Now serving mead, smash burgers on Lake Lorraine

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) – After researching multiple big cities in the United States, the owners of a Wyoming-based business have settled on Sioux Falls as the place to open their second location.

Big Lost Meadery and Brewery opened in Sioux Falls eight days ago right on Lake Lorraine.

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“And so we are a place that’s kind of an experience-based place. You can come get beer, you can get mead. Have an experience, overlook the lake, hang out on the patio,” Sam Clikeman, co-owner of Big Lost Meadery and Brewery, said. “All of our beer is made right here in Sioux Falls and our mead is made in Wyoming and shipped out this direction.”

Sam Clikeman started Big Lost Meadery with his brother-in-law 11 years ago in Wyoming. He says when they decided to expand, Sioux Falls wasn’t initially at the top of the list until they started narrowing down their market specifics.

“We looked at recession resistance, cost of entry, vitality of the hospitality market, growth trends, looked at cost of real estate, looked at laws and regulation, taxes, business climate,” Clikeman said. “And the more we looked into it, Sioux Falls just kind of kept rising to the top of that list.”

Big Lost didn’t make the move alone though, they brought along another Wyoming-based business — Ranch and Roost.

“We have smash burgers and we grind our own beef every day. It’s a combination of chuck and brisket so good flavor,” Kelly Cannon, co-owner of Ranch and Roost, said. “We have southern fried chicken sandwiches with fun toppings. A lot of great sides, hand cut potatoes, homemade sauces.”

Customers can order food at Ranch and Roost and get it delivered to their table in Big Lost. And in the summertime, that table could be out on their patio overlooking Lake Lorraine.

“Big Lost is this whole just concept where, without all the external stimuli that we have in our lives every single place that we go, it’s a place you can just go and get Big Lost,” Clikeman said. “Enjoy the moment for what it is.”

And for anyone who might not know, Mead is fermented honey and it’s the oldest fermented beverage in the world — pre-dating both beer and wine. Clikeman says their mead is somewhere between a wine and a spirit.