Delicious mead! As mead makers ourselves, we can vouch for the excellent quality. Loved that it was all still mead. We will definitely be coming back when we are in GR. read more

Such a cute shop!! It was our first time trying mead and the staff was so welcoming and informative. The mead was fantastic! Would definitely return! read more

Arktos Meadery - Queen Bee Meadery - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

Unique and awesome experience! Wide variety of flavor profiles for their meads, from dry and herbal, to spiced, to jammy and sweet. Definitely try a flight to enjoy the full spectrum! Bartender was knowledgeable, friendly, and laid back. The interior is like a Nordic tavern, perfect for your D&D larping inspiration. A worthwhile hidden gem downtown that I think gets unfairly lost in the shuffle near all these dive bars and flashy big-name breweries. If you're looking for something convenient yet off the beaten path, Arktos is it! read more

Nice rustic interior. Beams on the ceiling , loved the beautiful bar top. We had visited their other location years back. So we were pleasantly surprised when we accidentally happened to pass by on the way to dinner. Having a long wait ahead of us we stopped in for some Mead. We were greeted promptly. We were given some suggestions and went with what was suggested.. The Coffee Mead, The Hibiscus and the Queen Bee. The Coffee was very interesting, good flavor. For me Meads are too sweet so I just had a sip. My husband loves them. I overheard the Huckleberry being suggested and we ordered one of those as well. I don't know what the difference is.... But I absolutely adored the Huckleberry! It wasn't as sweet or thick in my opinion. Looking forward to visiting again. read more

Great ambience and great drinks. If mead isn't your thing, some of the drinks are not your typical mead. The black stripe tastes like whiskey, the ursa major braggot tastes like a beer, and the honey red tastes just like merlot (without any wine in it). read more

This place is incredible. The Mead is amazing. I had never had it before until I came here. The simplest way I can describe the taste is wine but made from honey instead of grapes. I tried 5 meads, and all were amazing. Everyone who works here is also amazing. Very friendly and talkative people who gave above-and-beyond service and conversation. Overall decor and ambiance were perfect. A lot of effort went into making this place look so good. A lot of little details that are awesome. Music included many songs I knew from fantasy video games, and it fit perfectly. read more

Walking up to this place is incredibly confusing to say the least. It's a mix between a car repair lot with the barbed wire fence and a doctor's office, especially when you walk in. You go to the right and then bam! You find this wonderful bar! I got a flight of Meads when I was here with some friends (in the photo). They pack quite a punch! Not because they are super bitter or super sweet, but very high in alcohol content. These are some legit Meads! I got the Enchanted Horse (honeycrisp apple), Black Stripe (strawberry), Great Bear (black raspberry), and their seasonal one which was Fairy Godmother at the time (pumpkin.....it honestly reminded me of Michael's, the craft store, if they made a beer). It's a very small setting, so don't come here with a large group during bar hours and expect to be sat. It's a casual but intimate setting to just have a small drink or so, get a growler to take with you, and be on your way. This place surprised me greatly though because like I said, the outside made it seem like it was going to be very different! read more

Arktos Meadery - (left to right) - pumpkin mead, blackberry mead, strawberry mead, honeycrisp apple mead - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

Checked! I have to say. This is totally a new concept for me. It looks like beer but it is not beer. Mead is a Medieval drink. It's delicious. It's honey, yeast,and water fermented for 6-8 months. Mead goes by a couple of different names, such as "Mead", "Honey Wine", "Ambrosia" and "Nectar of the gods". Mead is commonly referred to as one of the oldest fermented beverages, with lore going back to the Vikings. Watch out brewers Mead is coming back to the new world. read more

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I was part of a bachelor party weekend in Grand Rapids for pub crawls of the breweries and bars. 8 out of 11 guys agreed that Arktos had the best drinks. The mead was fantastic! Most of us got flights of five meads to try. I especially liked the Doc Holiday huckleberry mead and the Three Bears maple mead. I came back the next day for a bottle of each to take home. Chris and Alexandra were super nice talking about how mead's made, and a shared enthusiasm for Dungeons and Dragons. read more

