Three Ingredients. Named Sources. Nothing Hidden.
Every can of Cheeky Mead contains exactly three things. We can name all of them in under five seconds. Can your beer do that?
Sourced from named California apiaries. Every can identifies the specific apiary, beekeeper name, floral source, and harvest season. Not "honey flavor." Real honey.
Filtered, mineral-balanced. The canvas that lets the honey sing. Simple, pure, essential. No additives, no hidden chemistry. Just H₂O done right.
Selected strains that complement each honey varietal. The ancient alchemy that transforms sweetness into something extraordinary. Different honey, different yeast.
Every can traces back to a real person, a real apiary, and real bees. These are the people behind your drink.
Third-generation beekeeper. 200 hives across Sonoma's rolling hills. Her wildflower blend shifts with the seasons — clover in spring, thistle in late summer. Every batch is unique.
Started in 2018 with 12 hives. Now manage 340. Completely pesticide-free operation surrounded by organic citrus groves. Their orange blossom honey is liquid sunshine.
Regenerative practices on 80 acres at 2,400ft elevation. Her bees forage wild sage and buckwheat, producing a bold, complex honey with earthy depth. Carbon-negative operation.
All beekeepers are paid 15–20% above market rate. Because the first ingredient deserves the most respect.
Most brands hide this. We lead with it.
"Transparency isn't a marketing strategy. It's a promise."
We answer the questions other brands dodge. Click to expand.
Yes. We force-carbonate because it produces consistent bubbles in every single can. Some meaderies rely on bottle conditioning, which creates batch variance. We chose consistency because consistency is a form of respect — every can you open should be exactly as good as the last one.
Mead is the oldest fermented drink in human history — dating back 8,000+ years, with traces found in Chinese pottery from 7000 BCE. Vikings drank it. Egyptian pharaohs were buried with it. We honor that heritage with modern craft techniques, but the core recipe — honey, water, yeast — is exactly what our ancestors used.
Three reasons. First, cans block 100% of light, protecting honey's delicate flavor compounds from UV degradation. Second, they're 40% lighter to ship, which means lower carbon emissions per can delivered. Third, aluminum is infinitely recyclable — a can you recycle today can be back on the shelf in 60 days. Glass recycling rates are less than half that.
Our session meads sit at 5–6% ABV, right in the sweet spot between hard seltzers and craft beer. Low enough to enjoy a couple at a gathering, high enough to have real depth and character. We don't water it down to hit a number — the ABV is a natural result of the honey-to-water ratio and fermentation time.
Not like you'd expect. We ferment until most of the sugars are consumed by yeast, leaving a dry-to-off-dry finish with just enough residual sweetness to remind you there's real honey inside. Think crisp apple, not syrup. Our goal is "refreshing," not "dessert."
Every can of Cheeky Mead carries a QR code that links to a dedicated page for that batch's specific apiary. Not a generic brand page. A real page with real people.
What's NOT in your can matters as much as what is.
"If you can't name every ingredient, should you be drinking it?"