PHOTO COURTESY OF APIS MEAD & WINERY

Dave Cerminara’s journey with Apis Mead & Winery could be set to the tune of “Flight of the Bumblebee”.

In 2014, he opened the business in Carnegie’s Sterling Building next to Papa J’s Ristorante, churning out gallons of booze made with fermented honey. Less than four years later, a fire destroyed the historic structure, killing one and displacing 25 apartment residents.

Three months after the deadly blaze, Apis re-opened in the former Holy Souls Church on nearby Mary Street and added a kitchen, only to be shut down again by the pandemic.

Cerminara admits he spent many lonely nights sipping mead in his empty taproom, staring out of windows made to look like honeycombs.

Through it all, he’s tried to, ahem, bee positive.

PHOTO COURTESY OF APIS MEAD & WINERY

Last Saturday, five years to the day since the grand re-opening on Mary Street, Apis celebrated its 10th anniversary, which also happened to fall on National Mead Day. Hundreds of people packed the bar and patio to hear live music and drink the nectar of the gods.

Mead is one of the world’s oldest alcoholic beverages, with recipes dating back 7,000 years. It’s commonly associated with Vikings, who were rumored to drink the sweet, potent elixir from the skulls of their enemies.

Cerminara takes a decidedly softer approach to branding.

His longtime friend, Joe Deck, a fellow Art Institute of Pittsburgh graduate, creates all of Apis’s whimsical logos and label art that focus on flowers, fruit and honeybees. He’s decorated 70 meads alone, along with more traditional red and white wines. The only dark imagery associated with Apis is the black wax usd to seal all of the bottles.

Apis, which is the Latin word for “bee,” is one of the top meaderies in the country, ships to 41 states and is available on tap and in bottles at hundreds of restaurants and bars.

Cerminara sources the key ingredient from Bedillion Honey Farm in Hickory, Pa. and creates a range of flavors that are balanced, not cloyingly sweet like ancient Nordic-style meads, and clock in around 8.5 % alcohol by volume. From Green Apple, Mango Habanero and Strawberry Balsamic to Bourbon Barrel Pumpkin Spice and one liquified PB&J, there’s a modern-day beverage to suit every taste.

The taproom, which is only open to folks 21 and up, is also more laidback than its Valhalla-lovin’ competitors. There are pinball machines in the back and shelves filled with board games. On weekends, guests can enjoy a small food menu of smash burgers, beef brats, grilled cheese and charcuterie boards. Cerminara, who lives in the neighborhood, wanted to create a spot where you can connect with old friends and make new ones in the process.

Over the last decade, Apis has created a buzz in the industry, which is dominated by breweries.

Cerminara started his career in beer. After whipping up batches of fruited beers and India Pale Ales at home, he landed a job at Penn Brewery and parlayed that experience into developing his own business plan. Despite the risks involved (making mead is a time-consuming and expensive endeavor, leaving little room for error), he wanted to do something different.

He opened the meadery around the same time Pittsburgh craft breweries such Hitchhiker, Grist House, Brew Gentlemen and Allegheny City were opening their doors.

“I knew nothing about mead. I had never even tasted it,” he says. “I read a few homebrew books and went full-steam ahead because no one else was doing it.”

Cerminara pays homage to his beer brewing roots by collaborating with local breweries, offering several beers on tap and making a Hazy IPA-inspired session mead using Cascade, Mosaic and Zythos hops. It’s called Unoriginal and features a flannel-wearing, bearded billy goat on the label.

“I was told to be successful in the mead business you need a source farm and a killer spot to make it in,” Cerminara says with a smile as he gazes around the large, yet cozy, taproom. “I jumped in with both feet.”

Apis Mead & Winery is located at 206 Mary St. in Carnegie. Hours are 4 to 11 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday. It is a 21-and-older establishment.