Golden Coast Mead

This small meadery was such a great find on my mead tour! Informative and delicious they really delivered and even had jewelry made with bees inside. Super cool place!

I recently got back into mead so I decided to check this place out. If you're a fan of traditional mead with its characteristic viscosity and sweetness, you might be disappointed. The mead served here doesn't quite match the norm. It lacks the expected thickness and sweetness, which can be a letdown if you're seeking that authentic mead experience. We brought two people with us who had never tasted mead before so I was disappointed this was their first experience since I didn't realize this isn't your traditional mead but more of a unique take on mead. However, if you're open to trying something different, you might still find enjoyment in their unique take on the beverage.
It's important to note that finding the place was quite a challenge. It lack of clear signage or directions to point you in the right direction made it hard to locate. It took me some time to navigate the area and finally stumble upon it.
Another aspect worth mentioning is how tiny the place is! Literally four of us walked in and already there wasn't enough room for the four of us. I think it can be a drawback for those seeking a more spacious and comfortable setting. Right behind us came a couple and it was clear it was going to be very tight for six people to be in there. I also found it to be very awkward that someone was sitting on the computer doing some office work in what is already the tiniest tasting room I've ever been in. Even if the mead was incredibly delicious, I wouldn't want to bring friends to try it because a group of four couldn't comfortably fit in the tasting room.
On a positive note, the staff was friendly and super knowledgeable. She was happy to provide recommendations and answer any questions.
My review is right down the middle at three stars because if you're expecting a traditional mead with the usual viscosity and sweetness, you will be disappointed. The location itself is hard to find due to poor signage, and the small size of the place wouldn't appeal to most. However, the friendly staff and her passion for the mead helped redeem the experience.

Mika was so friendly and knowledgeable. We had a great time tasting and chatting with her. The mead is priced very fairly. Not crazy about its lack of viscosity or the carbonation, doesn't taste as much like traditional mead-- but still good. Would like a bit more variety to choose from, and the space itself is a little small and hard to find. It's hard for me to imagine more than two customers in here at a time. Dog friendly! Looking forward to trying more mead from here in the future.

Stumbled upon this business' tent at an artisan market in Gaslamp quarter. They were offering 3 small samples for $5 so we decided to try it! We enjoyed one of the samples, the others were too try or sweet. However it was fun to try mead for the first time!

I like the place & I like the meads here too. I just wish this place was open more days of the week & that it could stay open later. The place has great meads, great service, & a very relaxing vibe.

Super friendly service! Micah was awesome! We are totally new to mead and have always wanted to try this place. We had such a great time and the mead was delicious. We are only giving a 4 because of the indoor atmosphere/decor was underwhelming. If you plan to come with a big group, maybe call ahead to make sure they space. Other than that, we very much recommend them for anyone who enjoys trying meads!

Loved this Meadery! We went yesterday and had a couple of flights and really enjoyed each one. We took two bottles home! Guy who helped us was super knowledgeable about mead and walked us through his favorites and explained the story behind a few of the meads. You can tell they love bees and the entire brewing process over here, highly recommend 10/10!

Located in Oceanside.

Friendly bartenders. Dog friendly. Board games.

Delicious meads with lots of flavor! They even had one with coffee which I was unsure about but it was pretty tasty.

I also saw them at the Little Italy Farmers market so if you do not want to drive all the way to Oceanside (I sure do not), you can find their booth there!

Ended up here because the original place we traveled all the way up to Oceanside for was closed, glad we did. Our bartender Micah was amazing. She talked to us both about mead and various other shared interests the entire time we were there. We got samplers of everything on the menu, as well as some off menu things too. Some of their meads aren't the best, but that's only because they seem to be more willing to experiment with flavors than other meaderies I've been too which means they ended up with some amazing ones alongside the not so great ones. Unfortunate how far they are but will likely be making another trip up.

The day we visited they had 7 meads to choose from. We bought the Groupon which included 5 and then we checked in on Yelp and Facebook which earned us two free tastings. So we were able to taste all meads available.

The hours on Yelp and the website indicated that they open at 12:00 PM. We arrived a few minutes before noon and waited until 12:10 but it didn't open. We called the number but it went to voicemail. The "we will return" sign on the door said 1:30. So we drove back to Carlsbad for lunch and returned a little after 1:30.

We enjoyed the tasting. We have been to other meaderies across the US and found more varieties and better ambiance. But for the price, this place was ok.

No food is served but Alexander said we were welcome to bring in our own food next time. Also, he reminded us that children and dogs were always welcome.

We bought two growlers and filled them with a sweet and dry. (#2 and #6, sorry can't recall the names). Total was around $80, which included the purchase of the bottles.