Hi, im new to this forum. i am hoping i found my casual drink. i cant stand the bitter taste in beer so i was looking for something that didnt have that and came across mead. i have never tried it so im wondering what it really taste like. i see alot of post about sweetness. so im thinking it is doesn't have that bitter taste as with beer. i was reading that its the hops that make beer bitter. so im really looking to try this before i start brewing so if anyone knows where i can get some to try out in Des Plaines IL that would be awsome thanks in advance.
Looking for mead
- Thread starter goggin
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Welcome, goggin!
Mead can indeed be sweet, but it comes in many different flavors/varieties.
check out the following link to try and find a listing of a supplier near you.
http://www.gotmead.com/index.php?option=com_sobi&Itemid=44
If that does not work, try calling local wine shops or go online. There are many online distributors that have mead.
all the best.
Mead can indeed be sweet, but it comes in many different flavors/varieties.
check out the following link to try and find a listing of a supplier near you.
http://www.gotmead.com/index.php?option=com_sobi&Itemid=44
If that does not work, try calling local wine shops or go online. There are many online distributors that have mead.
all the best.
Or you could get some on the cheap: http://www.gotmead.com/forum/showthread.php?t=17260
and support a local gotmeader at the same time.
and support a local gotmeader at the same time.
Most meads that use just honey (no fruit or spices) are very similar to a white wine, and obviously the sweetness level varies based on the tastes of the person who made it, could be dry as a bone or so sweet it makes you gag.
I see your in Illinois..do you get to NE Kansas any? If so I could give ya a bottle of my first batch, it's a Semi-Dry mead..Honey, Water, Yeast and a little aging on Oak.
I bottled it on Christmas of 2010 so it won't be "ready" till May or June of this year...
As for taste, imagine a zinfandel with a different floral bouquet for a semi-dry mead. Taste of mead can be influenced by the honey used, the age of the mead and the post fermentation practice.
I haven't been making mead long, but I have been drinking it since 1980, mostly home fermented...I was into the SCA, AD&D and lots of Role Playing. We'd play AD&D while drinking Homemade Mead, Hard Cider and Wine. Good Times.
As for store bought mead..Chauncers is VERY sweet...a desert wine. Redstone Meadery has some good semi-sweet, semi-dry and dry meads. I have tried a few as my Daughter lives in Denver, I make her bring me a couple of bottles everytime she comes to visit..lol..
My experience is that most Liqueur Stores have a very limited selection of mead, if they have it, most likely it's Chauncers and is kept near other Sweet Wines.
Several meaderies ship, but some states do not allow alcohol to be shipped in that state. Check with the meadery that your interested in trying and they can most likely tell if they will ship to your home.
Good luck and happy Meading..
Mike
I bottled it on Christmas of 2010 so it won't be "ready" till May or June of this year...
As for taste, imagine a zinfandel with a different floral bouquet for a semi-dry mead. Taste of mead can be influenced by the honey used, the age of the mead and the post fermentation practice.
I haven't been making mead long, but I have been drinking it since 1980, mostly home fermented...I was into the SCA, AD&D and lots of Role Playing. We'd play AD&D while drinking Homemade Mead, Hard Cider and Wine. Good Times.
As for store bought mead..Chauncers is VERY sweet...a desert wine. Redstone Meadery has some good semi-sweet, semi-dry and dry meads. I have tried a few as my Daughter lives in Denver, I make her bring me a couple of bottles everytime she comes to visit..lol..
My experience is that most Liqueur Stores have a very limited selection of mead, if they have it, most likely it's Chauncers and is kept near other Sweet Wines.
Several meaderies ship, but some states do not allow alcohol to be shipped in that state. Check with the meadery that your interested in trying and they can most likely tell if they will ship to your home.
Good luck and happy Meading..
Mike
In Des Plaines? I'll give you a bottle of my Christmas Cyser (assuming you can provide proof of being 21). I'm up to my ears in it. It's pretty good compared to commercial stuff.
However, for commercial, you can find it at Binny's most likely. Just stay away from Bunratty, it's not real mead. www.binnys.com Call ahead to make sure they have it stock, but they list 20 kinds on their website.
However, for commercial, you can find it at Binny's most likely. Just stay away from Bunratty, it's not real mead. www.binnys.com Call ahead to make sure they have it stock, but they list 20 kinds on their website.
Oh, also, "Wild Blossom" is a Chicago based meadery. Never tried their stuff, no idea if it's good, but it's local. Binny's has it on their website. If nothing else, I'm sure it's a quick skip down the road to the shop to get it direct.
On the other hand, they don't post here like the awesome Mr. Dahlhofer, so perhaps we should not pimp them quite as much.
On the other hand, they don't post here like the awesome Mr. Dahlhofer, so perhaps we should not pimp them quite as much.
You and I must drink very different Zins. Here they are big, red, and loud--nothing like traditional mead but perhaps similar to a red/black fruit-heavy melomel. Although I did have a Zin at Balletto over the weekend that was rather light and spicy...
