Redstone Black Raspberry Nectar

Brewed by Redstone Meadery
Style: Mead
Boulder, Colorado USA

Nice low alcohol mead at 8%. I really like that aspect. There’s lots of bubbliness on the tongue, somehow, although this is a still mead. Extremely refreshing and light bodied. It’s kind of like a raspberry sprite, because it is so extremely thin. Think of a soda and you’re not far off. That’s not a bad thing, just be prepared.

As I understand it, the Redstone Meadery is one of the U.S.’s preeminent meaderies, so I was expecting something hearty and rich from them. No doubt their "Honey Wine with Vanilla Beans and Cinnamon Sticks", which I’m trying next, will fit that bill. Well done, guys.

As an aside, sampling the Black Raspberry Nectar side by side with rival Chateau Lorane’s Marioberry Mead, I have to say the Redstone wins, but they’re apples and oranges. The Marionberry is a frulty, tart wine cooler with syrupy texture. The Redstone Raspberry Nectar is extraordinarily thin for a "mead" and is lo-alcohol. Nothing in common.

Served chilled and on tap at Barley’s. Absolutely gorgeous clear red color with no head. Smells a lot like a sweet wine to me, but I’m very new to mead. Tastes sweet and lo raspberries, with just a little alcohol in the finish. Lightly carbonated.

Bottle (small sample) at the GABF, Colorado Convention Center 01/10/2005 Amber red coloured and strong in alcohol. Slightly rich on the palate. Fruity raspberry aroma and flavour. Warming finish.

A good hearty aroma of honey with a mild hint of black raspberry introduce this purple solution. This mead doesn’t produce a head but it does have good lacing. This rich mead is crisp and sweet with a strong taste of honey that grabs the tongue. The finish finds the flavor of black raspberry creeping in as this taste prepares itself to linger a while in the throat.

(750ml bottle) Carbonated pink/red body with quickly fading pink head. Aroma is moderately sweet, raspberry, blackberry, light strawberry, orange, cantalope. Medium body with some carbonation and light syrup. Taste is moderately sweet, raspberry, blackberry, some syrup, light astringency, faint cinnamon. If you told me it was a fruit beer I would have no reason to doubt it. Think Shasta and you’re in the ballpark.

Dark pink in color with noticeable carbonation. Aroma of raspberry and grapes with some alcohol. Raspberry and very sweet in flavor with a little hint of alcohol. Decent mead, but not outstanding.

On tap at Crunchy’s, East Lansing. Orange-reddish body, no head. Artificial-looking. Rather harsh and prickly, the main thought that came to mind while drinking this mead was "Boone’s Farm Raspberry." Alcohol, raspberry syrup, honey, and band-aids. I’m glad to know this is a mead, though, because it wasn’t advertised as such, and I wondered what I was drinking upon the first sip.

Draught at Tyler’s in Chapel Hill, NC. Clear garnet color. No head. Carbonated. Smells of pears and grapes. Delicately sweet with flavor dominated by raspberry.