Review of Meads

Normally, beer is my fermented beverage of choice. But variety is good. So, I made a mead about a year ago, and let it age for some time, splitting it up into a "traditional" batch and a "fruit" batch. Since it was my first attempt at this beverage and I wanted to keep my costs down, I used mainly ingredients from Costco, with the expectation of making a drinkable but not great product. Here are my tasting notes, although I've been consuming this product slowly since maybe June 2014.

Traditional Mead
Appearance: Translucent light yellow. Crystal clear.

Aroma: White wine like. Floral, sweet, not completely like honey. Prominent but not intense. Some alcohol in the nose.

Taste: Initial taste is like the nose: sweet, floral, white wine. The honey comes in later, while definitely there it lacks the very strong taste of pure honey. Alcohol notes in the finish but fortunately it doesn't have a nasty alcohol burn.

Mouthfeel: Body is medium to medium full, smooth. Zero carbonation. Sweetness adds to perception of body.

Overall: A pretty wine-like mead, with subdued honey characteristics and medium-low sweetness. Pleasant, but I wish it had more of a distinct



Fruit Mead
Appearance: Crystal clear red, almost purple color.

Aroma: Huge sweet fruit aroma. Mainly raspberries but perhaps some darker fruits like blackberries. Honey aroma is overpowered by the fruit.

Taste: Fruity, but less so than the nose. I get a definite tannic quality from the skins of the fruits, which helps to give the mead a dry red-wine like character. Sweetness is lower than in the traditional mead. Sadly I really don't get much if any honey character. Alcohol is muted by the strong taste of the fruit and tannins.

Mouthfeel: Medium to full. Tannins give it some body. Zero carbonation. Leaves a tannic-dry aftertaste.

Overall: Pleasant, wine-like mead with an interesting mix of fruit and tannic. Lacks significant honey taste or aroma.

Overall
Next time I make mead, I think I will use better quality honey and yeast specifically made for mead. These drinks are tasty but are too wine like in my view.