From ‘Suite Life’ to the Brew of Kings

Mead, the drink brewed from honey, is still somewhat obscure. Dylan Sprouse — notable for his role in “The Suite Life of Zack and Cody” on the Disney Channel and who is newly in the business of brewing mead — may be more well known. With Doug Brochu and Matt Kwan, he has started All-Wise Meadery in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, to attract an audience for what some consider to be the world’s most ancient alcoholic beverage, one that was supposedly quaffed by King Midas, on Viking ships, and, fictionally, in Tolkien’s Middle-earth. The meadery has just released its first bottles. Straw-colored, with a slightly yeasty meadow-fresh aroma, the mead is bone dry with hints of citrus and vanilla. It’s food-friendly and at 11 percent, lower in alcohol than many wines.