Semi-sweet, carbonated mead that tastes like biting into fresh pineapples! Tasting notes similar to champagne, slightly bready with lots of pineapples and aromas of honey.
Local California sage honey, giving it a subtle earthy undertone.
Specs
Alcohol: 10.5%
Bottle Size: 500ml
Viking Mead
Tasting Notes
Sparkling, sweet mead, aged on oak for 6 months. Made with local meadowfoam blossom honey.
Drink like a Viking with our perfectly sweet and supple Viking’s Mjod!
Specs
Alcohol: 8%
Bottle Size: 500ml
From the Ashes - Raspberry Chipotle Mead
Tasting Notes
Sweet raspberry mead made with chipotle-infused honey! Bestseller - each sip is bursting with raspberries and finishes with a smoky heat.
Won Best in Show from the San Diego International Beer Festival in 2020 & 2021!
Specs
Alcohol: 8.5%
Bottle Size: 500ml
What’s Included
6-bottles:
2x Pineapple Dream Mead, 500ML
2x Viking Mead, 500ML
2x From the Ashes - Raspberry Chipotle Mead, 500ML
Case:
4x From the Ashes - Raspberry Chipotle Mead, 500ML
Batch Mead is family owned and operated by just three of us! (Derek & Danielle Busch and Danielle’s brother Bryan Kennedy).
At Batch Mead, we love locally sourced honey, apples, and other ingredients. We focus on small batches to keep taps rotating and deliver delicious meads and hard ciders.
We recently won a Silver Medal from the Sunset Wine Competition (2021) and Best in Show from the San Diego International Beer Festival (2020).
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, LA, ME, MD, MA, MN, MO, NE, NV, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
I was very happy to hear this was coming and get a bottle of the Viking Mead to rat. In case you don’t know me, I love sweet wines - including Mead and IceWine.
So first things first - the bottle is fricking sexy! All black and handsome, LOL.
I had heard about this place back when I lived in the Inland Empire. Never made it there and well, I moved, so this was a nice chance to try their product. When it comes to mead, my preference is sweet over dry and still over sparkling. I have had too many sparkling meads that think they are soda. This is not one of those. The sparkle does not over power the sweet honey taste. It is lower alcohol than any of the others I currently have, including a buckhorn honey from Healdsberg (Did I type that right?). I like that too because it means I can drink it like it was intended.
This product has an almost creamy mouthfeel and an interesting taste that I can’t tell if it comes from the barrels or the variety of honey is is made from. It’s not unpleasant and it compliments the distinct honeyness of a good sweet mead.
I bought a 6 pack, lol. will give away the raspberry chipolte to someone as that is seriously not my jam. had the package included one of their other yummy sounding flavors i would have gotten a case.
Oh and on their website they have a coffee mead. says New Orleans style - so sweet and chicory? Will likely have to give that a try because well, coffee?
All in all if you are a mead lover, want a porch pounder that is ot a rose, or just like to try new things - I ghily recommend this.
@Cerridwyn LOL. Get ready for more Kermit arm flailing labrattery, because I am also a big mead drinker and had all the feels looking at their website.
@Cerridwyn They’re all fizzy?
The Razz-Chipotle also sounds interesting to me. Never had mead before. I’ve had gueze (spelling?) in Belgium and it was interesting. Like drinking bread wine more than a beer.
And the R-C seems like a good pairing with some BBQ with any tartness cutting through the fat in BBQ.
@mike808 It depends on the style of mead. For example, spiced meads are often drunk warmed. However, for most meads, at least some chilling is probably preferable. I think the Pineapple Dream here was best after 3 hours chilling in the fridge. We also tasted it slightly below our cool room temp, and found it pleasant, but not quite as good.
@batchmead Thx. I was thinking about which of these could be dranked during the winter when it’s cold outside.
/youtube baby its cold outside louis Armstrong
I don’t drink mead; at least not in the past nearly 40 years now.
I did at one time, in the late 70’s thru mid 80’s, when I worked at the Northern (Black Point, Novato) and Southern (old Paramount Ranch property, Agoura) Living History Renaissance Faires. Good times then. We’d kill a keg of Guinness over a weekend and a case of Chaucers over the six week run, all consumed from pewter goblets made by a faire craftsman. Pure debauchery, yep good times indeed.
Well, there were a few bottles from WD and the old site more recently, and some Hidden Legend from Montana as well from here, but those were also long enough ago to not remember and don’t count either as I don’t remember anything about them for comparison.
But, despite trying to beg out of a Rat bottle, I still ended up with a bottle of Viking’s Mjod, with a good amount of ‘characters’ on the rather classy label I’ll associate with Old Language, I know not which, that arrived noonish today, Tuesday. Into the freezer for an hour or so when I got home to chill.
Initial pour, Casemates tumbler, light golden straw and too cold to have much nose, but there was some, and it was pleasant on the palate, with a bit of fleeting nuttiness. I should have immediately written notes as it’s now quite evolved while warming to all of 12°C.
