Bluewood Brewing re-releases two sweet meads

June 25, 2021 Jordan Palmer New Releases, Uncategorized Comments Off

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Bluewood Brewing re-releases to sweet meads

Mead is the oldest alcoholic drink in the world. Ancient Greeks called it “the nectar of the Gods,” descended from heaven as dew. Think wine, but instead of grapes, honey and water via fermentation with yeast. Spices, fruits, or grain are mixed to further enhance the flavor.

I bring this up, because I’m really beginning to notice more options popping up for mead-lovers. This week, Bluewood Brewing, announced it was bringing back two of its mead recipes. They also happen to be one of the few breweries I’ve found with their own meadmaker on staff.

Desert Rain Kiss

Desert Rain’s Kiss was the first mead Bluewood’s meadmaker, Scott Kurtz, found success with as a homebrewer. He earned multiple gold medals across the country and a Best in Show Mead title as well. It’s a traditional mead made from honey, water, and yeast. A mesquite blossom honey is used before it’s aged on French oak to add complexity. The mead came to be when Kurtz saw Trader Joe’s was selling three pound cans of mesquite honey years ago, and he used it in a one gallon test batch. The rest is history.

What makes Desert Rain’s Kiss so different is it doesn’t use the standard local wildflower honey you tend to see in several traditional meads. The mesquite honey has a very different flavor from regular wildflower, and the French oak isn’t as aggressive as the American oak a lot of places use for aging.

Desert Rain’s Kiss has gone through several yeast changes over its development, and the one going on tap is now using another Norweigan Kveik yeast that Kurtz feels hits the right notes he’s looking for.

Tasting Notes

Desert Rain’s Kiss will pour with a light straw color. On the nose you’ll get a mild baking spice and vanilla undertones with cotton candy grape and floral aromas taking the forefront. On the taste, Desert Rain’s Kiss should immediately make you think of a slightly sweet French or German white wine with grape and pear notes.

Hawaiian Viking

Hawaiian Viking is the an idea Kurtz had when thinking up ideas of a refreshing low ABV and gluten free option to put up against ciders and seltzers. Bluewood’s main honey supplier trained as a a beekeeper in Hawaii, and when Kurtz tried some honey he brought back, it set off a lightbulb in his head.

Hawaiian Viking is especially unique for quite a few reasons. It’s under 6% ABV and carbonated so it’s sessionable and easy to drink on hot days. A special Hawaiian honey is used and aged on Hungarian Oak so it’s got some spice to it vs. other oak types. This mead is also made with a Norweigan Kveik yeast from Omega Yeast, which requires high fermentation temps in the 80’s and 90’s. It’s also the first, and for the time being only, commercial mead produced in the state of Missouri to medal at the prestigious Mazer Cup International Mead Competition (Think GABF for mead)

Tasting Notes

Hawaiian Viking will pour with a more yellow gold color and slightly hazy. On the nose you get anise, fall spice, and butterscotch aromas. On the taste, Hawaiian Viking will give you stone fruit notes, a mild woodsy earthiness and spice from the Hungarian Oak, and hard candy like either butterscotch or Jolly Ranchers.

Both meads will be on draft only at Bluewood Brewing within the next week or so, and depending on response, the next batches may have a portion set aside in cans or bottles.