Celestial Meads Rubyfruit

Brewed by Celestial Meads
Style: Mead
Anchorage, Alaska USA

The raspberries are very well highlighted in this one. A little bit on the tart side, as I was expecting something a little sweeter. and this is quite spicy, and sour. Still very well done and clean, but I honestly think this could stand to have a bigger honey background, and back off on the fruit a bit. I cannot say for sure, I am just one person talking, and I do not have a lot of experience with melomels.

If you favor fruit forward melomels, this one’s for you. Liquid raspberries in a glass with a touch of honey stirred in. These raspberries come from the fertile slopes of the Talkeetna Mountain Range, in the shadow of Denali. This mead is fun just to look at! Brilliantly clear, radiant, light violet color. Highly reflective meniscus, two ring variance. Heavy, organized legs quick to fall straight down the glass. The full-bodied, smooth, and viscous mouth-feel confirms what the legs are telling you. Spicy, peppery, raspberry aroma with minty, eucalyptus undertones that when combined seems a bit medicinal. Not much honey apparent on the nose. A tangy, acidic, and tart raspberry flavor hits the center of the tongue and hangs there forever. Honey makes a guest appearance after the raspberry diminishes. This mead has a clean, bright, fresh raspberry fruit flavor, but backing off on the fruit would allow the honey to come forward and add more balance. This is a sweet mead but not cloyingly so. Do not mistake this for a dessert only mead. It can hold its own. The fruit flavor dominates and although the fruit flavor is excellent, it leaves the mead somewhat one-dimensional, wonderful, but not particularly complex. Nothing wrong with that.