Encyclopedia Dubuque
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Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
SCHLUETER, Brian
SCHLUETER, Brian. (Dubuque, IA,-- ). A 1980 graduate of STEPHEN HEMPSTEAD HIGH SCHOOL, Schlueter opened Moonstruck Meadery in Bellevue, Nebraska in 2011. Mead, a combination of fermented water, yeast and honey, had a history 3,000 years old going back to Europe, Africa and Asia.
Once a nearly overlooked business, in 2013 there were still only 160 in the United States. Along with the traditional mead, modern varieties included plum, cherry, peach, strawberry, blackberry, and blueberry.
The company, with awards for its product, had a goal of producing ten thousand gallons annually. Mead was distributed in 2013 to forty locations in Nebraska and about one dozen in Iowa. (1)
In April, 2017 Schlueter, president of Moonstruck, said the business would now sell mead produced by a company in North Dakota. The change meant Moonstruck could operate under a less-restrictive liquor license, possibly expanding to multiple locations in the future. The renamed Moonstruck Pizza & Beer would serve mead, tap beer and wine. (2)
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Source:
1. Swenson, Jim. "A Growing Need for Mead," January 2014 "him", Telegraph Herald, p. 23
2. Ursch, Blake, "Bellevue’s Moonstruck Ends Production of Mead, Plans to Rebrand," Omaha World Herald, April 9, 2017, Online: https://omaha.com/entertainment/bellevue-s-moonstruck-ends-production-of-mead-plans-to-rebrand/article_bc7dba65-0a0c-5306-bc77-1db5d553926c.html