Highs in the 90s are expected in northern Arizona, but Arizona is expected to be even hotter. High temperatures of 115 degrees are expected in Phoenix on both Saturday and Sunday, according to the NWS.

Most UPS ground shipments from Flagstaff and USPS mail sorting are done in Phoenix. For one local business owner, this has caused a complete stoppage of ground transportation as a heat wave is expected across the state.

On Thursday, Evan Anderson, owner of Drinking Horn Mead and Mead Hall in downtown Flagstaff, decided to ship small batches of his honey wine only by air until the area cools down.

“Most stuff shipped by UPS ground goes through Phoenix and then somewhere else. The inside of a car can get very hot if you leave it out in the sun like you do, and we know people are paying a lot for our product,” said Anderson. rice field. “It hurts our bottom line…but we want people to be able to get the highest quality product straight to their mouths.”

Making mead is a delicate chemical process, and Anderson, a former fish biologist, enjoys the technical side of it.

“When you make mead in batch, the breakdown is controlled. Fermentation is just that,” said Anderson.

Anderson grew up keeping bees and knew the details of harvesting honey, but it wasn’t until her wedding that she started making mead.

“The word honeymoon actually comes from mead. You need enough mead to get you through your lunar cycle,” said Anderson. “I was romantically trying to make mead for a wedding. My family liked it so much that I thought this might be a job for me.”

Anderson’s first batch of mead was well received, so he tinkered with ancient recipes (many of which were maintained by English monks) in an attempt to find modern methods of producing shelf-stable mead. started. In the process, he decided that Drinking Horn mead does not contain sorbates or sulfates.

“Our first mead batch was a black cherry batch. We used sulfite because it was sort of the industry standard for keeping wine and mead shelves stable. I had to relearn how to do things, chemistry and math,” Anderson said. “If you add sulfites as preservatives to wine, you need to wear a rebreather, goggles and gloves. thought, “I don’t want these chemicals in anything I enjoy drinking.” We wanted a product that did not contain any preservatives or anything like that.Then we came up with our own method [of preservation]”

Anderson said the new system worked so well that he felt like he was holding a tiger by the tail. Drinking His Horn has grown in popularity over the past six years, and Anderson has cultivated a customer base that relies on delivery to fill cups and horns.

The problem is that while Anderson’s proprietary system produces a fairly stable product, at high temperatures the flavor profile that the Drinking Horn team has worked so hard to define begins to deteriorate.

“Our products are fairly stable at warm temperatures, but above 100 degrees, especially those with alcohol, can start to change flavors,” Anderson said. “People pay a lot of money to get a quality product. plug.”

The decision to suspend ground transportation was in the hands of Mr. Anderson as the business owner, a US Postal Service spokesperson told the paper. Arizona Daily Sun The choice that increases the chances of the product reaching its destination unharmed belongs to the shipper.

“The postal service does not have alternative methods for processing/delivering items that require a temperature-controlled environment. “For items that require cold chain or temperature control, the sender will take temperature control measures in the packaging and package,” said a USPS communications expert. Sherry Patterson said. “For shipping perishables, we highly recommend using Priority Mail Express or Priority Mail to ensure timely delivery. Customers are advised to keep their products cool, especially on hot summer days. In addition, any number of insulated coolers or containers sealed with ice packs can be used, with optional dry ice.”

Anderson’s team uses UPS and decided ground shipping wasn’t worth the risk. This means that you will miss mead sales during the dry days ahead.

Anecdotally, hot weekends aren’t just disrupting shipping operations for Flagstaff business owners, as mail and packages are routed through Phoenix. Visitors from the Valley are on the rise, according to Discover Flagstaff.

“Summer is definitely high season for Flagstaff, but we don’t expect much change this season in terms of demand. The warm weather in the Valley will definitely encourage visits to Flagstaff,” Discover Flag Staff Marketing and Media Relations Manager Lori Pappas said.

She said tourists from the Phoenix and Tucson markets are important economic contributors. Those traveling north to beat the heat spend their money at Flagstaff’s bars, restaurants, shops and hotels.

The challenge for Discover Flagstaff communicators is getting the fire message across to herds rushing away from the scorching heat of their hometowns.

“We are fully committed to responsible visits,” Pappas said. “Discover Flagstaff has worked extensively with fire departments to educate the market on fire safety and awareness of fire regulations. That is the educational message we send every day.”

That’s a message that Anderson especially stands for at this time.

“One year at a Celtic festival it didn’t rain. There was a huge wildfire and we were forced to evacuate during the Celtic festival, leaving all of our employees behind in a downpour. I had to,” said Anderson.

This weekend, his team will be pouring mead in 94 degrees at Fort Tuthill for the same event.

Bees, on the other hand, are very heat tolerant.

Anderson said he hopes the business will do well, even if Drinking Horn lasts a month without ground transportation.

“They need the hive to be around 95 degrees. If it gets too hot, practically all the females will fan because they are the ones doing all the work. [their wings] And when the hive starts to heat up, they work themselves to create an amazing amount of circulation within the hive. Bees make a loud noise when they chirp, so when it gets warmer, you can really hear the hives buzzing. ”

Humans are unlikely to follow the bee scenario, but the NWS has some tips to help you get through the warm weekend ahead.

During this weekend’s heat advisory, the Bureau of Meteorology is urging Flagstaff residents and visitors to drink plenty of water, use air conditioning, reschedule exercise activities for early mornings and evenings, and relax. They are encouraged to wear light clothing and keep in touch with relatives and family. Check to see if your neighbors are staying cool. NWS officials are also reminding Arizona residents not to leave children or pets in their cars under any circumstances this weekend.