Just a brief list and review of some mead I drank this summer.
Brother's Drake -
Bergamot Blue- very tannic, sort of drinks like a somewhat dry red. This is a blueberry melomel, with spices added. They didn't specify what spices they used but I believe it was a bit of clove. Could be wrong.
I liked it but a lot of my friends thought it was too dry.
7/10
Honey Oak- dry wildflower traditional aged on (I believe) French oak. A bit too dry for my tastes. When I first opened the bottle, the oak taste was way too overboard for me. Super woody and really made it taste whiskey-ish. If you like that kinda thing, and love oak; this is for you.
6.7/10
1812- off dry, raspberry melomel. If I'm correct, they only sell this at the meadery now, but local wine shop had a bottle from 2012. This was a real crowd pleaser, all my friends liked it. A bit of a sweetness but not too much. Still had a bit of a bite. Almost a tangy, fruit punch like mouth feel.
7.4/10
Apple Pie- no surprises here. A pretty standard mead. A sweet cyser with mulling spices. A bit sweeter than I like but this is a real treat. The spices taste cleaner than a lot of mulled cysers I've had, which leads me to believe they made up their own blend.
8.2/10
Wild Ohio- Yes. So much yes. A semi sweet wildflower traditional, fermented with a wild Ohio yeast. This is their show stopper, in my opinion. Floral and powerful honey aroma, with a velvety yet delicate mouth feel. Like one of the most elegant white wines you've ever had. Buy this.
9/10
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Schramm's Raspberry honey wine-
I know, he's a legend and a pioneer and I respect that. But this just wasn't my jam. Taste more like I was drinking fruit juice than mead. Just way too fruity and tannic for me
5.8/10
Red Stone (it's either nectar of the hops or hop nectar) Oh, this was a treat. Off dry and lightly carbonated. I ordered this with a cheese board at dinner and was in heaven. I think they use wildflower and Clover honey for this. Not sure what hops were used but I could go for a slighty stronger hop flavor
8.5/10
Crafted and MadTree brewing collab- Braggot
I finally found a braggot! Two Ohio brewers come together to form something magical. A deep brown braggot with wildflower honey, spiced with cacao nibs, fig and chicory. I have never really liked a chocolatey beer. Ever. I liked this. The cacao nibs, malt and fig hits you first, with a rich, bold flavor. Followed by undertones of honey. Very light carbonation. Not sure if that's usual fair for braggots or not. I could use a six pack but a 16 ouncer by itself is $15
7.9/10
Brother's Drake -
Bergamot Blue- very tannic, sort of drinks like a somewhat dry red. This is a blueberry melomel, with spices added. They didn't specify what spices they used but I believe it was a bit of clove. Could be wrong.
I liked it but a lot of my friends thought it was too dry.
7/10
Honey Oak- dry wildflower traditional aged on (I believe) French oak. A bit too dry for my tastes. When I first opened the bottle, the oak taste was way too overboard for me. Super woody and really made it taste whiskey-ish. If you like that kinda thing, and love oak; this is for you.
6.7/10
1812- off dry, raspberry melomel. If I'm correct, they only sell this at the meadery now, but local wine shop had a bottle from 2012. This was a real crowd pleaser, all my friends liked it. A bit of a sweetness but not too much. Still had a bit of a bite. Almost a tangy, fruit punch like mouth feel.
7.4/10
Apple Pie- no surprises here. A pretty standard mead. A sweet cyser with mulling spices. A bit sweeter than I like but this is a real treat. The spices taste cleaner than a lot of mulled cysers I've had, which leads me to believe they made up their own blend.
8.2/10
Wild Ohio- Yes. So much yes. A semi sweet wildflower traditional, fermented with a wild Ohio yeast. This is their show stopper, in my opinion. Floral and powerful honey aroma, with a velvety yet delicate mouth feel. Like one of the most elegant white wines you've ever had. Buy this.
9/10
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Schramm's Raspberry honey wine-
I know, he's a legend and a pioneer and I respect that. But this just wasn't my jam. Taste more like I was drinking fruit juice than mead. Just way too fruity and tannic for me
5.8/10
Red Stone (it's either nectar of the hops or hop nectar) Oh, this was a treat. Off dry and lightly carbonated. I ordered this with a cheese board at dinner and was in heaven. I think they use wildflower and Clover honey for this. Not sure what hops were used but I could go for a slighty stronger hop flavor
8.5/10
Crafted and MadTree brewing collab- Braggot
I finally found a braggot! Two Ohio brewers come together to form something magical. A deep brown braggot with wildflower honey, spiced with cacao nibs, fig and chicory. I have never really liked a chocolatey beer. Ever. I liked this. The cacao nibs, malt and fig hits you first, with a rich, bold flavor. Followed by undertones of honey. Very light carbonation. Not sure if that's usual fair for braggots or not. I could use a six pack but a 16 ouncer by itself is $15
7.9/10