Now there is floral honey and what seems to be some influence from the barreling. A bit heavy, not cloyingly so; but some effervescence here to provide some lift would be appreciated. Seems to pick up a bit of green apple but without any crispness as it continues to warm to around 18°C. Not sure how I’d drink this, food pairing wise, seems more of a cocktail pour. Not too sweet, but imo not enough acid to balance the sweet. Pair with what; fruits perhaps?
Tossed a glass back into the fridge and took it down to 1°C. I like this a lot better, it’s a bit more lithe.
So, that’s what you get from an old sweet Chaucers sipper from ages ago; not much…
Edit: Now that it’s launched, I see this was supposed to be sparkling, but not even a hint in the bottle I received when I cracked the crown cap. So that would seem cast doubt on any/all of my observations.
Add some sparkle and this just may really come alive.
@Cerridwyn never had either, but looking them up they may just work.
I’m not at all a fan of soda mead, but my bottle was really close to still, and definitely, for me, wanted to be ~cold~. Really appreciate it’s just 8% AbV.
Alice also threw in a bottle of the Strawberry Shortcake, but that went to a co-worker as his wife likes sweet strawberry stuff from Aldi.
@mike808 Mead usually cellars really well. I’m currently sipping on a bottle from a different meadery that dates to at least before the pandemic, and I think a few years before that.
Got an email Monday morning asking if we were available for last minute labrattery. “It is a mead,” she says. One word: YES.
We are a mead household. It’s certainly not all we drink, but we’ve got bottles from several different meaderies and often seek it out on menus when travelling. I was super excited all day waiting to see WHAT WOULD IT BE? Someone I know? Something new? What what what what what?
I jumped at the door when the UPS guy hit the porch and could not get the box open fast enough. What was it? An adorable bottle of Pineapple Dream from Batch Mead in Temecula. Wait, where? Never heard of them, but I popped the bottle into the fridge and waited for charming Leo to return from work so we could get to tasting. To pass the time, I made straight up nostalgia tacos, from a yellow Old El Paso Box, for the first time in maybe 25 years. I’ve had a craving. I didn’t even remember it was Tuesday until I was finishing up!
Plated up the tacos and opened the 500ml bottle, which has a beer-style closure, not a cork or screw bottle.
People, if we were to judge a lab rat offering by the speed with which the bottle was finished, this would be the all time winner. I swear, it did not last an hour. I had to grumble at charming Leo to LEAVE IT ALONE so we could do a second round tasting with it just cooler than room temp, for comparison. If he’d had his choice, it would have been a single serve bottle.
Okay, I know, you’re not here for our relationship tribulations, you want to know how it tastes. Here’s what charming Leo said:
Very light nose of pineapple, with hints of mineral/earth.
On the palate: The pineapple is in the foreground, but not overpowering. Hints of apple and maybe pear. Light/fine carbonation; not at all cloying or syrup-y. Slight bitter note on the finish. Best when chilled, but still very nice near room temperature. This stuff is yummy; the bottle will be gone before you know it.
And so it was, readers, and so it was. Gone before his tasting notes landed in my email.
I agree with him in this. I would say that while it might claim to taste like biting into pineapple, I found the taste fruit-forward, but almost more apple than pineapple. The carbonation makes it even lighter on the tongue, and not at all cloying. I too enjoyed it better more chilled, but it was damned fine either way.
If you know meads, I would call this sweet and fruit-forward, with a good balance of fruit and honey flavors. They don’t call it a melomel, but it drinks like one. Unless you like your meads dry, you’ll probably enjoy the hell out of this. It sounds from other lab rats as if this is the lightest of the three styles on offer.
If you are not a mead person, consider it akin to an auslese perhaps – sweet and bright, with the carbonation serving some of the function of acidity. I’m curious to taste the other styles.
@TimW With flat ones, easily. We often cork one and use it over a few days or a week or more.
The thing is, some of these are carbonated, and those are harder to store like that? I would worry they’d go a lil bit flat.
I looked back at the past mead thread, from 2018, and there were folks saying they don’t hold open bottles for more than a few days. In my experience, mead handles being open a lot more easily, if it’s still and not sparkling.
Here’s an easy and award winning Apfelwein Recipe (German Hard Cider)
Ingredients:
5 Gallons 100% Apple Juice (No preservatives or additives) I use Tree Top Apple Juice
2 pounds of dextrose (corn sugar) in one pound bags
1 five gram packet of Montrachet Wine Yeast
Equipment:
5 Gallon Carboy
Carboy Cap or Stopper with Airlock
Funnel
Directions:
Sanitize the carboy, airlock, funnel, stopper or carboy cap.
Open one gallon bottle of apple juice and pour half of it into the carboy using the funnel.
Open one bag of Dextrose and carefully add it to the now half full bottle of apple juice. Shake well.