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Arktos Meadery's former location was very close to my old office and I had always mentioned stopping in to check it out. Well, that never happened, but now they have this location closer to my house on bustling Bridge Street! My boyfriend and I were in the area walking around and checking out all the new outdoor seating areas and decided to stop in. The interior is very mead hall-esque, with exposed wooden beams, bearskin rugs, and large wooden tables with long benches. If you've ever seen the movie Beowulf (I won't pretend I ever read the book), you'll know what I'm talking about. We chose a spot at the long table and ordered a flight after looking at the menu which I found to be a little confusing and not overly descriptive. We tried the Queen Bee (traditional), Black Stripe (strawberry), South Sea Dragon King (ginger), and the East Sea Dragon King (hibiscus). When the flight came out, the East Sea Dragon King wasn't present but instead we got the Cricket Song (coffee). I was a little bummed at first, because that was the one both my boyfriend and I said we weren't really interested in -- however, it was pretty good! I don't know much about mead but have been to one other place in town that specializes in mead so I've had a few different kinds. The ginger was by far my least favorite -- it almost tasted like it was... not quite right. I don't know if it was nearing the end of the batch or something but I would be wary of trying it again. None were too sweet which was nice. I was hoping for a bit more of an introduction or explanation of things but the bartender/server did answer my questions about the carbonation levels of each -- some are on nitro and some are on C02 which explains those differences. After the flight, I ordered the Three Bears + Lime slushie because I was told it was a blueberry / lime flavor. This was so good! I loved it. The flavors were bright and fruity. I'm glad we stopped in and tried this unique spot since there's no other places in town quite like it. read more

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amazing meads, love the ambiance too! Highly recommend Queen Bee or Doc Holliday. A must try for downtown

Unique and cool meadery. Odd ambiance blending viking, Nordic themes with Game of Thrones. But it works. Mead- excellent quality mead. Value- on the expensive side. Recommend ordering a sampler. read more

If you like mead, this is a place that you must stop in. I got the original and wow, amazing mead. We did get a flight of mead. All delicious and highly recommend. No food served here, but many places nearby. read more

Arktos Meadery - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

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I didn't even think this place was open when I first entered, it was all dark from the outside. But as soon as you get in, it is a super cool atmosphere! I love all the decor and the mead is amazing. Great service and the tabletop gaming room in the basement is really cool! read more

Gorgeous rustic interior with wonderful meads. The Queen Bee is the best mead I've tried and many of the others were also delicious. The service was friendly and helpful. This place felt like the perfect escape from a busy day, you feel transported back in time. I strongly recommend this wonderful spot. read more

The ambiance is amazing. Cute little bar to grab a reasonably priced bite with very yummy mead to sample. I love the Apophis and the Red Fox. I got 3 samples. Lastly I got the Chapman as my sandwich. The sandwich was crunchy, warm, and beautifully crafted to make such a Delicious sandwich. Next time I'm in Grand rapids I'm coming back. read more

Arktos Meadery - Chapman sandwich and mead samples - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

A favorite!!! The staff is very personable, and the mead is always delicious. The vibes and ambiance is so cool. I love the medieval fantasy tavern structure. I like that you can bring food from other places in! Love the incredible D&D cellar downstairs. What an awesome gem in Grand Rapids. read more

Arktos Meadery - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

I was skeptical. Arktos's location embodies the whole"don't judge a book by its cover" .. So glad I journeyed forth. You turn the corner and you're in a tasting room right out of GOT. As if that wasn't enough THEN you get to experience some very well crafted meads. The day I visited there were 4 to choose from, all fruit enhanced. I tried the strawberry (Black Stripe), the grape (Red Fox), and the Honeycrisp apple (Name I forget, sorry). My friend had the same and she also tried the black raspberry (Great Bear) The Black Stripe was my favorite, boozy but with a subtle warmth of honey. This is an amazing after dinner drink and at 18% ABV one is all you need. The Honey crisp apple was good too, very sweet but you could clearly taste the apple and honey. If sweeter wines are your thing you will love this one. The owner was incredible kind and gracious, answering all our questions and telling us about the process as well as some of the flavors cooking up right now. I can't wait to go back in the fall to try some of the pumpkin and coffee varieties. read more

Arktos Meadery - raspberry, strawberry, grape and apple - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

We were walking around trying to find a place to have a cold one and a snack. We didn't know what to expect when we looked inside the windows we felt a strong pull tugging us inside. I got the fairy tale mead and the apophos (I think that's how you spell it) my mans order a yummy "polish dog" which was the best I had in years. The pickle was delicious also. The owner was a sweet heart, the vibe and music relaxed us and breathed life in us. We will be back for sure ! read more

