Tag: mead

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Mead Review – Two from Nectar Creek

I am known to be ambi-beverage-ous so I was happy to receive two mega meads from Nectar Creek. Both Super. Mure and Cyser.

Starting with the Super Cyser, which looks a bit like honey in my glencairn. The aroma is apple-y and not sweet. The honey comes on strong in the first sip. But the apple is not far behind at all. A bit slick on the tongue but not in a cloying way. For something that is 14%, it is not super bitey.

The SM with blackberry has a more pronounced aroma. Berry comes through for sure. This one tastes way sweeter to me. I get sugar, then blackberry, then a smidge of honey. I do like the berry, it tastes natural and fresh. But this is the one for the sweet tooths.

Which one the casual mead appreciator would like comes down to sweetness tolerance. If you prefer dry then the Super Cyser is the choice, if you are looking for a dessert partner, the Super Mure is the pick.

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Super Nectar

Instead of going dry this month, I am widening my beverages. Not only N/A but ciders and now highlighting meads. Super meads from Nectar Creek Meadery.

Super Cyser: “Back by popular demand, Nectar Creek Meadery and 2 Towns Ciderhouse are proud to reintroduce Super Cyser, a regal mead from 10 years ago, breathing new life into this time honored masterpiece.  This warm, rich cyser is made with Pacific Northwest apples and local blackberry honey. Fermented and aged in white wine barrels, Super Cyser boasts a rich, aromatic profile, perfectly balancing the acidity of crisp apples with the sweetness of honey.”

Super Mure: “With a respectful nod to tradition, Super Mure revives the classic melomel style reminiscent of Medieval times. This royal nectar combines blackberries and blackberry honey fermented in oak barrels. It delivers just the right balance of tannin, oak character and warm honey sweetness. At a commanding 14% alcohol by volume (ABV), this indulgent creation offers a sensory journey that is nothing short of extraordinary.”

Reviews to follow later this month!

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Featured Review – Sting from Nectar Creek Mead

I have mini-dabbled in mead in the past year so when I got the opportunity to taste a Ginger Mead from Nectar Creek Meadery, I jumped at the chance.

Sting is from their core line-up and is described as, “Fresh ginger and pure Oregon honey combine for a sting of warmth and a tease of sweetness in this refreshing session mead.”

The big flavor here is vanilla. Like pastry shop baking vanilla. Ginger is kinda there. But this slightly bubbly yellow hued mead is big time vanilla. To me less sting and more pillowy. The honey has won this battle royale with the ginger convincingly.

Take away the ginger root on the label. Take away the name. And this is delicious. The pastry heads in attendance would love this. I quite enjoyed drinking it myself and would not hesitate to buy another mead from Nectar Creek. That is saying something because I look at media samples much harsher.

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Mead Review – Dune Bloom

Haven’t had a mead in maybe forever, so I had to remedy that situation with a crazy one from Superstition Meadery. When I say crazy, it is a Session Mead.

Well, this was certainly different. Right off the top, it is sweet. And if this is a Session Mead, I cannot imagine the sweetness of a regular mead. My next criticism is that this is not carbonated by any bubbly stretch. At least the prickly pear flavor is there in full force. Past that, I can’t say this is a gateway mead for me.

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1st Mead Review of 2019 – Kill All the Golfers

Starting with a Mead for 2019, I love Christmas beer gifts. Especially when people go off script so I was happy to see a B. Nektar bottle under the tree (so to speak).

Kill All the Golfers has tea and lemon. An Arnold Palmer mead.

Caddyshack gopher nod on the label for this Arnold Palmer-esque mead. Very sweet smell initially. Getting Concord grape and honey. No ABV taste per se. Love to get out of the comfort zone Christmas gifts. Haven’t had a mead in years so this is less review and more simple impressions. Thick lemon ice tea buried under this sugary grape note. Weird to see a nutrition label on the bottle. Very sticky on the palate. More lemon notes pop as it warms but not getting the tea.

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It’s Great (for cider and mead)

After walking a couple blocks away from the Beachwood/Beer Belly/Congregation triplex in Long Beach you find a couple blocks of quaint shopping area and on the corner, Great Society.
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Occupying a sunny and big space, GS is designed to separate out the outdoor seating area from the bar area, from a third seating option to the side out of sight.

The list of ciders and meads is quite impressive flavor wise (pears and peppers were spied) though it would be nice to see a wider range of cidermakers on the boards. Each producer seemed to have 4 or 5 ciders represented.
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The Smoked Pumpking cider from Tieton Ciderworks that I tasted was very autumnal though missing the promised smoke. More PSL than roasty.

This is a really nice change-up from craft beer.

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Mead in the LBC

Not just mead but cider too. Great Society has opened in Long Beach to serve up apples and honey instead of malt and hops to thirsty patrons looking for a change-up from non-stop IPA’s that dominate most craft beer taprooms.
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The options in Long Beach for fans of craft beverages is growing wicked fast.

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Portland brewery # 2 – Buckman Botanical

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Now, I have been to a fair share of Portland breweries and ale houses but the Buckman Botanical Brewery eluded my trained eye.  Part of it is that it is literally based in the back of the Green Dragon Pub.  It is also a not so advertised part of Rogue Nation and finding it on that website is no easy task.

I wanted to include it this month because they focus on the fringes and not on hops.  Apple, pumpkin, ginger as ingredients cysers, meads and braggots can be found from brewer Danny Connors.

I would add to my taster tray the Double Fruitcake Stout, the Cherry Cyser, the Fresh Hop Mead and the Rum Barrel Braggot but they also have IPA’s and collaboration beers that look interesting too.

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Skep n Skein

Olympia Washington was a great beer town. A certain roly-poly cartoon bear made sure of it. Now it is building back up again and a great place to visit is Skep n Skein.

A beer bar with a side focus on mead. Mead that they make! Hence the technical term in the first half of the name. A skep is a vital part of the mead making process. Skein, well that’s a knitting thing. (I think)