9-9-25 Tonight we're talking with Kris and Karen Pruitt with Kold Prairie Mead in Elizabeth, Colorado. They opened their meadery in 2022 and have been out there kicking it!

Kristopher Pruitt’s journey into meadmaking began in 2017 with an initial desire to become a beekeeper. Within a short time, his curiosity led him to explore mead, and on Thanksgiving Day that year, he and his wife, Karen, brewed their first experimental batches. Those early efforts quickly earned recognition, beginning with the Mead Free or Die competition and eventually included two Mazer Cups, Best of Show at the Domras Cup, and multiple medals at the Mead Madness Cup in Poland, to name a few of their homebrew accomplishments.

In 2022, the Pruitts founded Kold Prairie Mead in Elizabeth, Colorado. The meadery officially launched in 2025, with Kris stepping into the role full-time. Together, they also run 2BeeKPers, their small honey business. Both ventures reflect their shared passion for beekeeping, craftsmanship, and community engagement. Kold Prairie Mead has steadily grown its presence through festivals, tasting events, and partnerships with select liquor stores and brew pubs.

Certified through both the MJP and BJCP programs, Kris has judged and competed in mead competitions across the U.S. and internationally, including serving as Best of Show judge for the 2023 Mead Madness Cup commercial division.

Driven by a love for craftsmanship and community, Kris values the camaraderie of judging and the shared knowledge that connects meadmakers worldwide. When not immersed in mead, Kris and Karen enjoy traveling—whether discovering new experiences in Europe or exploring closer to home in their 5th-wheel camper—and caring for the bees, chickens, and cats on their property.

Join us to talk with Kris and Karen!

To listen live, you can find us on Youtube, Twitch, X (Twitter), and Facebook on the Gotmead Page. On our new platform, chat is part of the podcast! Just comment from wherever you are watching, and we'll see it!! If you'd like to call in, we can get you a link to come on!

Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/meadwench

YouTube: YouTube: https://m.youtube.com/@Gotmead

X(Twitter): https://x.com/RealGotMead

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GotMead

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/GotMead

JOIN CHAT ON DISCORD: https://discord.gg/4PEnAumq

Listen in! This player will show the latest episode:

Sponsor:

Look no further than Honnibrook Craft Meadery in Castle Rock, Colorado, for your go-to destination for wonderful, light, and refreshing mead! We have 20 meads on tap and four seasonal mead slushees. 

Go to honnibrook.com for review our tap list, upcoming events and to order online!

If you want to ask your mead making questions, you can send us a question via email, join to ask a question on the show, or via X @realGotMead and we'll tackle it online! The show runs from 9PM EDT/6PM PDT (United States) for about 2 hours.

To join live, you can use this link, and here are instructions on how to join in. Once you enter the waiting room, we get a notification and will bring you in!

Upcoming Shows

Show links and notes

Let There Be Melomels by Rob Ratliff

The Big Book of Mead Recipes by Rob Ratliff

Let There Be Session Meads by Rob Ratliff

Upcoming Events

Sept 10 - Savannah Bee Company, Greenville, SC - Mead and Trivia

Sept 11 - KingView Meadery, Pittsburgh, PA - Paz and Ukulele Eddie live music

Sept 12 - Brimming Horn Meadery, Seaford, DE - Mead n D&D

Sept 13 - St. Ambrose Cellars, Beulah, MI - Barn Dance 2025

Sept 13 - The Viking Alchemist Meadery, Smyrna, GA - Mead and Metal Artist Market

Sept 13 - Bumbling Fools Mead, Minneapolis, MN - Play Dungeons & Dragons: A Fundraiser for Six Elements

Sept 13 - Oregon Honey and Mead Festival, Medford, OR - Event by Cascade Girl Organization and Oregon Honey Festival at Eden Valley Orchards and Winery

Sept 13-14 - St. Louis Renaissance Festival, Wentzville, MO - Ticket includes 4 samples of mead, a mead flask and entertainment (festival admission separate)

Sept 14 - Furrows to Fences, Fond du Lac, WI - From Hive to Glass: Mead Making Basics

Sept 18 - KingView Mead, Pittsburgh, PA - The Honey Earners live music

Sept 20 - Texas Mead Fest, New Braunfels, TX - enjoy 8 tasting tickets and a keepsake glass.

Sept 20 - Andrews VFW Post 7620, Andrews, NC - Medicinal Mead Class from Gigi is from Nantahala and the Murphy Area Farm and Homestead Bartering group

Sept 27 - Starrlight Meadery, Pittsboro, NC - Mead Fest 2025 with CLAWS

Oct 4 - Four Brothers Mead, Festus, MO - Viking Festival - Mead on Main

Oct 4-5 - House on Willow, Adamstown, PA - Mead, Magic and Mystery

Oct 11 - Michigan Mead Cup, Brighton, MI - Competition

Oct 11 - Premier Prairie Gardens, Spring Hill, KS - Mead Making Class

You can buy mead online at https://shopmeads.com