Apis Trójniak Bernardyński

Brewed by Spółdzielnia Pszczelarska Apis
Style: Mead
Lublin, Poland

Bottle. No head (still). Body is clear dark yellow. Aroma is notes of floral honey, alcohol, hint of vinegar. Flavor is heavily sweet, lightly acidic. Finish is moderately sweet, lightly acidic. Medium to full body, syrupy texture, flat carbonation, moderately to heavily alcoholic, lightly astringent. Pretty much the reverse (minor) complaint I have with Jadwiga...here, the nose is pretty simple (and thankfully the initial hint of vinegar seems to disappear as it breathes), but the flavor balance is quite nice for a dessert mead (very sweet, yes, but still quite drinkable). The alcohol is clean, non-fusel. Would never guess there are spices added, though...pretty much just alcoholed honey and little else to my nose...pleasant enough but relatively unexciting.

Golden colored with no head. Strongly sweet aroma with honey of course, mild alcohol with thin vanilla and flowers also here. Medium bodied. Flavor is also dominated by strong and sweet honey, when compared to jadwiga this is way sweeter. Still some berries and alcohol in flavor, I like this one. Aftertaste is warm with mild alcohol.

pours clear amber with no head. nutty aroma, with a bradyish kind of sweetness. honey sweet flavor spiced with cherries? it ha s a thick, brandy like finish, which would be good if you were drinking thick brandy. too sweet for me. it must be the chokeberries. whatever they are.

From the bottle as part of a mead flight at Sunset Grill on 11/17/07
Deep golden with light chartreuse/crimson tints and no head (still). Clear, with strong, dense legs.
A smattering of cinnamon-like spices nip at the nose before a juicy, rich honey and maple aroma develops. Earthy, almost, dirty notes interrupt and are dashed away by a light vinousness and a vanilla finale. Really all over the place, though the alcohol is definitely felt and juicy red apples seem to pervade as well. Not sure what accounts for the dirty/earthy notes, but those are one of the few things attempting to balance the exceeding fruitiness/sugariness. Rather old and tired as well. Medium to medium-high strength of aroma. No flaws, but plenty of alcohol.
Red wine, elderberries and even some blood orange notes seep in to the richly sweet honey flavors, with more earthiness and almost something like tree bark. Vanilla is light on the finish, and is consumed by a bittersweet vinousness that is supplemented with alcohol warmth (dryness). Good, I guess....but it just seems like a Sam Smiths Impy stout. It seems wonderful at first, just like the jadwiga, but the more you drink, the more you come to appreciate the more natural, unpasteurized/unfiltered stuff. Seems pretty commercialized here.

Bottle shared by puddintane: Pours a clear gold with some legs to it. Aroma, honey and some vanilla, boozy, woody. Flavor, honey, apples, some vanilla, a bit ashy, and a slight metallic aftertaste. Not bad, but of the three Apis meads I’ve had clearly my least favorite.

9/1/07 Tasting at Malt & Vine, Redmond, Wa. Aroma is dark fruit forward followed by true honey character. Appearance is clear gold with great legs on the glass. Flavor is good and complex with raspberry notes that are apparently from the chokeberry addition. Mouthfeel is light bodied, but oddly enough still has a good syrupy character. Overall, this is excellent and the fruit addition is great.

[sampled @ Sunset Grill] Clear light golden color. Good honey character with an interesting wine-like finish. Chokeberries? Interesting spicy finish.

Bottle. Poured clear golden color with good legs. Heavy woody floral honey aroma. Medium body with a smooth texture. Medium honey spicy sweet flavor with a medium bittersweet finish of moderate duration. Pleasing smooth alcohol burn. Nice mead.