GARDEN CITY, Idaho — Garden City has become a destination for breweries, wineries and other places to grab a drink and socialize. Now, a new medieval-themed mead hall is offering something a little different.
Noble Mead opened in March, bringing mead and braggot to Garden City.
For co-owner Anthony Duer, the business grew out of a hobby he started during the COVID-19 pandemic.
After moving to Idaho in 2024, friends encouraged him to turn his brewing hobby into a business.
WATCH | From home brewing to mead hall—
“Mead is just local honey, local fruit as much as possible, and you actually can be a little bit more creative in the flavor profile you can come up with,” Duer said.
Duer sources honey from producers including Panoptic Honey in Marsing and Treasure Valley Honey in Parma. He also uses Idaho-grown fruit when available, including peaches from Cherry Hill Farm in Canyon County.
Some flavors are produced in small, seasonal batches, meaning certain varieties may only be available for a limited time.
“I do very small batches, like 5 gallon batches,” Duer said.
Noble Mead's menu includes a range of flavors, including mango habanero and Marionberry, while seasonal offerings allow Duer to experiment with different fruits and flavor combinations.
The brewing process also varies depending on the drink. Mead starts with warm water, honey and yeast, while braggot incorporates more traditional beer-making steps before honey is added.
The hall is designed to be more than a place to get a drink. Customers can play board games and spend time in the medieval-themed space, and some visitors stop by before heading to AC Boise soccer games.
“Some few people, depending on how early the game is, they'll come in, have a drink before they either hit any other local pregame parties or head over the stadium,” Duer said.
Duer and his business partner, James, are also Marine Corps veterans. Duer served from 2009 to 2012 before transitioning into an engineering and manufacturing career.
Now, he is putting that background, and his interest in brewing, toward building a new business in Garden City.