Repeat Steps 2 and 3, then go to step 5.
Pour in the mixture of Apple Juice and Dextrose from both bottles into the carboy.
Add all but 1 quart of remaining 3 gallons of apple juice to the carboy.
Open the packet of Montrachet Yeast and pour it into the neck of the funnel.
Use the remaining quart of juice to wash down any yeast that sticks. I am able to fit all but 3 ounces of apple juice into a 5 gallon Better Bottle. You may need to be patient to let the foam die down from all shaking and pouring.
Put your stopper or carboy cap on with an airlock and fill the airlock with cheap vodka. No bacteria will live in vodka and if you get suckback, you just boosted the abv.
There’s no need to worry about filling up a carboy so full when you use Montrachet wine yeast. There is just a thin layer of bubbles. I’m able to fit all but 4 oz. of my five gallons in the bottle. Ferment at room temperature.
It will become cloudy in a couple of days and remain so for a few weeks. In the 4th week, the yeast will begin to drop out and it will become clear. After at least 4 weeks, you can keg or bottle, but it is ok to leave it in the carboy for another month or so. Racking to a secondary is not necessary.
It ferments out very dry (less than 0.999, see here) Apfelwein really improves with age, so if you can please let it sit in a carboy for up to 3 months before bottling or kegging, then let it sit even longer.
I’ve asked for Casemates to carry mead again, so with a little help from family in another state, it’s time to put my money where my mouth is. And soon, put my mouth where my mead is!
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations).
NV Batch Mead Selections - $20 = 12.50%
First off I will say that I am no wine-swigging rat! I am a king, and kings drink mead. And today powers divine have rightly graced me with a veritable bounty of the good stuff.
I rode in from the battlefield last night, eager to sample the spoils I pried from my vanquished enemies. The Cardboard Box Prince was not easy to best in single combat, but I toppled him off of his black iron steed with my lance (1) nonetheless. The fighting sapped my strength, and I needed a full day to recover. But tonight I am back on my throne, and so I commanded the kitchen wench (2) to prepare a royal spread (3) befitting the two bottles of exotic honey wine that would make up the evening’s entertainment for me and my men (4).
After sabering the top off of the bottle of “Pineapple Dream,” I took delight in its stocky, burgeoning vessel, before partaking in its beyond-the-sea taste. It is of a pale golden color, watery, and faintly smells almost a bit like…sugar, if sugar had a smell. Yet this is deceiving, as its taste is actually quite dry, as least to my palate. The first sip instantly reminded me of both the menthol and the eucalyptus ever present in what the potion master makes me imbibe when I come down with the fevers. The taste is almost like a cough drop, but the good kind. The pineapple is there, but it is as shy as a fresh concubine in the bedchamber. It feels exceptionally bittersweet (but it is sweet), and while there is no alcohol burn whatsoever, it does have some carbonation, and needs to be as cold as a Nordic winter night to be agreeable with the palate. It reminds me of a Greek retsina wine, or a sweet Vinho Verde, if such a thing were to exist. It doesn’t feel like it is made from honey, but I’ll take their word for it. I drank about half.
Having gotten a taste of some liquid debauchery, I decided to let go of all inhibitions and fully succumb to my royal temptations. And so I slammed the top off of the obsidian-colored vessel of “From The Ashes,” before dumping nearly the entire contents into my gilded stein (5). It pours an inviting light Grenadine hue, and the first sip reminded me of strawberries with a bit of sugar sprinkled on top, or to be more precise like when the juice runs off and the sugar is dissolved in it, and then you lick the plate (do not judge me, I will have you beheaded). But all of this with heat. Not a lot of heat, but enough for it to take center stage in the flavor profile if you take a big gulp. If you have ever eaten spicy chili chocolate, the intensity is about the same. It even has the slick, oily texture of sugary syrup. It is very sweet, and definitely does not hide the fact that it is made from honey. This concoction, I’d say, is perhaps better drunk entirely flat and at room temperature, as the paltry number of bubbles won’t miss a proper chill. The finish, like the end to a great battle (6), is slightly bittersweet, but you won’t really notice it, and the alcohol is completely obfuscated by the sugar and spice.
While the pineapple was refreshing, the heat and sweetness of the phoenix truly beckon. After finishing off the bottle, I commanded the master of coin to bring out a trunk of silver, and summon the merchants to my court. A voyage to the western territories will be undertaken (7), and my cellar will be topped off (8). The king decrees it (9).
(1) plastic stylus used to sign for the package delivery
(2) Alexa-enabled microwave oven
(3) a reheated burrito
(4) an A-Team wall poster
(5) Casemates wine glass from meh.com
(6) smack-talking some teenagers on the mic after a round of Call of Duty
(7) order for a single case placed using credit card
(8) cheap plastic cabinet from Target
(9) life portrayed in write-up* considerably* more interesting and extravagant than the real thing
@Winedavid49 Sorry, worked too long last night and then basically passed out. But today I could actually have some fun. And who knows, maybe a mid-way content refresh on the forums will actually result in an additional spike of interest.
