Superstition Meadery releasing 4 new meads

Prescott, Arizona-based Superstition Meadery has just announced, via email, the upcoming release of four brand new meads. 

First is Electric Sunrise, which is a pyment made with Sangiovese grapes and wildflower honey. This is only the second canned session mead for Superstition and will basically be a one-off for when it’s gone, they will not make more. This carbonated mead comes in 16 ounce cans and is packaged at 6.5% ABV. 

Secondly, Superstition announced the first release of their brand new Contingency Series. Le Fey, a hopped pyment is bottled at 16% ABV in 500 ml bottles. Le Fey combines Arizona wildflower honey, white Zinfandel grapes and Barbe Rouge hops. As previously stated, this is the first release in Superstition’s new Contingency Series which continue monthly and “will be releasing small-batch products of curated creativity direct from the imaginations of [their] Superstition Mazers!”

Next is Barrel Aged Peanut Butter and Jelly Crime which will be bottled at 13% ABV in 375 ml bottles. Superstition took their Peanut Butter and Jelly Crime (blueberry mead with peanuts added) and aged it for 12 months in Double Barrel Aged Aphrodisia barrels. This is also a limited release so you need to act fast before it’s all gone.

Finally, we have Cha-Cha Shake. Bottled at 14.5% ABV in 375 ml bottles, this collaboration with Great Notion Brewing from Oregon is a mango, coconut, vanilla, and lactose mead with a silky and decadent expression of tropical flavors. 

All of these releases will be available at Superstition’s tasting room this Saturday, 2/29 (Leap Day). It appears that all but Electric Sunrise will be available in their online store on 3/3.

So make sure to swing by the tasting room or hop online and grab some of these meads while you can. Until next time, 

Hey fellow meaders, I'm back with another update of Caught on COLA - Mead. So let's see what sweetness the mazers have in store for us and get the latest buzz from the world of mead.

We start off with Melovino Meadery's Rhyme or Reason which is an apple cider mead (cyser?) with ginger added. Bottled at a very respectable 14% ABV, Melovino recommends you serve this one up chilled. Checking out their website, this is already available and can be ordered online here so make sure to check it out.

What do you get if you slowly caramelize a batch of honey, add in some roasted pecans and then toss in some cinnamon for good measure? Give up? I think I would call it some golden nectar of the days of yore. Melovino, on the other hand, calls it Gonzo Pecanzo and they claim they've "reached a whole new level of nutty." This is available to buy online here is in 500 ml bottles and is bottled at 13% ABV.

Our next mead is from Texas' Breaking Brew Meadery. Now we have all had hopped mead before and enjoyed the fruity, citrus favor that it brings the mix. But Catastrophe is a little bit different because they brought a mixture of five different hops to the must. Yes, I said five different hops were added to the must adding 100+ IBUs (International Bittering Units) and as you can see, this mead comes in at 13.4% ABV. There is no mention yet on the website of a release.

Does anyone not like peanut butter butter and jelly sandwiches? Well, I'm sure there are a few people out there who don't but not many. How about a PB&J mead? Hmmmm? That's a zebra with different stripes but there are a few meaderies out there that make them. Now we can add W A Meadewerks to that list with their Anybody Want a Peanut? mead. This sweet grape mead with peanut butter flavor is bottled at 12% ABV. I didn't see it mentioned on their website yet so I don't have a release date yet.

Last but definitely not least, one of my favorite labels is introducing an interesting collaboration. It seems that B. Nektar, from my home state of Michigan, has collaborated with Vicky Rowe of Got Mead and they have come up with Cherry Pi with Crust. Promising to bring the taste of sweet and tart cherries with a buttery crust, this mead is bottled at 12.5% ABV. I couldn't find any mention of the release on the B. Nektar website but I'm sure the release will be out soon.

And there you have it folks. That's all I have this week. Hopefully I'll have more for you next week so make sure you check back with me then. Until then, drink more mead!

Caught on COLA - Mead

Hey all you meadheads! Thanks for checking out Caught on COLA - Mead. I hope you will find some interesting upcoming releases today and if you do, please support the meaderies and grab a bottle or six. Now, let's see what's buzzin' cousin!

We are going to get things started, not with one, but with two upcoming releases from Superstition Meadery in Prescott, Arizona. The first label is for a hopped grape mead called King Lir which is bottled at 13% Alc./Vol. in 375 ml bottles.

Our second release from Superstition is Aperçu which is a 14.1% Alc./Vol. apricot mead that has been aged in new French Oak barrels for nine months. This release is a collaboration between Superstition and Rowley Farmhouse Ales. Both releases are listed on their website and are available in their tasting room. However, they are not yet available to order online.