This. This is the mead you need! We visited this week on a Sunday afternoon while passing through Grand Rapids and found a hidden gem of a meadery in a shabby old strip mall/office park location. Inside, the bar is a brick walled medieval inspired little pub with a shiny dark wood bar and furniture. The place was pretty quiet. There were some regulars watching a Vikings game and another group of regulars who came in with a bunch of board games. It had a very chill vibe. Arktos is a one-man operation. The guy behind the bar is the owner, server, and artisan mead crafter. He was very knowledgeable about meads in general. My husband and I both loved the Queen Bee (regular) mead flavor the best. It was superbly balanced in flavor. The meads here are all wine style meads and are pretty strong, 12-18 percent ABV depending on the flavor. We also tried the honey crisp cyser (apparently the location's most popular variety), the pumpkin pie, and the blackberry. The pumpkin pie was loaded with spicy flavors and I adored it though my husband thought the spice was a bit heavy. The blackberry mead had intriguing tart and sweet notes that reminded me a bit of the sweet and sour tang of kombucha. Unfortunately, we were unable to sample the mead we were most curious about based on last years' seasonal reviews: the coffee mead (Cricket Song). The supplier of coffee has changed so there is a delay in the next batch. The owner told us of a few local beverage stores that might have bottles of it for sale, and we dropped by one on our way out of town and grabbed the last two bottles. I haven't tried it yet as we are still working our way through the howler of Queen Bee we took home but I'm definitely looking forward to it. We took the howler of mead to a family event and everyone loved it. We don't live in Grand Rapids but it's worth a bit of a trip if you're into mead! One flavored mead I'd love to see in the future from Arktos (maybe a winter flavor?) is butterscotch. read more

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A great addition to this area, Arktos is the perfect hidden gem when you want good drink and good conversation. With plenty of seating and a nice, comfortable bar area- it's ideal for small or big groups. I love the decor and the vibes the meanders brings as you slug back the sweet nectar to get a buzz (pun intended.) a great selection of different meads but my favorite is the coffee one- full of flavor and robust! This place is a must! read more

Did you read Beowulf in high school? Basically half the book that I remember takes place in a medieval times mead hall-- you feel like you are walking into that place when you step in here. The doors are big, there is a bear skin on the wall. The meads are all made with organic honey and other fresh materials that for the most part would have been around'ish back in the day. They nailed the setting, but after ordering a sampler of all the meads, they nailed most of those too. We got the whole story from the owner who was the bar tender as well. He is super passionate about what he does, and it shows. All of the meads are pretty small batch- he mixes, meddles, tastes, refines and repeats until he strikes gold-- and he has enough flavors to ensure that most palates will be happy here. The plain mead- the queen bee, is easy to drink and strong enough to have fun with. My personal favorite was the coffee mead-- all were pretty good. Price wise- it is pretty on par or cheaper than most meads I have experienced before but I should say that mead is usually a bit more than beer or wine-- mostly because honey costs half as much as gold these days. Definitely a fun place to go for the afternoon! read more

Arktos Meadery - Mead sampler - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

What a great atmosphere. Done up in the warmest of wood styles. The owner is very friendly and happy to answer questions. This is a meadery meaning alcohol from honey. The samples average about $2.50 a sample, that sounds like a lot but the sample is 4x an average sample size. There a decent choice list 8+. My favorites were Enchanted Horse: a Cider and Mead combination that just warms the tongue. My absolute favorite was the "???" Mead, a combination of mead and grapes. The taste was wonderfully grapey. Not too sweet, but like a glass of grape juice with a kick. I loved it. In fact it may be my new #1 alcoholic drink. Sadly it's a limited 1 time only batch. They are planning a move to bigger and better location that's actually downtown. I wish them luck. I will be back to this great meadery. read more

If you are coming in, just ignore the outside of the building, there are painting Van's, and more and you walk into a secure office, but take a right, take a left and it opens up into a very cool tasting room. You will enjoy the owner, and obviously the most important aspect, the mead. Around 5 meads on tap and they are all very interesting. Come in, order a flight enjoy some music and conversation. Sit down and play some table top gaming it is all good here. read more

Arktos Meadery - Great mead and a fun place to enjoy a drink or several. - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

One of the best Meads in Michigan! Amazing owner that is personable, and wonderful service. We look forward to trips to GR now for mead verse beer. Definitely worth the stop! Don't be intimidated but the outside. It's a great welcoming place! read more

Great Mead, will make you smile. This place is a gem, Mead made in the traditional way. read more

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The mead here is the best I've ever had! Definitely worth stopping in for a few tasters!

