New Kent County has earned a reputation for its wine country, and rightfully so — five tasting rooms across four communities make it one of the most accessible wine destinations in eastern Virginia. But just 35 minutes east on I-64, Williamsburg holds a different kind of pour, one that predates both wine and beer by thousands of years. Silver Hand Meadery, tucked into a storefront on Monticello Avenue, is Virginia's oldest meadery and one of the most interesting drink destinations in the Hampton Roads area.
Mead — honey wine — is having a moment. It's the oldest fermented beverage on earth, found in the mythology of nearly every ancient culture from Norse to Egyptian to Chinese. And yet for most people, a meadery is a completely new experience. Silver Hand has made it their mission to change that, one flight at a time, with a lineup that ranges from traditional oak-aged honey wines to playful dessert cysers that taste like blueberry muffins. For New Kent locals who've already visited every winery in the county, Silver Hand offers something genuinely different — and it's close enough for a spontaneous afternoon trip.
How a Touring Musician Started Virginia's First Meadery
Glenn Lavender spent twelve years touring the world as bassist and trumpet player for Downhere, an award-winning Christian rock band. When the band's touring cycle wound down in 2012, Glenn and his wife Sherri packed up their three sons and relocated from Cambridge, Ontario to Williamsburg, Virginia — a city they'd visited and fallen in love with. Glenn took a position with a local church, but the creative itch that had driven his music career wasn't ready to settle.
On a trip back to Canada, Glenn visited a meadery in the Niagara region and had what he describes as a lightbulb moment. Mead was virtually unknown in Virginia at the time, and Williamsburg — with its deep colonial history and constant stream of curious visitors — seemed like the perfect place to introduce it. He enrolled in formal winemaking courses at the University of California, Davis, widely considered the world's premier viticulture program, while Sherri began developing recipes in their home kitchen. In 2015, Silver Hand Meadery opened its doors as Williamsburg's first and only meadery.
The name "Silver Hand" comes from the Celtic legend of Nuada Airgetlám — a warrior king who lost his hand in battle and had it replaced with a working silver prosthetic. Glenn connected with the story of someone who loses something essential and rebuilds with something just as strong. It's an apt metaphor for a musician who traded a touring career for a completely different kind of craft. The meadery celebrated its tenth anniversary in November 2025, and the Lavenders' meads have since earned recognition from the Virginia Governor's Cup and other regional competitions.
Honey is the only essential ingredient in mead, and Silver Hand sources specific varietals from across the country for each recipe.
What Are the Best Meads at Silver Hand?
Silver Hand's mead list is organized by style — traditional meads, melomels (fruit meads), cysers (apple mead), and dessert meads — and each bottle carries a name drawn from song titles and lyrics. The tasting room offers self-guided flights for just $9, where you pick four meads from the current lineup and work through them at your own pace. If you're visiting for the first time, here are the bottles that have earned Silver Hand its loyal following.
Scarborough Fair
Rhodomel · 13% ABV
The crowd favorite — a rhodomel made with alfalfa blossom honey and delicately infused with rosemary and thyme. Inspired by Queen Elizabeth II's personal mead maker's recipe, it's floral, herbaceous, and surprisingly versatile. It pairs beautifully with cheese boards and summer salads, but honestly, it's the kind of mead you sip on its own just because it tastes good.
Caramel Apple Kiss
Dessert Cyser · 13% ABV
A dessert mead that tastes like autumn in a glass. Virginia apple cider meets blueberry blossom honey with caramel notes from barrel aging. It's sweet without being syrupy, and the finish is clean enough that you can enjoy it as an after-dinner pour or alongside a fruit dessert. One of the most popular bottles to take home.
Virginia Tonight
Traditional Mead · 13.5% ABV
A semi-sweet traditional mead made with orange blossom honey and aged 18 months in oak barrels. The name comes from a Downhere song — a nod to Glenn's music career — and the mead itself is a masterclass in simplicity. The honey varietal shines through, supported by subtle oak warmth. It's the bottle you reach for when you want to understand what mead 'should' taste like.
Muffin Man
Dessert Cyser · 13% ABV
A playful, delicious dessert mead that tastes exactly like a blueberry muffin. Made with blueberry blossom honey, Virginia blueberries, and warm baking spice notes from barrel aging. It's become a cult favorite among regulars and one of the meadery's most talked-about offerings. The kind of pour that converts skeptics into mead fans before they finish the glass.
Soak Up the Sun
Session Cyser · 8.5% ABV
A lighter, easy-drinking cyser made with Virginia apple cider and clover honey. Lower alcohol means you can enjoy a pint without feeling it — perfect for warm afternoons on the patio. Bright, crisp, and refreshing, with just enough honey sweetness to remind you it's mead, not hard cider.
Beyond the bottled lineup, Silver Hand's Mead Lab offers small-batch experimental meads on tap — rotating seasonal creations that don't make it into bottles. The Lavenders also host a honey tasting alongside the mead flight, where guests sample six different varietal honeys using a flavor wheel. It's an educational experience that deepens your appreciation for what goes into every glass.
What's the Atmosphere Like at Silver Hand?