Out-of-character, I’d rate the “From The Ashes” a 9.5 (I think there’s a reason why it won those awards), and the "Pineapple Dream” a 7. The latter isn’t bad, it’s just too herbal for what I’d associate with a sweet wine. People who like champagne would definitely appreciate it, for what it’s worth. I would willingly drink it occasionally, but the spicy stuff would be like an entire case purchase for me, if it were possible. Then again, from what people say, the third variant (the one I didn’t get) would also be a good fit for me. I preemptively purchased a case when the deal went live, and am happy with my decision.
@ShotgunX@Winedavid49
Loved the rattage, I’m not sure if I’ll jump in on this , maybe a 6 pack. Except for Port, I’m not a sweet wine sort of drinker. Maybe I’ll break it out at the next impromptu Axe throwing event. What could possibly go wrong? “(5) Casemates wine glass from meh.com”
Is there a way to purchase a stemless Casemates glass or two? I don’t see it on Meh, and I never got one via Casemates. I did lose my Casemates membership somehow a couple of years ago and had to get membership via Meh or MTee, I can’t recall.
@enville I do kind of wish that we could have more purchase options. Maybe a “build your own case” kind of thing. I would’ve gotten a 5-5-2 split, for example. And maybe more quantity options too. I would’ve bought a case and a half of this, but two cases would just be too much.
@irenegade The ABV is about that of a strong craft beer, so I doubt anyone will lose their toes, unless you pound like a few of these things.
I don’t think you can get the wine glasses anymore, unless they bring them back. They were sold on Meh when Casemates was launching. Maybe they can do another batch again some day, but they’re just simple stemless wine glasses, so you’re not missing out on much.
@irenegade Use a meh sticker instead, and make sure to chip and scuff the glass a bit for that “shipped by Pitney Bowes” look from the era before they switched back to using FedEx.
Happy Mead day! Just showed up and tossed a bottle in the fridge but noticed…
The raspberry chipotle is mislabeled - states its a 375ml instead of 500ml. Same size as the other bottle so seems I’m good just had me wondering for a minute in panic. Can’t wait to try it!
@KSchweitz It depends on which states the winery is registered to sell in so the list of states varies with each offer. CT is sometimes omitted as the cost of registering a wine in CT is relatively high for the winery
Have sampled all three. Definitely sweet, and no doubt this quaff is made from honey.
From the Ashes - definitely my pick of the bunch. Reminds me of Belgian Kriek, with a nice chili heat on the finish.
Pineapple Dream - Way too sweet for my palate. Finding the pineapple in this was a challenge for me. Just sweetness and fruit, but definitely not stone fruit or the mild acidity I expected with pineapple. It just seemed muddled to me.
Viking - This one was a tough one. I wanted to like it, but just couldn’t figure out how to enjoy it. It had a very nice floral nose, and very sweet. It was almost like drinking a wine made from honeysuckle nectar - it tasted like drinking a flower. So it definitely lived up to the description. But again, not really my palate.
I really wanted to like mead, being my first foray into the genre. It’s just not my thing. I’m sure the two I didn’t like are excellent representatives for mead and for what they set out to make. If anyone did like them or missed out, here’s your chance. I am keeping the From the Ashes, though. I can easily see myself sampling that some more.
If anyone is in the STL area, I’m open to offers for the rest of my case on the Viking and the Pineapple Dream.
I’ve got 3 of each (V and PD) left, and my cost is the case price of $12/btl for a rough valuation. Whisper me if interested.
Pineapple Dream Mead
Tasting Notes
Specs
Viking Mead
Tasting Notes
Specs
From the Ashes - Raspberry Chipotle Mead
Tasting Notes
Specs
What’s Included
6-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
$272.00/Case for 4x From the Ashes - Raspberry Chipotle Mead, 500ML + 4x Viking Mead, 500ML + 2019 Pineapple Dream Mead, 500ML at Batch Mead
About The Winery
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, LA, ME, MD, MA, MN, MO, NE, NV, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Aug 8 - Wednesday, Aug 10
Batch Mead Selections
6 bottles for $79.99 $13.33/bottle + $1.33/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $139.99 $11.67/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
Pineapple Dream Mead, 500ML
Viking Mead, 500ML
From the Ashes - Raspberry Chipotle Mead, 500ML
MEAD!!!
I was very happy to hear this was coming and get a bottle of the Viking Mead to rat. In case you don’t know me, I love sweet wines - including Mead and IceWine.
So first things first - the bottle is fricking sexy! All black and handsome, LOL.
I had heard about this place back when I lived in the Inland Empire. Never made it there and well, I moved, so this was a nice chance to try their product. When it comes to mead, my preference is sweet over dry and still over sparkling. I have had too many sparkling meads that think they are soda. This is not one of those. The sparkle does not over power the sweet honey taste. It is lower alcohol than any of the others I currently have, including a buckhorn honey from Healdsberg (Did I type that right?). I like that too because it means I can drink it like it was intended.
