The California Master Beekeeper Program and The HIVE present a deep dive into varietal honey and mead tasting!
Join for one or both days. All proceeds benefit the CA Master Beekeeper Program which provides vital educational resources to beekeepers across the country.
**Registration opens the week of November 9, 2026**
The Science of Honey Tasting: Saturday, January 30, 9am-1pm
Registration: $200 (Discount: Participate in both courses for $350)
Step into the vibrant world of bees, blossoms, and the golden nectar that connects them. This course invites you to explore honey from every angle—personal, cultural, ecological, and sensory. Participants will:
- Understand how honey bee colonies are structured and the seasonal rhythms of beekeeping
- Follow nectar’s transformation into honey and explore key chemical factors such as sugars, water content, and crystallization
- Learn the essential role of pollen in bee nutrition, honey identity, and agricultural forensics
- Examine the honey bee’s (and native bees) importance to agriculture and ecosystems
- Sharpen your senses as you taste varietal honeys and observe their unique flavor profiles, aromas, colors and textures
Includes refreshments, snacks and 15% off purchases in The HIVE Tasting Room & Kitchen during your visit
The Science of Mead Tasting: Sunday, January 31, 9am-3:00pm
Registration: $200 (Discount: Participate in both courses for $350)
Discover how the alchemy of honey and fermentation comes together in one of the world’s oldest—and fastest-growing—beverages: mead. This course introduces the chemistry that makes honey the perfect foundation for fermentation, then walks you through the essentials of yeast, sugars, enzymes, and alcohol formation. Participants will:
- Learn how sanitation, brewing techniques, and bottling practices impact mead’s flavor, quality, and character
- Trace mead’s cultural journey from ancient traditions to its modern global revival
- Explore major mead styles and understand what makes each unique
- Participate in a guided tasting that connects key course information
- Discover food pairings that complement and elevate each mead style
Includes lunch from The HIVE Tasting Room & Kitchen plus 15% off all purchases during your visit
Instructors
- Dr. Elina L. Niño, Professor of Apiculture, UC Davis
- Ken Schramm, Founder/Owner, Schramm’s Mead
- Amina Harris, Queen Bee, Z Specialty Food / The HIVE
- Lucy Joseph, Fermentation Expert, Ferminkasi
- Matt Ford, Food Science & Technology, UC Davis
- Wendy Mather, Co-Manager, CA Master Beekeeper Program
- Shoshana Zeldner, Director of Brand Strategy, Z Specialty Food / The HIVE
- Mark Carlson, CA Master Beekeeper