I was thinking that too, I haven't met a traditional mead yet that could be compared with a red wine at all really.
LOL, sorry guys, I was thinking of a white zinfandel, something like a Sutter Home White Zinfandel...
My Sister-in-law always has that around and like I said, my semi-dry mead reminds me of that, except it has a different bouquet and palate..replace the fruit of the white zin with the Honey and there ya go..
And I further said that there are many factors...I used D47 and that can impart and accentuate fruit characteristics...so...there ya go..lol Also different honeys can add different floral scents and palate to the mead...kinda where I was going with my post...
Enjoy!
mike
My Sister-in-law always has that around and like I said, my semi-dry mead reminds me of that, except it has a different bouquet and palate..replace the fruit of the white zin with the Honey and there ya go..
And I further said that there are many factors...I used D47 and that can impart and accentuate fruit characteristics...so...there ya go..lol Also different honeys can add different floral scents and palate to the mead...kinda where I was going with my post...
Enjoy!
mike
Haha, yeah I thought later that you might mean a rose of Zinfandel (aka white zinfandel), which does tend more toward the light fruity side.
Fun white Zin stories:
At Ravenswood (just outside Sonoma) they make a lot of Zin. Red Zin. One of their "slogans" is 'Zin is Red, Zin is Red, Zin is Red', usually in a tongue-in-cheek kind of way. We had gone there many times, and brought friends, since their quality was fine and they have a pretty good range of products and a nice location. However we were there once and heard an older couple (surely out of town, definitely had a British accent) ask if they carried any white Zin. The pourer flipped out at them, basically calling them ignorant moose for not knowing that Zin is a black grape and makes red wine. They left pretty quick after that, and so did we. [haven't been back since either, not a coincidence.]
On the other end of the spectrum was our first and only trip to Paraduxx (Russian River) which brought us a taste of their brand new Zin rose. The pourer (another one of the self-important variety, but not as belligerent as the Ravenswood guy) spent a good 5 minutes talking to us about how this was not a white Zin, it was a rose. Meanwhile we rolled our eyes waiting for him to leave; upon tasting it we concluded that yes indeed it was exactly a white Zin because that's what a Zin rose is. Sure taste the same. Also didn't go with the sad yellow "cheese" they gave us. [haven't been back since, also not a coincidence.]
Bottom line: if you want to gauge the quality (of service) of a Napa/Sonoma winery, ask about their white Zin.
Fun white Zin stories:
At Ravenswood (just outside Sonoma) they make a lot of Zin. Red Zin. One of their "slogans" is 'Zin is Red, Zin is Red, Zin is Red', usually in a tongue-in-cheek kind of way. We had gone there many times, and brought friends, since their quality was fine and they have a pretty good range of products and a nice location. However we were there once and heard an older couple (surely out of town, definitely had a British accent) ask if they carried any white Zin. The pourer flipped out at them, basically calling them ignorant moose for not knowing that Zin is a black grape and makes red wine. They left pretty quick after that, and so did we. [haven't been back since either, not a coincidence.]
On the other end of the spectrum was our first and only trip to Paraduxx (Russian River) which brought us a taste of their brand new Zin rose. The pourer (another one of the self-important variety, but not as belligerent as the Ravenswood guy) spent a good 5 minutes talking to us about how this was not a white Zin, it was a rose. Meanwhile we rolled our eyes waiting for him to leave; upon tasting it we concluded that yes indeed it was exactly a white Zin because that's what a Zin rose is. Sure taste the same. Also didn't go with the sad yellow "cheese" they gave us. [haven't been back since, also not a coincidence.]
Bottom line: if you want to gauge the quality (of service) of a Napa/Sonoma winery, ask about their white Zin.
LOL...love the stories Akueck....
Yea when I go to a vineyard/winery..I try not to sound like someone who knows anything. You get better service, and A LOT more free samples when you let them do the talking...lol. If I do say something it's usally like... "So how does this compare to that bottle there...aren't they both the same grapes??"...
There are a lot of vineyards around Kansas City and we have our favorites..but my wife made a mistake once of telling one of the places, and the owner, they we compare everything to a vineyard's Wine in Missouri...boy was that the wrong thing to say...turns out this guy lost at the last wine festival to the vineyard in Missouri....DOH!
Happy Meadin!
Yea when I go to a vineyard/winery..I try not to sound like someone who knows anything. You get better service, and A LOT more free samples when you let them do the talking...lol. If I do say something it's usally like... "So how does this compare to that bottle there...aren't they both the same grapes??"...
There are a lot of vineyards around Kansas City and we have our favorites..but my wife made a mistake once of telling one of the places, and the owner, they we compare everything to a vineyard's Wine in Missouri...boy was that the wrong thing to say...turns out this guy lost at the last wine festival to the vineyard in Missouri....DOH!
Happy Meadin!
hey guys sorry been super busy. mrmoocow i would love to give some of yours a try and yes i can provide proof of being over 21.