This product has an almost creamy mouthfeel and an interesting taste that I can’t tell if it comes from the barrels or the variety of honey is is made from. It’s not unpleasant and it compliments the distinct honeyness of a good sweet mead.
I bought a 6 pack, lol. will give away the raspberry chipolte to someone as that is seriously not my jam. had the package included one of their other yummy sounding flavors i would have gotten a case.
Oh and on their website they have a coffee mead. says New Orleans style - so sweet and chicory? Will likely have to give that a try because well, coffee?
All in all if you are a mead lover, want a porch pounder that is ot a rose, or just like to try new things - I ghily recommend this.
Good night all
@Cerridwyn LOL. Get ready for more Kermit arm flailing labrattery, because I am also a big mead drinker and had all the feels looking at their website.
@Cerridwyn
Which bottle, there are three?
Seems like the Viking’s
@rjquillin
Yes the viking
@Cerridwyn @TrinSF I LOL’d at “ Kermit arm flailing labrattery”!
So is mead something best dranked cold in summer or room temp and/or warm in winter? Or both?
I sense this could be an early sellout.
Especially since they’re pimping it today on the sister site, Meh.
@mike808
It is sparkling. So i would say cold.
To me you should only warm and mull a still mead
@Cerridwyn @mike808
And I would add, from the bottle I got, ice cold.
@Cerridwyn They’re all fizzy?
The Razz-Chipotle also sounds interesting to me. Never had mead before. I’ve had gueze (spelling?) in Belgium and it was interesting. Like drinking bread wine more than a beer.
And the R-C seems like a good pairing with some BBQ with any tartness cutting through the fat in BBQ.
I’m probably in for a case.
@mike808 It depends on the style of mead. For example, spiced meads are often drunk warmed. However, for most meads, at least some chilling is probably preferable. I think the Pineapple Dream here was best after 3 hours chilling in the fridge. We also tasted it slightly below our cool room temp, and found it pleasant, but not quite as good.
Pulled the trigger on a case. Didn’t want it to sell out before I remembered tomorrow.
@mike808
recommend keeping cold and serving all carbonated meads cold - From the Ashes is still and will taste a bit spicier if warm
@batchmead Thx. I was thinking about which of these could be dranked during the winter when it’s cold outside.
/youtube baby its cold outside louis Armstrong
I don’t drink mead; at least not in the past nearly 40 years now.
I did at one time, in the late 70’s thru mid 80’s, when I worked at the Northern (Black Point, Novato) and Southern (old Paramount Ranch property, Agoura) Living History Renaissance Faires. Good times then. We’d kill a keg of Guinness over a weekend and a case of Chaucers over the six week run, all consumed from pewter goblets made by a faire craftsman. Pure debauchery, yep good times indeed.
Well, there were a few bottles from WD and the old site more recently, and some Hidden Legend from Montana as well from here, but those were also long enough ago to not remember and don’t count either as I don’t remember anything about them for comparison.
But, despite trying to beg out of a Rat bottle, I still ended up with a bottle of Viking’s Mjod, with a good amount of ‘characters’ on the rather classy label I’ll associate with Old Language, I know not which, that arrived noonish today, Tuesday. Into the freezer for an hour or so when I got home to chill.
Initial pour, Casemates tumbler, light golden straw and too cold to have much nose, but there was some, and it was pleasant on the palate, with a bit of fleeting nuttiness. I should have immediately written notes as it’s now quite evolved while warming to all of 12°C.
Now there is floral honey and what seems to be some influence from the barreling. A bit heavy, not cloyingly so; but some effervescence here to provide some lift would be appreciated. Seems to pick up a bit of green apple but without any crispness as it continues to warm to around 18°C. Not sure how I’d drink this, food pairing wise, seems more of a cocktail pour. Not too sweet, but imo not enough acid to balance the sweet. Pair with what; fruits perhaps?
Tossed a glass back into the fridge and took it down to 1°C. I like this a lot better, it’s a bit more lithe.
So, that’s what you get from an old sweet Chaucers sipper from ages ago; not much…
Edit: Now that it’s launched, I see this was supposed to be sparkling, but not even a hint in the bottle I received when I cracked the crown cap. So that would seem cast doubt on any/all of my observations.
Add some sparkle and this just may really come alive.
@rjquillin
I could tell it was. Milder than some if the dry sprkling meads ir ciders i have had. But definely not still.
Wouldnt you drink it with scotch eggs or toad in a hole??
@Cerridwyn never had either, but looking them up they may just work.
I’m not at all a fan of soda mead, but my bottle was really close to still, and definitely, for me, wanted to be ~cold~. Really appreciate it’s just 8% AbV.
Alice also threw in a bottle of the Strawberry Shortcake, but that went to a co-worker as his wife likes sweet strawberry stuff from Aldi.
