Drinking mead??

Meadaroo · Apr 18, 2011

Okay, so i've got a fresh batch of JAO in primary (followed the recipe 2 the letter this time

) & i was just wondering, how does one actually drink the delicious nectar?

Do u drink it like a red wine? At room temperature? Or do u drink it like a white wine? Chilled with a few cubes of ice?

Wht foods will pair well with JAO? Or is more like a dessert wine??

Also, presuming i'll b drinking it on my own, obviously nt trying to finish the bottle in one sitting - he he, how do u keep the stuff once opened? Do u refrigerate it? Or store it at room temperature?

Any help on these questions wud b gr8

Thx

K5MOW · Apr 18, 2011

Well I like the mead chilled.

Roger

ash · Apr 18, 2011

first of all: putting ice cubes in wine is BARBARIC

I like mine at room temperature. The taste can be very different so try what you like best.

I usually think of mead like an ancient drink. Back in the days there were no refrigerators so I like to drink it at the temperature it just happens to have but you're free to do as you like of course.

Medsen Fey · Apr 18, 2011

With an open bottle, I usually flush it with private preserve and use a stopper and keep it in the fridge. It will keep for a long time that way.

JAO is like a dessert wine to me. I like it best cool (not chilled), and I like it for sipping and with fruit and cheese. I will confess to also enjoying some with roasted chicken, but for me it is more of an after dinner drink. However, that is strictly my own personal preference and each person may find the right balance differently.

My suggestion to you would be to do a little experimentation - try it cold, cool and room temp. Try it with some different foods. See what your palate likes best, and post up your thought.

Edit - The ancients did have cool caves and cellars, and also had ice-cold springs and streams so I'm sure they were capable of enjoying a cold one sometimes.

mmclean · Apr 18, 2011

Try chilling the JAO a little, slowly sip while holding the class between your hands to slowly warm. This way you can find the point where you like it best.

I don't care for it a room temp (75-80F). It seems to improve at a few degrees above celler temp. (55-65F). Right out of the frig. seems to be to cold. Nix the ice cubes, blasphemous.

I had a bottle with home made hot wings (made with Tabasco Chipotle Pepper Sauce added to the hot wing sauce) and a cheese pizza (dipped in bluecheese dressing). Man was that good. ;D

Bottle in 12 oz beer bottles.

Gespacho · Apr 18, 2011

As for keeping it, I like to use a vacuum pump. At most homebrew stores, and some liquor stores, you can buy a wine pump with one or two caps that let you pump out all of the oxygen. If you get a good quality pump you can store the leftovers for a long time. Problem is my bottles don't really last all that long...

Chevette Girl · Apr 18, 2011

I'm a weirdo, I like almost all wines at room temp, I find if it's too cold I miss out on flavour.

The $10 on one of those little vacuum pumps with the vacuum corks was well spent in my opinion because I'm the only one who drinks and I should never ever under any circumstances finish off a whole bottle by myself.

I also tend to savour my JAO's as a dessert wine, but I'd recommend not trying to pair it up with anything too sweet, might be overwelming. I usually just have it AS dessert

I like it with a square of nice dark chocolate and I bet it would be nice with a cheesecake but I haven't tried that yet.

skunkboy · Apr 18, 2011

I prefer mine at about cellar temperature, mid 60s...

Meadaroo · Apr 18, 2011

Wow Guys!!

This has been super helpful -

Thanks everybody

I was also wondering wht JAO tastes like bt i read mmclean's post on another thread & tht definatly gave me a good idea on taste

Echostatic · Apr 18, 2011

I like mine after it's been in the fridge for a while. I heard mention of pairing with cheese. Any particular kind of cheese to pair it with?

akueck · Apr 18, 2011

Echostatic said:
I like mine after it's been in the fridge for a while. I heard mention of pairing with cheese. Any particular kind of cheese to pair it with?

Pairing what with cheese? Any mead? Sure, you can do it but it will depend on what the mead tastes like. ;D

THawk · Apr 19, 2011

Chevette Girl said:
I'm a weirdo, I like almost all wines at room temp, I find if it's too cold I miss out on flavour.

I think that's the reason why Guinness is served at room temp...

Personally, I like my mead chilled. Not super cold as that DOES drown out the flavor...

AToE · Apr 19, 2011

I like them based on their style - a lighter braggot I'll probably serve as cold as I can get it, and then enjoy the changes that occur as a large glass warms up over time. A darker braggot I'll probably have at a more medium chilled temp, not as cold.

My dry traditionals I generally like chilled, not all the way down to refridgerator temps though. Most of these are fine at pretty much any temp, different serving temps will bring out totally different characteristics though.

My big-red-mels I generally like at room temperature, though once in a while I'll chill them just a tiny bit.

Echostatic · Apr 19, 2011

akueck said:
Pairing what with cheese? Any mead? Sure, you can do it but it will depend on what the mead tastes like. ;D

Sorry, since the OP was referring to JAO, I was too.

AToE · Apr 19, 2011

I haven't found a mead that didn't play well with a wide variety of cheeses myself, but I'm a great lover of cheese and that may well have just over ridden any clashes! I'm certainly not good at pairing drinks with food, I find most things go well with most things (to a point, I like a more subtle drink with more subtle food, and loud drink with loud food! Beyond that it all seems to work in my opinion!).

crowquill · Apr 19, 2011

A couple of us just had a bottle of JAO last night, so I'll tell you what I did. The mead is kept in the basement which is probably in the low 60s now. I tend to prefer my meads at a little below room temperature but not cold. I serve JAO, and most meads, in white wine glasses but I use red wine glasses for dark melomels.

I really like JAO and this reminds me it's almost time to start another six gallon batch....

mmclean · Apr 19, 2011

Echostatic said:
I like mine after it's been in the fridge for a while. I heard mention of pairing with cheese. Any particular kind of cheese to pair it with?

I had some smoked Gouda with my JAO and they seemed to go well together.

Gespacho · Apr 19, 2011

I had some nice aged gruyere with my oaked mead sunday night and it tasted pretty damn good. The mead is pretty dry, and I enjoy it just below room temp. I stick it in the freezer for 10 or 15 minutes.

mannye · Feb 11, 2016

I like my JAOM at cellar temps (55-60F) and I find it goes best with very spicy or otherwise strong flavored foods like an eye watering chili or a thai coconut chicken soup but I like it best paired with smoky foods like pulled pork or a ribeye cooked over natural coals. Basically anything that's very savory and will complement the JAOM. Things with more subtle flavors will simply get over-run by the intense flavor of JAOM. I also like it as an aperitif in one of those tiny little tulip glasses AND as an after dinner drink in those same pinky-popping tulips. But my favorite glass for JAOM overall is a big balloon so I can savor that spicy aroma that's almost better than the flavor....almost.

pwizard · Feb 11, 2016

I like to drink my mead when I play Skyrim (that's what got me into this in the first place, since mead is everywhere in that game).

I usually chill mine and let it warm up a little bit before I start sipping. If it's too cold the flavors stay closed.

Drinking mead??

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