Huge Celtic tapestries hang on the wall with swords, shields, ravens, gothic knick-knacks and merch to purchase including the namesake T-shirt reading “Come to the Mead Side, We Have Honey.” On a recent visit, the shirt, which features classic "Star Wars" yellow print on black, was the outfit of choice for co-owner and mead maker Ben Chaney.
His gregarious demeanor is perfect for manning the pub they’ve built in a generic industrial complex. The meadery sits in the back through the dungeon doors. He is quick to point out, it’s a threesome that runs this spaceship.
“Co-owner Tamara Chaney is my wife and handles front of the house and finance and makes sure we pay our bills on time," Chaney says. "Amber Degiso is our other co-owner who takes care of our visuals, logos, social media, bottle labels and more."
Degiso has a background in media arts and previously worked on Broadway shows, Chaney says, noting, "she makes this place look lived in."
"The weapons and swords are from all of us,” Chaney says.
The Chaneys met Degiso at a party over 15 years ago. Another friend at that party was taking an introduction to mead-making class, which inspired Chaney's new hobby.
Wanting to learn more, Chaney enrolled at the University of California, Davis in 2017 to take a new hybrid class that focused on the technical skill of making mead along with the business behind it.
Scale and Feather's Avondale location opened in 2019. The name and logo were carefully thought out.
“We wanted to play off of D&D (Dungeons and Dragons)," Chaney says. "Raven feathers is a tip of the hat to Odin (God of war and death) owning two ravens that report back. Scale comes from dragon scales and gold from good dragons. Now it’s progressed into adopting the Phoenix as one of our birds."
Many of the flavors at Scale & Feather Meadery are inspired by customer ideas and suggestions.
Scale & Feather Meadery
"We’re in a lot of bottle shops and restaurants such as Kingman, Sedona, Tuscon, Tempe, Glendale, Scottsdale, Peoria, AJ, Flagstaff and Show Low is the next target. We can also ship out of state,” Chaney says.
Running the old medieval D&D tavern on his own on a recent Tuesday afternoon, Chaney explains the huge, blood-red blackout curtains are hung so you can come and forget where you are for a while and indulge in delicious mead.
For true fans, there are two membership options. The Fellowship is a yearly mead club, Chaney explains, where members submit ideas for new mead flavors. The meadery makes those flavors and everyone votes "Viking style," with stones put in horns. The top two flavors get added to Scale & Feather's lineup.
The Quest membership works like a traditional brewery mug club, where members get discounts on pours and bottles.
Throughout the week, Scale & Feather Meadery hosts game nights and other events. They're planning a party for May 4.
Scale & Feather Meadery
The honey is sourced from Sals Bees in Buckeye and various sized jars are for sale on a shelf in the pub. The best way to stay in the flavor- and game night-loop is to check the website and sign up for the email blasts, Chaney notes.
“Being in the industrial complex, we don’t get foot traffic," Chaney says, explaining the importance of the meadery's events. "We offer paint night, D&D nights where we run Deathnomicon, a friendly tournament with fun prizes and a huge turnout. We have bands every so often... and there is usually a gaming group on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday playing D&D.”
For all those "Star Wars" fans, Scale and Feather is throwing a May the Fourth party from noon to 5 p.m. that includes a costume contest, gift cards and merch giveaways.
“We’re hoping any and all the 'Star Wars' characters show up," Chaney says. "And anyone in a Wookiee costume in 110-degree weather may win."