@rjquillin Very magnanimous of you sir to part with the Strawberry Shortcake…
Will these cellar until next summer?
@mike808 Mead usually cellars really well. I’m currently sipping on a bottle from a different meadery that dates to at least before the pandemic, and I think a few years before that.
Ohhhh yes, MEAD.
It’s on, people.
Got an email Monday morning asking if we were available for last minute labrattery. “It is a mead,” she says. One word: YES.
We are a mead household. It’s certainly not all we drink, but we’ve got bottles from several different meaderies and often seek it out on menus when travelling. I was super excited all day waiting to see WHAT WOULD IT BE? Someone I know? Something new? What what what what what?
I jumped at the door when the UPS guy hit the porch and could not get the box open fast enough. What was it? An adorable bottle of Pineapple Dream from Batch Mead in Temecula. Wait, where? Never heard of them, but I popped the bottle into the fridge and waited for charming Leo to return from work so we could get to tasting. To pass the time, I made straight up nostalgia tacos, from a yellow Old El Paso Box, for the first time in maybe 25 years. I’ve had a craving. I didn’t even remember it was Tuesday until I was finishing up!
Plated up the tacos and opened the 500ml bottle, which has a beer-style closure, not a cork or screw bottle.
People, if we were to judge a lab rat offering by the speed with which the bottle was finished, this would be the all time winner. I swear, it did not last an hour. I had to grumble at charming Leo to LEAVE IT ALONE so we could do a second round tasting with it just cooler than room temp, for comparison. If he’d had his choice, it would have been a single serve bottle.
Okay, I know, you’re not here for our relationship tribulations, you want to know how it tastes. Here’s what charming Leo said:
Very light nose of pineapple, with hints of mineral/earth.
On the palate: The pineapple is in the foreground, but not overpowering. Hints of apple and maybe pear. Light/fine carbonation; not at all cloying or syrup-y. Slight bitter note on the finish. Best when chilled, but still very nice near room temperature.
This stuff is yummy; the bottle will be gone before you know it.
And so it was, readers, and so it was. Gone before his tasting notes landed in my email.
I agree with him in this. I would say that while it might claim to taste like biting into pineapple, I found the taste fruit-forward, but almost more apple than pineapple. The carbonation makes it even lighter on the tongue, and not at all cloying. I too enjoyed it better more chilled, but it was damned fine either way.
If you know meads, I would call this sweet and fruit-forward, with a good balance of fruit and honey flavors. They don’t call it a melomel, but it drinks like one. Unless you like your meads dry, you’ll probably enjoy the hell out of this. It sounds from other lab rats as if this is the lightest of the three styles on offer.
If you are not a mead person, consider it akin to an auslese perhaps – sweet and bright, with the carbonation serving some of the function of acidity. I’m curious to taste the other styles.
PS: In for 6!
/buy --help
/buy
I guess that doesn’t work here.
/giphy cold-fascinating-conjurer
in for a case.
I’m new to mead and have a question.
Can you stopper a bottle and it still be good over the next couple days (like u would with wine)?
@TimW With flat ones, easily. We often cork one and use it over a few days or a week or more.
The thing is, some of these are carbonated, and those are harder to store like that? I would worry they’d go a lil bit flat.
I looked back at the past mead thread, from 2018, and there were folks saying they don’t hold open bottles for more than a few days. In my experience, mead handles being open a lot more easily, if it’s still and not sparkling.
@TimW @TrinSF
Agreed
Still also mulls nicely although not sure about the fruitier ones
@Cerridwyn @TrinSF thanks for the info! I might need to try a half-case…
/giphy wheat-skinny-koala
More mead, please! And maybe apfelwein in the future!
@ThatNateGuy
Here’s an easy and award winning Apfelwein Recipe (German Hard Cider)
Ingredients:
5 Gallons 100% Apple Juice (No preservatives or additives) I use Tree Top Apple Juice
2 pounds of dextrose (corn sugar) in one pound bags
1 five gram packet of Montrachet Wine Yeast
Equipment:
5 Gallon Carboy
Carboy Cap or Stopper with Airlock
Funnel
Directions:
Repeat Steps 2 and 3, then go to step 5.
Add all but 1 quart of remaining 3 gallons of apple juice to the carboy.
Use the remaining quart of juice to wash down any yeast that sticks. I am able to fit all but 3 ounces of apple juice into a 5 gallon Better Bottle. You may need to be patient to let the foam die down from all shaking and pouring.
There’s no need to worry about filling up a carboy so full when you use Montrachet wine yeast. There is just a thin layer of bubbles. I’m able to fit all but 4 oz. of my five gallons in the bottle. Ferment at room temperature.
It will become cloudy in a couple of days and remain so for a few weeks. In the 4th week, the yeast will begin to drop out and it will become clear. After at least 4 weeks, you can keg or bottle, but it is ok to leave it in the carboy for another month or so. Racking to a secondary is not necessary.
