Dylan Sprouse might still be best known for his childhood character’s eccentric antics. The actor played Zack Martin on the Disney’s The Suite Life of Zack and Cody. Sprouse, along with his twin brother, Cole, would constantly get into mischievous activities while playing one of the twin boys that lived in a hotel. Now, Sprouse has moved on from his days as an ambitious kid to a new venture that puts an interesting twist on his adolescence. In 2018, the actor opened All-Wise Meadery, a brewery that specializes in honey beers, in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
While Sprouse isn’t the first actor to step outside of the industry and become an entrepreneur (although he’s said he started the meadery to satisfy his passions, not for financial gain), his reasoning for doing so may seem a little surprising.
Dylan Sprouse entertains in a new way
Sprouse took a brief hiatus from acting to attend college and earn his degree. This isn’t uncommon, as many actors step away from the limelight to pursue other ventures or further their careers in other ways. Part of his brief separation from acting was the realization of two passions he’d had since he was on the Disney show.
For Dylan Sprouse, making mead was something he was into since he was a teen, and he wants to share his talent with others. “We want to bring mead to people as this new alcohol with an old history,” Sprouse explained about his company. He continued, “Unfiltered beers are big right now, but they’ve been big in Germany for centuries. People are approaching things differently, just like they are with their acai bowls.”
One of the reasons why Sprouse is so adamant about sticking to this new venture is because he wants customers to enjoy mead the way he does. The other inspiration comes from Sprouse’s religion, which is Heathenism. “I’m a Heathen. It’s like a German pagan thing, I’ve been that since I was 15 years old. The meadery at its very core was my brain child, so it has a lot to do with this Heathen stuff,” Sprouse elaborated.
The meadery is the culmination of his passions
Dylan Sprouse explained in a separate interview that his religion influenced the name of his company and how it ties into why he makes mead. “For me, and for many Heathens…I don’t think you ever really divorce yourself from your spirituality, what you are is your spirituality, and a lot of the times the things that I do are spiritual in nature just because I’m doing them,” the actor told Munchies.
Despite being a busy businessman, Sprouse has returned to his acting roots and will be in the upcoming film, After We Collided. The movie is the sequel to the romantic drama After. But it’s a safe bet that in-between takes, Sprouse will be spending his free time making fermented drinks for everyone!