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Oliver Mead

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J

JKVirginia

NewBee
Registered Member
Jul 14, 2005
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Hi all! This is sort of my de-lurking post. I'm itching to cook my first batch up, and probably going to be handing Jason (of Jay's Brewing, the only local brew shop left in Northern VA :-[ ) a lot of my next paycheck lol

The first mead I tried that really got my attention, was made by Oliver Winery out of Indiana. I'd had the Chaucers (thick and over-sweet), and Bunratty (okay, but tastes more like honey-sweetened white wine than proper "mead" to me), and they left me a bit cold.

The Oliver is a whole different animal. at around 11-12%abv, it's a good deal weaker than it seems folks on here tend to make their brews, with a light body, pale-gold color, and distinctly "honeyed" bouquet. On the palate, it's semi-dry, soft, with still the dstinctive note of honey that seems to separate it from the Bunratty style. which was more vinous in flavor. The only complaint I might have (and this could be my palate, as I'm used to tasting wines for comparisons rather than meads, being as I work in a wine shop), is that the balance is skewed a bit more towards sweet. A touch of acidity might bring it into a tighter focus, but maybe not, either

Overall, short of the near-mythical Smokehouse meads (which I've often heard about, but not yet been able to sample), I would propose this is the best stuff on the commercial market in Northern VA

Anyone else tried it?

Jon
 
Thanks for posting JK! ;D

I had not even heard of this meadery! I'll have to make a trip up to virginia sometime and see if I can find some!
 
Oliver Winery "Camelot Mead" is available at Meijer stores in Michigan.

I have found that it varies wildly from absolutely terrible to acceptable.

When I first found it, I bought two bottles that we really enjoyed. My next experience with it was at the Michigan Renaissance Festivle. I don't know what happened to that batch, but I didn't even finish it.

I'll dig up my tasting notes...


Pale gold in color. It has a smooth light mouthfeel simmilar to a dry reistling. Strong bouquet of honeysuckle with a sharp almost acidic undertone. I'd call this a sweet mead and there is a distinct raw honey character to it. (My guess is that they ferment to dry and then backsweeten) The floral nose comes through in the flavor. The sharp undertone in the nose also comes through as a sharp almost bitter aftertaste.

I've bought probably 12 bottles of this mead, and it is an enjoyable drink in and of itself - but a bit disappointing after having made my own. In the worst of the bottles, it was very unbalanced toward the sweet with an almost overpowering harshness to the bitter aftertaste. I also found the sulphites to be at the taste threshold. The best bottles were really quite nice with much better balance and without the noted flaws in nose and palate.

Having made my own now and having observed how it matures with time, I'd say that the best of the bottles I'd bought had some time to age a bit before they hit the shelves. It might be well worth buying a few bottles of this to squirrel away in my cellar (If I can keep those darn cellar rats out of my stash...)
 
Apologies for the lack of clarity, GntlKnight... Oliver Winery is based out of Indiana.

On the other hand, Virginia *is* home to Smokehouse Meadery, a place I'm going to have to visit one of these soon days. Haven't tried their beverages yet, but I've heard good things. http://www.smokehousewinery.com/ourmeads.html

To tide me over until I get a batch of my own aged... anyone know any other operating mead producers in the NoVa/DC area?
 
I recently tried this mead (Oliver, Camelot) in MI during a family reunion.
In general, I have to agree with most of the comments here regarding the "it's OK, but nothing to write home about" attitude.

It was mostly clear, with a slight yellow tinge. A sweet (quite sweet, actually) mead. Alcohol is quite subdued, and so is the overall flavor profile. This is a super mild mead, with a little honey (clover & honeysuckle flowers) flavor coming through, and nothing dominant. I used some of this as a generic starting point at a family reunion for folks who had never had mead before. While no disliked it (except one who preferred dryer wine), everyone preferred one of my meads (I brought a semi-sweet traditional (002) and a semi-dry OB (005).

Eric
 
Meads like these are also good to keep around for topping off carboys. A small amount with a relatively neutral flavor compared to a good artisan mead works well -- easier to work with than marbles!

--
 
McFeeley said:
Meads like these are also good to keep around for topping off carboys. A small amount with a relatively neutral flavor compared to a good artisan mead works well -- easier to work with than marbles!

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Click to expand...

Dan,

Great idea for when finish off...er, I mean run out of my "residual in a soda bottle" that is supposed to be used to top off my carboys! ;D

Eric
 
Wow, I didn't even know they made a "mead."

I've had their Strawberry, Mango and Watermelon Harvest Flavors. I really enjoy their Strawberry. I'm going to ask if the local place can get some of the mead.

So now I'm going to have to investigate. Also, I never considered the topping off idea. I'm going to have to keep that in mind. The store that carries these local is only 15 minutes from home.

Laura
 
Bought a bottle, cause it was on sale, and everything of mine is aging.


Tasted it, first thought was "This tastes exactly like the traditional I have in aging" and I mean exactly, which I'm not sure is a good thing, given how young mine is :P
 
Just picked up a bottle of this the other day actually, was the only commercial mead on the shelf I've found so far after 3 decent sized liquor stores. Just moved to a new area so haven't found the go to places for my drink and brewing needs. Going to have to do some driving to get a better selection I think. Haven't tried it yet since I've been working since buying it, but I'll be off in a couple more days. I'll be starting a couple small batches of my own then too.
 
Well, I live in Bloomington Indiana, attend IU and woke up this morning to a dorm room full of empty forties and beers haha and also found an Oliver Winery Sangria bottle. I remember trying it last night and it tasting pretty good, and when i looked at the bottle this morning it said it was a Honey Wine! I was quite impressed, as I tried it again this morning as there was a little left. Very sweet (which I'm not much of a fan of), but it is a Sangria. Def worth the try if your into sweet drinks. And to know this winery has been in my backyard this whole time!
 
I tried this about a year ago. My oppinion is similar to everyone elses. I liked it, but I didn't think it was better than my own. It's only $10 around here, so I could see myself picking up another bottle if my supply was ever running low. I wouldn't mind having some empty bottle because there is a bee and flower shape on the glass.
 
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