It ferments out very dry (less than 0.999, see here) Apfelwein really improves with age, so if you can please let it sit in a carboy for up to 3 months before bottling or kegging, then let it sit even longer.
@kawichris650 the ascorbic acid in jarred/bottled apple juice doesn’t mess with fermentation?
@radiolysis
I didn’t have any issues. This link talks about that in detail.
https://homekitchentalk.com/can-you-ferment-apple-juice-with-ascorbic-acid/
Ok, had to try
I’ve asked for Casemates to carry mead again, so with a little help from family in another state, it’s time to put my money where my mouth is. And soon, put my mouth where my mead is!
/image raunchy-euphoric-flock
No shipping to Tennessee? That makes me sad
@deepseameh they are working on getting that license. i think we’ll do a few of these this year (different flavors). please keep an eye out.
@deepseameh @Winedavid49
Saweeeeeeeet
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations).
NV Batch Mead Selections - $20 = 12.50%
/giphy windy-finicky-swordfish
First off I will say that I am no wine-swigging rat! I am a king, and kings drink mead. And today powers divine have rightly graced me with a veritable bounty of the good stuff.
I rode in from the battlefield last night, eager to sample the spoils I pried from my vanquished enemies. The Cardboard Box Prince was not easy to best in single combat, but I toppled him off of his black iron steed with my lance (1) nonetheless. The fighting sapped my strength, and I needed a full day to recover. But tonight I am back on my throne, and so I commanded the kitchen wench (2) to prepare a royal spread (3) befitting the two bottles of exotic honey wine that would make up the evening’s entertainment for me and my men (4).
After sabering the top off of the bottle of “Pineapple Dream,” I took delight in its stocky, burgeoning vessel, before partaking in its beyond-the-sea taste. It is of a pale golden color, watery, and faintly smells almost a bit like…sugar, if sugar had a smell. Yet this is deceiving, as its taste is actually quite dry, as least to my palate. The first sip instantly reminded me of both the menthol and the eucalyptus ever present in what the potion master makes me imbibe when I come down with the fevers. The taste is almost like a cough drop, but the good kind. The pineapple is there, but it is as shy as a fresh concubine in the bedchamber. It feels exceptionally bittersweet (but it is sweet), and while there is no alcohol burn whatsoever, it does have some carbonation, and needs to be as cold as a Nordic winter night to be agreeable with the palate. It reminds me of a Greek retsina wine, or a sweet Vinho Verde, if such a thing were to exist. It doesn’t feel like it is made from honey, but I’ll take their word for it. I drank about half.
Having gotten a taste of some liquid debauchery, I decided to let go of all inhibitions and fully succumb to my royal temptations. And so I slammed the top off of the obsidian-colored vessel of “From The Ashes,” before dumping nearly the entire contents into my gilded stein (5). It pours an inviting light Grenadine hue, and the first sip reminded me of strawberries with a bit of sugar sprinkled on top, or to be more precise like when the juice runs off and the sugar is dissolved in it, and then you lick the plate (do not judge me, I will have you beheaded). But all of this with heat. Not a lot of heat, but enough for it to take center stage in the flavor profile if you take a big gulp. If you have ever eaten spicy chili chocolate, the intensity is about the same. It even has the slick, oily texture of sugary syrup. It is very sweet, and definitely does not hide the fact that it is made from honey. This concoction, I’d say, is perhaps better drunk entirely flat and at room temperature, as the paltry number of bubbles won’t miss a proper chill. The finish, like the end to a great battle (6), is slightly bittersweet, but you won’t really notice it, and the alcohol is completely obfuscated by the sugar and spice.
While the pineapple was refreshing, the heat and sweetness of the phoenix truly beckon. After finishing off the bottle, I commanded the master of coin to bring out a trunk of silver, and summon the merchants to my court. A voyage to the western territories will be undertaken (7), and my cellar will be topped off (8). The king decrees it (9).
(1) plastic stylus used to sign for the package delivery
(2) Alexa-enabled microwave oven
(3) a reheated burrito
(4) an A-Team wall poster
(5) Casemates wine glass from meh.com
(6) smack-talking some teenagers on the mic after a round of Call of Duty
(7) order for a single case placed using credit card
(8) cheap plastic cabinet from Target
(9) life portrayed in write-up* considerably* more interesting and extravagant than the real thing
@ShotgunX whoa, worth the wait!!
@Winedavid49 Sorry, worked too long last night and then basically passed out. But today I could actually have some fun. And who knows, maybe a mid-way content refresh on the forums will actually result in an additional spike of interest.
Out-of-character, I’d rate the “From The Ashes” a 9.5 (I think there’s a reason why it won those awards), and the "Pineapple Dream” a 7. The latter isn’t bad, it’s just too herbal for what I’d associate with a sweet wine. People who like champagne would definitely appreciate it, for what it’s worth. I would willingly drink it occasionally, but the spicy stuff would be like an entire case purchase for me, if it were possible. Then again, from what people say, the third variant (the one I didn’t get) would also be a good fit for me. I preemptively purchased a case when the deal went live, and am happy with my decision.
