Saturday, the Drunken Smithy held a grand opening for a mead hall alongside existing axe-throwing and forging facilities at the Lebanon Valley Mall.
Customers enjoyed fresh-brewed mead while enjoying a live performance by Sweet Maple, an alternative folk band. Co-owner Greg Ramsey said that the mead hall plans to host performers every Friday and Saturday, with the possibility of open mic nights on Thursdays.
“We’re dedicated to having musicians Fridays and Saturdays,” Ramsey said, voicing a preference for what he called “eclectic” music, like an Irish fiddler who played the previous week. “We want interesting and fun.”
Golden retriever Honey Mead — one of two official smithy dogs — was happy to greet customers.
“We want an environment where people enjoy the dogs, enjoy the mead, and enjoy the music,” said Ramsey.
Ramsey explained that he met business partner Eitri Jones while working at the Milton Hershey School.
With Ramsey’s background as an artistic director and stunt coordinator at the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire and Jones’ history working as a metal fabricator, the two decided that for their third careers, they wanted to have as much fun as possible.
So the pair began forging at the Renaissance Faire, eventually establishing a year-round location in Palmyra before settling into their new work home at the Lebanon Valley Mall. They opened axe-throwing lanes in November 2023, with a workshop coming soon after.
A mead hall, Ramsey explained, was part of the dream from the beginning.
“It’s a wonderful, natural extension of what we’re doing here,” Ramsey explained, pointing to the business’s name and model.
Seating is spread both through the mead hall and partially into the mall’s large hallway, with a display full of board and card games for customers to peruse.
Proudly touting the Drunken Smithy mead hall as “the best winery in Lebanon County,” Ramsey noted that the business is the the only location in the county with a winery license.
He explained that the mead sold by the hall is “hydromel,” which has lower alcohol content than traditional mead. The current mead list includes D.S. Root Beer, Cherry Limeade, and Strawberry/Jalapeno as options.
Closer in alcohol content to beer than wine, Ramsey said the mead is ideal for enjoying a pleasant evening with loved ones.
Ramsey said he is committed to a fun, family-friendly environment at the mead hall, emphasizing that it is not somewhere to go to get drunk and that not all patrons need to drink.
The Drunken Smithy’s existing facilities, for workshops, retail sale of forged goods, and axe-throwing, continue in tandem with the mead hall.
Libby Jones, a copper-worker, said that “the classes, especially the blacksmithing ones, are the backbone of our business.”
Ramsey said he hopes the mead hall, as well as organized events like a Faerie Festival on April 26-27, will help to revitalize the mall.
“I’d love to bring back an environment where people want to come to the mall,” he said.
The mead hall is open 12 to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 12 to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, and 12 to 5 p.m. Sunday.
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