Maine Mead Works HoneyMaker Reserve – Strawberry

Val and I are watching “Mariah’s World.” If I was that talented or rich, I don’t think I could be that difficult. It’s almost annoying to me. Scratch that, it’s beyond annoying. Anyways, this was a mead that Val and I picked up at least two years ago from Maine. I remember liking it in the tasting room, but being annoyed at the price of tasting. Let’s see how the bottle was.

ABV: 12.5%

Style: Mead

Trivia: According to the meadery website, “True to our dry style, this mead is infused with approximately one pound of sun-ripened Maine to every gallon of mead.”

Random: This is a summer seasonal.

The mead poured a dark reddish color that was clear. This was a still mead, with no carbonation visible. The nose was filled with strawberry syrup, booze and lots of wildflower honey. There was also a lot of flower petals that were bordering on perfume-like. The taste was filled with artificial strawberry syrup. I remember trying this at the meadery and it being so much better. The other flavors had white grape jam along with thick and syrupy honey. The flavors were intense and this was a bear to get down. The body was thick and syrupy and still. The finish was lengthy and bordering on sickeningly sweet. I don’t remember how much we paid for this mead, but I don’t think it was cheap. I thought this mead was way too artificial tasting. I wouldn’t have this one again.

Untappd Rating: 2.0/5.0

Maine Mead Works HoneyMaker Ram Island Lavender Lemonade

Val and I picked this up in Maine and then, after trying it at the source, had no interest in popping open the bottle. We bought it at a beer store before we tried and I just wasn’t a fan. Lavender is generally hit or miss for me. I assume age didn’t help this one, but let’s see how it went.

ABV: 7%

Style: Mead

Trivia: According to the meadery website, “Originating as a HoneyMaker cocktail, this is a blend of mead and a house-made lemonade, infused with lavender and mint.”

Random: This is available year-round.

This mead poured with no head on top of a greenish-yellow body with lots of floaties. There was no visible carbonation. The nose had notes of lavender and a green herbal note (which I’m guessing is the mint) as well as wildflower honey which gave it a sweet and floral note. The taste started with lemon and quickly went into lavender fabric softener. If I need to be specific, I believe it was called Lavender Sachet. My mother would use it on all of the sheets and the scent is unmistakable to me. It also had a green note with mint but also some green NyQuil. After a few sips, it seemed to have a rosemary note as well. There wasn’t a lot of honey like the nose had, which was disappointing. It had a thick body with light carbonation. The finish with the lavender cleaner stuck around forever. This was $9 for the bottle, which broke down to $.56 per ounce. I wasn’t a big fan of this one, although I gave it a lot of points for being unique.

Untappd Rating: 3.5/5.0

Maine Mead Works HoneyMaker Ram Island Iced Tea Mead

For some reason, when I’m really hungry, I watch cooking shows. This inevitably makes me more hungry. I’m watching “The Pioneer Woman” make dorm room meals. Conceptually, it makes sense, but what college student is going to have fresh mint in their dorm room? Now that I’ve gone on a tangent, let’s talk about this mead, which I sampled at the source in Portland, Maine.

ABV: 7%

Style: Mead

Trivia: According to the brewery website, “Inspired by a family iced tea recipe, this “session” style mead drinks like a craft beer with the prominent flavor of black tea, hints of lemon and of mint. The sweetness of honey balances the tannins of the tea and acidity of the lemons for a refreshing, full-bodied craft tea beverage that can be enjoyed anytime of year.”

Random: She’s making chocolate cake in a cup now.

This mead (which was carbonated) poured with a half a finger of thin, white head that dissipated quickly. It left no lacing on the glass. The body was a clear, amber color with moderate carbonation. The nose was filled with black tea, herbal notes and lemon. The taste was much better after I let it warm for a few minutes. I picked up the same black tea and lemon. Honey gave it some nice sweetness. The body was light with lots of carbonation. It had a long finish with black tea. The bottle was $8, which came to $.47 per ounce. This was really nice, and better than when I had it at the source. I would have this one again.

Untappd Rating: 3.5/5.0

Maine Mead Works Lavender Mead

We finally cracked open one of the meads that we got in Maine. They were right by Oxbow and we also picked up some cute slate coasters when we visited. Let’s see how it was.

ABV: 12.5%

Style: Mead

Trivia: According to the brewery website, “Made in the spirit of French botanical aperitifs, this aromatic semi-sweet mead invokes the most iconic scents of summer. Locally grown varieties of English lavender from Glendarragh Farms in Appleton, Maine, impart brilliant floral notes balanced with a distinctive minerality. Creamy, round finish with lingering citrus and pineapple. Medium to full-bodied, built on a foundation of smooth wildflower honey. HoneyMaker mead is handcrafted in small batches using our unique continuous fermentation process. Our mead’s exceptional clarity and lightness are the result of a perfect union of ancient tradition and modern technology. Oak aged for complexity and depth, HoneyMaker Lavender Mead rings in a new era in herb-infused wine making. Each bottle is hand-filled and labeled on-site at our meadery in Portland, Maine. HoneyMaker is ready to drink, or cellar to unlock new depths and dimensions.”

Random: Because of their distribution rights, they can’t market their meads and their “cysers” under the same name, or so they told us, as it appears they market one as “Maine Mead Works.”

The mead poured a clear, light yellow color. The nose was floral from the lavender and then went into sweetness from the honey. There was also a scent of alcohol. The taste started with sweetness from the honey and then quickly went into a floral note from the lavender. It also had an herbal note as well. The alcohol was present and there was a weird twang that I got from it. After a few sips, it was closest to mineral water. I didn’t get any of the citrus or pineapple, but the oak came through minimally at the end. It had a thick mouthfeel that was bordering on syrupy. The flavor lasted on the tongue for awhile. This was $15.00 for the bottle, which was $1.69 per ounce. This wasn’t my favorite mead that I’ve ever had and I remember enjoying it more when I sampled it in Portland.

Untappd Rating: 3.5/5.0