@ShotgunX @Winedavid49
You think so?
Well, yes it might.
/giphy glad-hateful-tongue
@ShotgunX Best rattage ever. Thank you for the chuckle. And I’m in. For at least one case. Maybe two.
@ShotgunX Oh, and Hail to the King, baby.
@ShotgunX dang, I had been resisting buying a second case, but your report edged, nay FORCED, me to succumb to another case.
@ShotgunX , I agree with the others, most excellent rattage your Majesty.
@Winedavid49, you might be onto something there.
/giphy obtainable-rapid-vinegar
@ShotgunX @Winedavid49
Loved the rattage, I’m not sure if I’ll jump in on this , maybe a 6 pack. Except for Port, I’m not a sweet wine sort of drinker. Maybe I’ll break it out at the next impromptu Axe throwing event. What could possibly go wrong?
“(5) Casemates wine glass from meh.com”
Is there a way to purchase a stemless Casemates glass or two? I don’t see it on Meh, and I never got one via Casemates. I did lose my Casemates membership somehow a couple of years ago and had to get membership via Meh or MTee, I can’t recall.
@enville I do kind of wish that we could have more purchase options. Maybe a “build your own case” kind of thing. I would’ve gotten a 5-5-2 split, for example. And maybe more quantity options too. I would’ve bought a case and a half of this, but two cases would just be too much.
@irenegade The ABV is about that of a strong craft beer, so I doubt anyone will lose their toes, unless you pound like a few of these things.
I don’t think you can get the wine glasses anymore, unless they bring them back. They were sold on Meh when Casemates was launching. Maybe they can do another batch again some day, but they’re just simple stemless wine glasses, so you’re not missing out on much.
@ShotgunX Thanks for the reassurance! maybe I’ll just slap a Casemate sticker on one of my plain Jane stemless glasses for my next rattage.
@irenegade Use a meh sticker instead, and make sure to chip and scuff the glass a bit for that “shipped by Pitney Bowes” look from the era before they switched back to using FedEx.
@ShotgunX hahaha! Perfect! Meh glasses!
Fuck yes! Mead! I’m buying a case, and regretting that I can’t really afford that (or I would be getting all the cases).
EDIT: No! I live in NJ and it can’t ship here. Damnit!
/giphy touchy-toothsome-insect
Haven’t had mead since the last Medieval Faire I went to, but I love the stuff.
in for one.
/giphy quiet-paranoid-breakfast
Hail to the King!
/giphy nameless-beautiful-skeleton
Thanks to @MarkDaSpark I got in before it sold out.
/giphy bronze-bubbly-martini
Happy Mead day! Just showed up and tossed a bottle in the fridge but noticed…
The raspberry chipotle is mislabeled - states its a 375ml instead of 500ml. Same size as the other bottle so seems I’m good just had me wondering for a minute in panic. Can’t wait to try it!
You have contacts with a place that makes cider, but didn’t sell cider! (got my mead today)
WTF? How come PA is now removed from purchasing? I just bought Mead but no Chard or Grig?
@KSchweitz It depends on which states the winery is registered to sell in so the list of states varies with each offer. CT is sometimes omitted as the cost of registering a wine in CT is relatively high for the winery
Sorry for the late reviews. Got a case.
Have sampled all three. Definitely sweet, and no doubt this quaff is made from honey.
From the Ashes - definitely my pick of the bunch. Reminds me of Belgian Kriek, with a nice chili heat on the finish.
Pineapple Dream - Way too sweet for my palate. Finding the pineapple in this was a challenge for me. Just sweetness and fruit, but definitely not stone fruit or the mild acidity I expected with pineapple. It just seemed muddled to me.
Viking - This one was a tough one. I wanted to like it, but just couldn’t figure out how to enjoy it. It had a very nice floral nose, and very sweet. It was almost like drinking a wine made from honeysuckle nectar - it tasted like drinking a flower. So it definitely lived up to the description. But again, not really my palate.
I really wanted to like mead, being my first foray into the genre. It’s just not my thing. I’m sure the two I didn’t like are excellent representatives for mead and for what they set out to make. If anyone did like them or missed out, here’s your chance. I am keeping the From the Ashes, though. I can easily see myself sampling that some more.
If anyone is in the STL area, I’m open to offers for the rest of my case on the Viking and the Pineapple Dream.
I’ve got 3 of each (V and PD) left, and my cost is the case price of $12/btl for a rough valuation. Whisper me if interested.
MOAR
I added them the cellar tracker.
2022 Batch Mead Pineapple Dream
https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=4436293
2022 Batch Mead From The Ashes
https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=4436291
2022 Batch Mead Viking
https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=4436296