Silver Hand's tasting room is modest in size but warm in character. Wooden shelves line the walls, filled with honey-colored bottles and amber glass that catches the afternoon light. A long tasting bar invites conversation with the staff, who are knowledgeable without being pretentious — they'll walk you through the mead-making process from honey bee to finished bottle, explain the difference between a cyser and a melomel, and help you find the mead that matches your palate.
The outdoor patio is the sweet spot on warm afternoons. String lights, planters, and a relaxed seating area make it feel like an extension of someone's backyard — the kind of place where you settle in with a flight and realize two hours have passed. The meadery sits on bustling Monticello Avenue in Williamsburg, about a mile from Colonial Williamsburg's historic area, which means you can easily pair a visit with a day of exploring the colonial district or shopping at the Merchants Square shops.
For military families stationed at nearby Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Fort Lee, or Naval Weapons Station Yorktown, Silver Hand offers something that feels both old and new. Mead has been made for millennia, but a dedicated meadery is still a rarity — there are fewer than 400 in the entire United States. Walking into Silver Hand feels like discovering something that shouldn't be a secret but somehow still is. It's an experience that surprises first-timers and keeps locals coming back for refills.
When Should You Visit Silver Hand Meadery?
Silver Hand is open seven days a week — 11 AM to 6 PM Monday and Tuesday, with extended hours until 8 PM Wednesday through Saturday, and 11 AM to 6 PM on Sunday. The late-afternoon and early-evening windows on Wednesdays through Saturdays are the most popular times, especially when the weather is good and the patio is open.
Guided tasting sessions are offered on Wednesdays and Thursdays at the top of each hour from noon through 6 PM, and on Saturdays from noon through 7 PM. For the most relaxed experience, a weekday afternoon visit gives you more time to chat with the staff and explore the full lineup without the weekend crowd.
Hours & Location
Getting There from New Kent
From New Kent County, hop on I-64 East toward Williamsburg. The drive is about 35 minutes and takes you straight through the countryside between the two regions. Take exit 234 for Route 199 toward the Colonial Parkway and follow the signs toward Monticello Avenue. Silver Hand is in a small shopping center just off the main road, with plenty of free parking in the lot.
It's the same drive you'd make to visit Williamsburg for a day at Colonial Williamsburg or a weekend trip — and pairing a mead tasting with lunch at one of the nearby restaurants on Monticello Avenue makes for a perfect afternoon outing. If you're coming from the Quinton or Providence Forge side, you can also take Route 60 east through the county to connect with I-64 at the Croaker exit.
Why New Kent Locals Are Making the Drive to This Meadery
New Kent County's own wine and cider scene is excellent — and regulars at Jolene, New Kent Winery, and Old School Cider House know that. But Silver Hand Meadery offers something that none of those places can: a mead-only experience that's unlike anything else in the region. Virginia has hundreds of wineries and breweries, but fewer than a dozen meaderies. Silver Hand is the oldest and most established, and it shows in the quality and creativity of every bottle.
For families looking for a different kind of tasting experience, Silver Hand's honey tasting is a genuinely unique offering. It's educational, interactive, and surprisingly fun — even for kids and non-drinkers. The meadery's location near Colonial Williamsburg means you can build an entire day around it: a morning walking the historic district, a lunch stop in Merchants Square, an afternoon flight at Silver Hand, and a bottle to take home.
And for military families who've recently moved to the area through a PCS to Fort Eustis or Langley, Silver Hand is one of those hidden-gem discoveries that makes a new place feel like home. It's the kind of spot you tell your friends about, the kind where the owners remember your name after a couple visits, and the kind where you leave with more than just a bottle — you leave with a story.
Frequently Asked Questions
What exactly is mead?
Mead is the world's oldest fermented beverage — essentially honey wine. It's made by fermenting honey with water, sometimes with fruits, spices, grains, or hops added for flavor. Mead predates both beer and wine by thousands of years and shows up in the mythology of nearly every ancient culture. Silver Hand calls their meads 'honey wine' for familiarity, and the tasting experience is closer to wine than beer — flights, tasting notes, food pairings.
Is Silver Hand Meadery pet-friendly?
Yes — the outdoor patio area welcomes well-behaved dogs on leash. The indoor tasting room is more compact, so larger dogs are better suited to the patio. Water bowls are typically available upon request.
Does Silver Hand serve food?
Silver Hand does not have a kitchen, but they offer honey tastings alongside mead tastings, and they often partner with local food trucks on weekends. You're also welcome to bring your own snacks or order delivery — the staff is happy to point you to nearby restaurants on Monticello Avenue.
How far is Silver Hand Meadery from New Kent County?
Silver Hand is about 35 minutes southeast of New Kent County via I-64 East. From New Kent, take I-64 toward Williamsburg, exit at Lightfoot (Route 199), and follow the Colonial Parkway area to Monticello Avenue. It's a straight shot with no tricky turns — easier than the drive to Ashland.
Can I buy mead to take home?
Absolutely. Silver Hand bottles all their meads on-site and has a retail shelf with their full lineup, including seasonal releases and Mead Lab experimental batches. You can also order online through their website for local pickup or shipping within Virginia.
