Got this beaut of a bottle from my one love, The Beer Engine. This was my first mead so maybe my analysis of this style is skewed, or not as well informed. First off, I LOVE the label, the bottle and the process of unwrapping this, my first mead. The bottle is maybe a half inch-thick gunmetal enamel with some serious heft to it. I honestly felt like a little girl at Christmas unwrapping a present she knows is going to be crazy awesome.
The color is a beautiful golden amber, unctuous against the glass like a thinner cognac. The aroma is so complex: honey, grass, a little musty like the inside of a hive or a dried up comb. The flavor is sweet, boozy with a silky mouth feel. Warmed, the flavors are even silkier. Talk about a winter warmer, the warmth down the throat relaxes the body and makes you want to snuggle down in blankets by a fire. It was pricey at $31 but I honestly believe it was worth it — it’s like having a snifter of warmed brandy only better, why shouldn’t we pay for quality? Simply because it’s another style of fermented alcohol — one of the oldest styles of fermented beverages — doesn’t mean it shouldn’t deserve the respect that Maker’s Mark enjoys. I think I just became a mead-head and possibly found my calling — a lady brewer of hard cider and mead.
Tags: Beckwith Orchards, brandy, brewers, cognac, Dansk Mjød, Denmark, hard cider, Lakewood, Maker's Mark, mead, OH, The Beer Engine, women
If you like the Viking Blood, you should try the Klapøjster Mjød; it’s a bit darker and stronger, with a deeper, more of a schnapps-like taste. Guaranteed to bring out the pagan in you…