The People Behind the Mead
About Us
Three people who got into mead for different reasons and somehow ended up in the same project.
Origin Story
How Rathaus Got Started
It started, as most good ideas do, at a terrible party. Keith brought a bottle of homemade traditional mead. Matt had never had mead before. Brendan had, but he had something to say about how Keith made it. By the end of the night, all three of them were arguing about whether meaderies could have the energy of a great bar, or whether they were all doomed to feel like Renaissance fairs.
They agreed: most meaderies felt like they were apologizing for existing. Too much burlap, too many fleur-de-lis. Not enough confidence. Not enough weirdness. Rathaus was their answer to that problem.
The name is German for "town hall" — a place where people gather, argue in good faith, and eventually reach consensus on something worth sharing. Or just drink together. Either way.
The rat? The rat is because rats are unfairly maligned, highly intelligent, and extremely social animals. Also they look great on a label. We respect the rat.
We're not licensed to sell yet. But we're getting there. Sign up below and we'll tell you exactly when.
The Founders
Meet the Rats
Keith Tallon
Co-Founder
Keith is the one who started making mead in his garage and somehow convinced two other people that this was a viable career path. He is extremely persuasive, which explains the flannel, the hat, and the fact that this meadery exists. He handles most things involving the actual fermentation and most things involving talking to farmers about honey.
Once won a bar argument about whether a hot dog is a sandwich by citing a 14th-century German legal text. He had it memorized. Nobody asked how.
Matt Hurliman
Co-Founder
Matt is the tall one. He brings operational sanity to a project that might not otherwise have any. Spent years in hospitality and knows how a well-run place is supposed to feel. His job is to make sure Rathaus becomes the kind of spot where everything works and nobody has to think about it. He also picks very good music.
Claims he can identify any honey varietal by smell alone. Has been tested. Has a 70% success rate. Insists this is basically perfect.
Brendan Rebbetoy
Co-Founder
Brendan is the kind of person who, if something needs doing, just does it. He is quietly the most organized of the three. He manages the side of the business that involves permits, logistics, timelines, and the sustained emotional discipline required to wait for fermentation to finish. His beard has its own gravitational pull.
Has never lost a staring contest with a piece of equipment. Has been told this is not a skill. Disagrees strongly.
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