Thoughts on first glass of mead

First I'll go ahead and say that this was very first glass of any mead and it was a commercial version. (Redstone Black Raspberry Melomel) I actually have two seperate gallons of mead brewing in the closet now, but I jumped at the chance to try one when I saw the commerical version. It is dry and lightly carbonated. The honey flavor is definitely there on the back end. I can't stand any wine I have ever tried and even though this does have that smell I still appreciate the flavor. Is Redstone pretty typical? How does it compare to say a JOAM or other common varieties that everyone makes at home?

Personally I think redstone is crap. Your homebrew meads will be much better.

Still sounds better than the Chaucers I had, it was rough, tasted like a traditional about a week into fermentation, slaps you with almost syrupy honey sweetness up front and finished less than spectacular, very green flavor.

The only commercial mead I ever had was called Dumsday ( with lil dots above the u) my mom got it in England in about 88 and it sat in my moms wine rack till the year I joined the army 09'. It was literally the most delicious thing I've ever drank, even my wife liked it, I don't know what style it was but honeyed cider was it taste and real light in color with no carbonation. I could only dream of recreating it's splendor

bodhi86 said:

The only commercial mead I ever had was called Dumsday ( with lil dots above the u) my mom got it in England in about 88 and it sat in my moms wine rack till the year I joined the army 09'. It was literally the most delicious thing I've ever drank, even my wife liked it, I don't know what style it was but honeyed cider was it taste and real light in color with no carbonation. I could only dream of recreating it's splendor

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Well I can't state with any certainty, but all of the one's I found to try here, have been "dessert style" meads i.e. very sweet, almost syrupy. When tested, they had a gravity IRO 1.040 - to my taste that's too sweet. I like mine about 1.015 or thereabouts.

It probably tasted fine, because as you say, it had something like 10 years or so, ageing in the bottle........ (the 2 dot's above the "U" are just a marketing thing. It's a German thing and the accent of 2 dots above the U is known as an Umlaut - it means that the U is pronounced in a certain way - though whether it means that the Umlautted U is then pronounced OO or not, I don't know...... didn't pay attention in the German lessons at school - I'd have to ask one of my second cousins, they've both got German language degree's).

fatbloke said:

Well I can't state with any certainty, but all of the one's I found to try here, have been "dessert style" meads i.e. very sweet, almost syrupy. When tested, they had a gravity IRO 1.040 - to my taste that's too sweet. I like mine about 1.015 or thereabouts.

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I agree, I have yet to find a commercial mead I like.

I am especially not a fan of Redstone. I do find, interestingly enough, that now that I've tried what I would consider a good representative sampling of home created meads that they are far and away less sweet and tastier than Commercial meads (So far I have had Starrlight, Redstone --two varieties, Trybunalski--which was the best of a poor lot and B. Nektkar's Backwood's Cyser).

Is this because the public EXPECTS meads to be cloyingly/overly sweet and Meaderys are just producing to type? I can't imagine the vinters of a Meadery not knowing what "good" mead tastes like.



I would never buy another commercial mead if my life depended on it.

Until last year I had never tried mead, last fall our brewing club was invited to hold our meeting at a new meadery here in Columbus. All I can say is wow! I don't drink much wine but I enjoyed it more than any wine I had ever had.

Tyrone said:

I am especially not a fan of Redstone. I do find, interestingly enough, that now that I've tried what I would consider a good representative sampling of home created meads that they are far and away less sweet and tastier than Commercial meads (So far I have had Starrlight, Redstone --two varieties, Trybunalski--which was the best of a poor lot and B. Nektkar's Backwood's Cyser).

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I tend to agree. The Redstone I got to try was almost bitter.

It wasn't overly sweet at all, a pleasant sweetness to go with a crisp fresh apple taste, I dug the bottle out of my collection, quite a task as I'm a bottle collecting beer snob, just thought id share with you guys a mead that I found simple and amazing and give you a picture so you might be able to find one yourselves. Oh yeah only date on the bottle is 1986, so 20-23 years this puppy bottle aged

Never had Redstone or the Domesday, but I can tell you from personal experience Chaucer's sucks. You can make mead at home far superior to Chaucer's. BTW, if you can find this African mead:
http://www.iqhilika.co.za/meads.htm the dry really is quite good. I really enjoyed it.
Regards, GF.