Do I need prior brewing experience?

No. The class is designed for beginners and hobbyists; Derek covers fundamentals and practical steps you can use at home.

What is included in the $45 ticket?

The fee covers the two-hour class, guided tastings of meads at different stages, and instruction; take-home kits are optional extra purchases.

Where and when does the class meet?

Meet at BATCH MEAD: 42225 REMINGTON AVE # A25 TEMECULA, CA 92590. Check the booking page for specific date and time.

Can I bring someone who won’t taste?

Yes; the class welcomes observers but all attendees must be 21+ to participate in the session environment.

Is this suitable as a private group event?

Contact Batch Mead directly for private booking options and group rates; the space is a working meadery and can sometimes accommodate small groups.

What if I need to cancel?

Cancellation policies are managed by the host at booking—check your ticket confirmation or the referral booking link for refund and rescheduling details.

Hands-On Mead Making in Temecula: Batch Mead Class with Derek Busch | Workshop | Axe Throwing

On the edge of Temecula’s wine country, Batch Mead’s teaching room offers a hands-on introduction to an ancient craft: mead making. Located at BATCH MEAD: 42225 REMINGTON AVE # A25 TEMECULA, CA 92590, the two-hour class led by award-winning mead maker Derek Busch walks novice and curious homebrewers through fermentation, honey selection, and recipe development in a bright, workmanlike space lined with stainless steel fermenters and jars of single-source honeys. The experience balances sensory tasting—comparing varietal orange blossom, sage, and avocado honeys—with precise techniques: pitching yeast, calculating priming sugar, and monitoring gravity. You’ll taste mead at different stages, sample modern fruit-infused styles alongside traditional dry and sweet meads, and leave with practical notes and the option to buy a Derek-designed take-home kit.

Batch Mead stands out in Southern California because it ties place to product: Temecula’s Mediterranean climate supports citrus groves and oak-studded hills where local beekeepers gather nectar, so the class doubles as a micro-course in regional ingredients and sustainable sourcing. The facility itself isn’t a tourist spectacle—it’s a working meadery—so you get an intimate, behind-the-scenes look at small-batch production rather than a glossy tasting-room tour. That reality makes it a favorite for people who travel to Temecula for wine country but want a different fermentation story, or for locals looking to deepen their brewing skills.

Practical details matter: the session is two hours long, open to ages 21 and up, and costs $45. Bring a notebook, questions about ingredients, and a willingness to roll up your sleeves. Expect hands-on demonstrations and a tasting component; you may handle sanitized equipment and measure ingredients under instructor supervision. The instructor’s emphasis is on reproducible techniques you can use at home: honey sourcing, yeast selection, balancing acidity and tannin from adjuncts, and sanitation protocols that protect both flavor and safety.

Inside the space, notable features include a tasting counter, rows of labeled honey jars, a bank of fermentation locks bubbling in clear carboys, a calibration station with hydrometers and digital thermometers, and an array of adjunct fruits and spices laid out on butcher block. The class situates that gear in local context—olive groves, citrus orchards, and coastal sage scrub that mark this part of Riverside County feed regional apiaries. Mead’s lineage stretches to ancient Europe and Africa; in class Derek connects these roots to contemporary California craft practice daily.

Beyond the classroom, the Temecula valley rewards lingering: pair this class with a tasting room crawl, a visit to a local apiary, or a stroll through Old Town Temecula. For anyone interested in craft beverages—homebrewers, culinary travelers, or people curious about fermentation—this mead making class is a compact, practical, and flavorful doorway into an overlooked drink with deep historical roots and modern creativity.

About Batch Mead

Batch Mead is a meadery and event host located in Temecula, California. The tasting room produces and pours handcrafted meads and stages seasonal events that highlight traditional and experimental styles.

Batch Mead's public events include MEADTOBERFEST, a 21+ oktoberfest-style celebration featuring gluten-free meads served in a custom stein with two 10oz pours included in the ticket, plus food and vendors. The venue also hosts themed evenings such as Viking Night, which includes a souvenir Viking horn, a horn of mead, a turkey leg with mac & cheese, and free axe throwing for attendees who join the event. Guests are encouraged to participate in event themes by dressing up, and events emphasize communal celebration and sampling.

Tickets for specific events include stated inclusions such as steins, pours, and souvenir horns; food and vendor offerings vary by event. Batch Mead operates in the Temecula wine country area and presents mead-focused experiences distinct from typical wineries and breweries. The meads featured across events include oktoberfest-style recipes and other seasonal varieties designed for paired food and festival settings. Event dates, ticketing details, and age restrictions are listed for each event; MEADTOBERFEST is explicitly 21+. Batch Mead communicates event details alongside ticket purchases so visitors know what is included. For travelers and local guests seeking mead-centered festivals and themed evenings in Temecula, Batch Mead provides targeted events that combine tasting, food, keepsakes, and activities specific to each scheduled gathering.

Event schedules and ticket availability change seasonally; check event listings for current information, policies, and updates.

Hands-On Mead Making in Temecula: Batch Mead Class with Derek Busch

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