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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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
1 year ago
1 year ago
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
1 year ago
3 years ago
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
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
4 years ago
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
3 years ago
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
2 years ago
2 years ago
3 years ago
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
2 years ago
4 years ago
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
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
9 years ago
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
5 years ago
3 years ago
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
5 years ago
8 years ago
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
7 years ago
10 years ago
4 years ago
8 years ago
7 years ago
10 years ago
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
8 years ago
8 years ago
8 years ago
8 years ago
11 years ago
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
11 years ago
11 years ago
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