Not only will you enjoy some of the best mead. But, you will also love the atmosphere. Once inside you'll fall in love with the mead and decor. All the meads are refreshing. In addition they also now have a braggot, a raspberry porter, cream soda &blueberry soda that are really good. Everyone there is super nice and friendly. If you go here I would highly recommend getting a flight. The mead menu cycles with some of them always being on tap (queen bee & enchanted horse). They have some board games to enjoy with your friends.They also have pretty cool ceramic growlers & a mug club with a pretty cool ceramic goblet (if they still have spots open). All in all this meadery will not disappoint. It's safe to say I love it here and will continue coming back. read more

Vikings, rejoice!!! You have found Valhalla and guess what? The place is filled with delicious meads! Cheers! Suggestion: make sure to take a fellow-viking (designated driver) or procure a viking-for-hire (Uber/Lyft) because too much mead is great, but getting pulled over is not. Stay safe! read more

Well, it turns out that I am not a fan of meade. However, this place is so cool, albeit the odd location. For people who like the stuff, I can only assume it's top notch to them. The rustic viking decor is so fitting. Pricing is very reasonable for a flight. They have lots of variety in their flavors too! I'm still glad I went, and I definitely learned something new haha. read more

Arktos Meadery - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

We had a 30 minute wait for dinner at Butchers Union and decided to pop in for a flight. So glad we did! What a find! The flight was great and the place was cute. Grape and frozen meaderita were the best and mixed queen bee and black stripe was yummy. read more

If you walk in and talk crap about star wars and Harry Potter you might get jumped ... hang out for nerds .. which is cool .. I honestly don't mind ... good mead ... they even have recommendations on mixtures of there other meads ... little high priced ... $10 a glass ... I'll go back only because of the yelp coupon read more

The website said they were open 7 days a week, so I made a special trip from Northeast Ohio to come check the place out on my day off -- a Tuesday (today). I called early to make sure they were open today, but no one answered. I figured that wasn't strange because the hours say they open at 5pm. Well... I arrived a few minutes priors to 5pm and there were no signs of life. Okay, I thought, no problem. After all.... they don't open until 5.... so I walked in at 5 and the place was dark. No one present. I called again. No answer. What a dang disappointment for a place that had all 5-star reviews. After 11 minutes, Arktos called me back, and that is the only reason they are getting 2 starts instead of 1. Sorry guys, I won't be back. read more

The front is just a plain building but once you walk in, wow. Great meads and you can buy in in cool ceramic containers.

Great mead! If you haven't tried mead, I would highly recommend it! The people were great and the drinks were beyond enjoyable! Voted the Best Mead of the West Winner 2016 and 2017 (the owner said 2018 results are pending a July announcement!)! read more

A local friend is a regular here, so we met at Arktos when I was in town recently. Folks, be prepared for some strong drinks! The ambiance is great, and it's a unique place -- nice that this is an option among GR's many brewpubs. read more

This is a quaint tasting room full of vikingesque decor and incredible mead! From the mead to the fireplace mantle everything has a homemade feel. I loved the Enchanted Horse honeycrisp Cyser on tap and the Black Stripe Strawberry Melomel which was 18% ABV and had a whisky like oak touch. A hidden gem in GR. The owner Maciej is very attentive and informative. I will come here each time I visit Grand Rapids. read more

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Off the beaten path but totally worth the visit for something different! Don't get me wrong, I love beer. I love wine. I like pink drinks in fancy glasses. But it's nice to try something new. Enter Mead, an alcoholic honey wine. I had heard about Mead making its mark in the drink world and was ready for my first sip on Saturday night. Truthfully I was expecting something akin to coffee syrup, so I was pleasantly surprised to find a variety of Mead flavors, all of which were sweet but not cloyingly so. My friend and I split a 6 sampler taster to try a few flavors including a coffee, pumpkin pie, ginger, and grape taste in addition to their traditional flavor and signature offering (sorry, I forget the names of them). All were very tasty and I was surprised to find that I enjoyed the coffee and Ginger flavors the most. The coffee flavor had the coffee taste but was much lighter and sweeter then a typical cup of joe. The ginger was light and bubbly, almost like a sweeter ginger ale or dryish white wine. Or maybe you will taste it and find a totally different description for it. But I think you'll still like it. The bartender ended up being the owner and took time to explain how he got started with mead and some of the batches he's working on. It turned out that it was his birthday and he offered us a cupcake. Being a piggy, I took an Oreo one. I can't promise that you'll get a cupcake when you visit, but you will likely find a nice staff. Like I said in the beginning of this review, this place is off the beaten path- okay, actually it's right off the freeway, but it's a little weird to find. Ignore the office entrance when you first walk in. Arktos is homey and and feels like an old timey German hunting lodge or something when you get to the tasting room. Ps- Mead has really high alcohol-like 18%. Plan on Uber if you stay awhile. read more

Very cool place, loved the decor and felt at home. We felt we were in Middle Ages. Friendly service and tasty drinks. The outside location seemed sketchy but once you get in, you will feel you are in a different place! Laid back crowd, this place is a must see in Grand Rapids. Will definitely come back. read more

This is one of my favorite places to go in Grand Rapids. The mead is great. Always enjoy talking with Maciej, the brewer. He is there most days! Especially enjoy the new Queen Bee - aged in No Rules barrels. Great place! read more