through deep Virginia woods, along narrow winding roads, and up a long gravel driveway. Find yourself looking at a gorgeous deep-​porched log cabin made from logs that are hundreds of years old. Walk up the front steps, and cozy up to the small tasting bar on the «sippin porch» for tastes of some unusual honey-​based meads, made on site, from the dozens of bee hives scattered around this mountain property. The tasting fee was $ 5.00, and we tasted at least 8 different types of mead — ranging from wildflower to hops to squash and raspberries infused. Favorite was Lime Bee Brew, a tart, thirst-​quenching beverage that was unusual, and very tasty. It takes a while to get to the meadery, but would make a great part of a long day exploring this part of Virginia, just a tiny bit off the famous Crooked Road for bluegrass music. Black Snake is not far from the Foggy Ridge Cidery, so these would make a good pairing for visits!

Blacksnake Meadery resides in a quaint cabin on the top of a hill at the end of a lengthy gravel road. The setting is really lovely so don’t be discouraged by the road, just follow the signs and you’ll get there just fine.
The man and woman assisting with the tasting were extremely pleasant. It was a pleasure speaking with them about the mead and plenty of other topics.
The tasting is $ 5/​person and you get to taste about 7 or 8 different varieties. Now, to be honest, I didn’t really care for many of them. But that is probably just a matter of personal taste.
My group ended up buying some to take with us. If you don’t have cash be prepared for the «check-​out» process to take some time due to the lack of a strong internet connection.

Wow, what category do you put «meadery» into? «Beer, Wine and Spirits» will have to do. Mead is an intriguing elixir, part wine, part beer, part sparkling beverage. A beverage made with honey in a wine style, but with a head similar to beer or champagne. You haven’t tried anything quite like it. (Hill Top Berry Farm south of Waynesboro has a mead along with their numerous fruit wines, but Blacksnake Meadery does mead and only mead). Blacksnake is located in thick mountain woods where Dueling Banjos can be heard in the distance. The tasting room is housed in a log cabin, and during warmer months the tastings are done on the patio.
There are some dry meads and off-​dry and semi-​sweet ones. They are mostly lower in alcohol than wine, similar to beer in their thirst-​quenching capability. Our favorite was «Lime Bee Brew,» made from honey infused with lime purée. Serve it ice cold.
Blacksnake Meadery is a few miles down the road from Foggy Ridge Cidery. If you’re in the Blacksburg/​Radford area for a long weekend, these spots are worth checking out for an alternative to the usual Virginia winery hopping.