Rogue Farms 19 Original Colonies Mead, 5.2% ABV, carbonated. 650 mL bottles. Ingredients: Rogue Farms hop honey, wild flower honey, jasmine green tea leaves, champagne yeast, free range coastal water.
Appearance - Medium gold in colour. Somewhat cloudy.
Aroma - Mostly smells of honey, with undertones of the floral hops and tea.
Flavor - Mild sweetness. The floral flavour of unboiled hops is very present, but doesn't bring much bitterness. The jasmine tea brings up the rear, rounding it out. There's a slight acid and mild bitter edge at the very end.
Mouthfeel - At 5.2%, the mouthfeel is thin and crisp. Comparable to a lager or a dry cider.
Overall impression - This is well-suited to my personal (and admittedly idiosyncratic) tastes. It's a mead that drinks like a beer. The sugar and alcohol levels are low enough that it feels like a session beer. I went out and bought another 8 bottles this evening, since this is the sort of thing the LCBO will carry for a few months before it vanishes. It's really more of a hydromel than a conventional mead. None of my friends were particularly enamored of it when I shared a bottle with them, but as I said, I have odd tastes. This is a quirky drink that isn't going to be for everyone, and really isn't what one expects from a mead. That said, I respect their use of their own honey and making the most of the byproduct of their beer making.
Appearance - Medium gold in colour. Somewhat cloudy.
Aroma - Mostly smells of honey, with undertones of the floral hops and tea.
Flavor - Mild sweetness. The floral flavour of unboiled hops is very present, but doesn't bring much bitterness. The jasmine tea brings up the rear, rounding it out. There's a slight acid and mild bitter edge at the very end.
Mouthfeel - At 5.2%, the mouthfeel is thin and crisp. Comparable to a lager or a dry cider.
Overall impression - This is well-suited to my personal (and admittedly idiosyncratic) tastes. It's a mead that drinks like a beer. The sugar and alcohol levels are low enough that it feels like a session beer. I went out and bought another 8 bottles this evening, since this is the sort of thing the LCBO will carry for a few months before it vanishes. It's really more of a hydromel than a conventional mead. None of my friends were particularly enamored of it when I shared a bottle with them, but as I said, I have odd tastes. This is a quirky drink that isn't going to be for everyone, and really isn't what one expects from a mead. That said, I respect their use of their own honey and making the most of the byproduct of their beer making.