Next we have The Colony Meadery with Momeado. This is not actually a new release but it appears to be a relabeling of one of their original releases. According to the label and their website, this is the mead that actually launched the meadery. This 13% Alc./Vol. combination of mint and lime is basically a riff on the mojito, hence the name, Momeado (Mo-mead-oh). You can find more information on their website and even purchase this release online.

Here we have three new entries from Mechalore Meadworks from Loveland, Colorado. Up first is Nowhere to Hide, Volume 3. This is Mechalore's traditional mead release that features changing honey varietals. Volume 3 features Star Thistle Blossom honey at its base and has "notes of mandarin oranges, earthy honey, hint of anise and an oaky vanilla & caramel finish that somehow reminds us of bread pudding." This mead is aged in oak barrels, is 9.8% Alc./Vol. and is bottled on the lower end of semi-sweet.

Then there is Mechalore's Patriots & Tyrants made with Alfalfa Blossom honey and registering 10.1% Alc./Vol. Added to the alfalfa is "a bounty of tart and fruity hibiscus flowers, tropical tea olive flowers with bright mango notes, fruity-spicy pink peppercorns, citrus-peppery grains of paradise and tart lime peel."

Finally from Mechalore is Epiphany and Soliloquy. This mead features Orange Blossom honey with orange peel and vanilla added. Bottled at 11.4% Alc./Vol., it was "finished just a hint over semi-sweet to accentuate the creamsicle-like character of the ingredients." None of the releases are mentioned on Mechalore's website yet but you can bet they will be available soon.

Now let's take a look at Dallas, Texas' own Breaking Brew Meadery that plans on releasing Honey Creek Golden Grail. This bochet is aged in bourbon barrels for three to six months and "has notes of caramel, toffee and vanilla." Weighing in at 13.5% Alc./Vol., this mead looks to pack a decent punch and is one that I am dying to try. There's no mention of it on their website and no online sales, so does anyone in Texas want to ship me a few bottles?

Well, that's all for now so let's raise a horn of mead and remember - drink like a viking! Skål!

Mead Review: Dansk Mjød Viking Blod

Several months ago, while reading up on bourbon, I came across an article about mead and it piqued my interest. So I started reading as much as I could about mead. The more I read, the more I wanted to try it. This lead me to hitting up all the local liquor stores in search of this divine nectar. I found a few different brands from a few places to start. One of the first stops was at my favorite store, Pour Vous, where I found Viking Blod from Dansk Mjød. Now being new to mead, I wasn't sure what to expect but I had read some good things about Viking Blod so I was excited to try it. I was not prepared for what I experienced but needless to say, I am hooked on mead!!!!

Now that we got all that out of the way, let's get on with my review. First, let me say that I am not a professional reviewer, a sommelier, bartender or in anyway associated with the alcohol industry. I am just someone who enjoys a casual drink and I like what I like whether it is mead, bourbon, beer or some other intoxicating elixir. So with the disclaimer out of the way, here is my review (opinion) about Dansk Mjød's Viking Blod.

Viking Blod is a metheglin labeled as "Nordic honey wine with hibiscus and hops added" and claims to be "based on a recipe from about year 1700." It comes in at a strong 19% Alc./Vol. but does not drink like it. It's bottled in a stoneware looking bottle (it's probably glass though) which adds to the experience that it's from days of yore.

Appearance: In the glass, we have a clear, reddish tinted mead bordering on an orange color. This mead showed light to medium legs... I'm sorry, with wine I think it's called tearing. 

Nose: The initial nosing gave a moderate honey aroma but then additional scents of possibly stone-fruit along with a floral essence (from the hibiscus maybe). I couldn't detect the hops or at least it didn't have that hoppy aroma to me.

Palate: My initial thoughts on the palate were sweetness and strong notes of honey but then I started tasting some floral notes with a background of the stone-fruit once again. The mouthfeel was creamy with a very light tannin quality that ended in a medium finish. Still no discernible hops to my untrained palate.

Conclusion:  Viking Blod is a really nice mead and like I said earlier, it drinks nowhere near its 19% Alc./Vol. which could be a dangerous thing. It has the ability to sneak up on you if you aren't careful. There is the obvious sweetness from the honey but it isn't cloyingly sweet. The hibiscus helps level the flavor profile some and though there are hops in there somewhere, I'm not for sure if they came into play. I know this won't be every one's cup of tea... errr, mead, but I think you should definitely try it if you get the chance. Just my thoughts.

Well, that's it for this time. Make sure to check back later for more mead (and bourbon) reviews. Until then, nunc est bibendum (translated: now is the time to drink)!