Honey Sun Iqhilika (Mead) - Chili

Brewed by Makana Meadery
Style: Mead
Grahamstown, South Africa

Glass at Sunset Grill on 8/13/07
Clear, chardonnay-colored mead, with feeble legs.
Is this a novelty mead? The commercial description, which I assume is from the brewery, certainly makes it sound like one.
And tasting it, I would wholeheartedly agree. I barely even remember the aroma. The chilis make little impression in the nose, just like in a chili beer, while there is some mineral and phenolic activity, more akin to white wine and white pepper. Dry in the nose, and with mostly well-concealed alcohol.
Then the flavor. First of all, there are few bigger fans of chili beverages out there than myself, so that’s not the problem. No, I think the problem stems more from the fact that the mead in here tastes like it’s actually cheap, boxed blush wine. Chablis, anyone?

Wow did this catch me off guard. Thanks to thedm and hotstuff for sharing this one. Sweet floral honey nose that had a nice warming sensation and then.........POW! Some hot-ass chile infused honey that seared my esophageal lining. This was followed by a resounding Whooooooh! around the table. Interesting and glad I had the opportunity to try it, but I’m not sure if I could take much more of it.

(750ml bottle) Courtesy of Oakes. Clear amber. Nose of cinnamon hearts. Flavour is highly spiced with cinnamon, mint and chili. Lasting spiced flavour with a finish mixed with perfume and pepper. Unbelievably good stuff. Great experience!

Bottle from Belmont Station
Burnished gold colour. Some legs on it. Still. Spicy, very herbal piripiri-like aroma. Massive heat - it starts out like it’s going to be really abrasive, but finishes quite sweet with cinnamon, mace, a fresh red chile flavour and lingering heat. Unique, powerful and complex...I love it.

5oz. glass @ Sunset Grille. I have been wanting to check this out as I love the hot, so I was psyched to see it on the beer list here. Poured an almost clear, slightly golden tinged color. Nose is overwhelmingly honey, almost nauseatingly so. Flavor is the same, but thank goodness diminished honey tones. Unfortunately, there are some off flavors in there before the chili heat creep up on you and leave a very nice hot, but not over the top finish. I drank the glass to get to the finish, but I will probably not have this again. In defense of this, I do not know how long this bottle had been opened and how it may have deteriorated because of that.

I really enjoy pepper beers, so this was right up my alley. The mead base felt very light and dry. Sweetness of wild clove, subtle against the spicy peppers, but enough to give some complexity. I would have liked a bit more solid mead base. The peppers build as you drink, starting lightly in the back of the palate and gaining intensity. Great concept, but would vastly improve with a more solid mead base.

The aroma has hot peppers, wild yeast, honey, and funk. The appearance is yellow with some gold. The flavor is not good. It’s hot and spicy from the hot peppers but the mead that this is built upon is garbage. The palate is oily and thin. I really don’t like this, it’s a lot like the Cave Creek Chili beer.

I knew I was expecting a spicy mead, what didnt know was that this mead is fermented with wild yeast which gives it a sour note. Peppery but not spicy to drink, this is a sour dry mead which is spicy. not a fan of this.