White Winter Cherry Brackett

Many thanks to skyview for this bottle off my want list. Heavily carbonated murky red body with fain islands of white head. Nicely intermingled tart cherry and sweet honey scents with caramel and just a hint of molasses in the malt character. The body has the honey flavor and warming effect I expect from mead with some fairly aggressive cherry and oak flavors that meld into a creamy malt finish. While I certainly felt the warming character of the alcohol quickly, it was almost unnoticeable in this bottle. A pity that this will probably be the only time I’ll ever try this stellar beverage.

A 2002 vintage. Picked up a single 375ml bottle from Riley’s Wines in Madison, Wisconsin. Pours a semi-hazy caramel amber brew with a fast dissolving off-white head that leaves behind a thin off-white ring and film top. Aroma of light toffee, molasses, caramel malt and a touch of sweet cherries. Taste is medium bodied, well carbonated, with flavors of dark malt, roasted nuts, honey, some pitted dark fruits and some tart cherries. Finish is slightly dry with some yeast, oak and tart berry aftertaste. Even some powdery malt character. Alcohol is quite present in this beverage.

Bottle purchased at Riley’s in Madison. Poured a clear ruby red color. Head consisted of an off white ring. Aroma was of malty molasses, vanilla, husky grain, and whiffs of alcohol and cherry. Fruity and slightly sweet on the tongue. There was a distinct, but modest tart cherry flavor accompanied by an oaky note. For all you wine lovers out there, it actually tasted a bit like a weak version of a fruity California red; ala pinot noir or red zinfandel. Pretty tasty.

375ml bottle. pours dense dark ruby with off white head. nose is musty, honey, ripe cherries, brown sugar. flavor is nice subtle tart and sour cherries, honey that not too sseet, with a caramel and nutty finish. alc is well hidden, body is thin, and medium. very nice complex, and not cloying mead.

375 ml capped bottle from Rileys in Madison (Oct 2006 and still available in some quantity), served around cellar temperature in a Corsendonk glass. Small hiss when the cap is popped, and a bit of light tan head shows up, fizzing away quickly atop the murky red-tinted brown body....fairly alcoholic, rather odd and unique aroma of must sour cherries and dry honey, tart bready malt and notes of wild and strange yeasts (from the wood aging perhaps?)....body is as alcoholic as expected but with more honey/mead character than the nose promised, similar to some of the higher ABV drier meads, with just light hints of oak-vanilla and very little in the way of cherry fruitiness....fairly thin and watery, rather strong carbonation; an interesting experiment that really doesn’t work that well.

From bottle at 3Floyd’s Dark Lord party. Oh, so it’s a mead. I kind of thought it might have been a lambic. Kind of sour, which led me to that conclusion. Cherry flavor was hinted at more than prominent. At least it kicks up a nice head of foam. This was the last drink I sampled at this event, so I’m a little less observant than for previous ratings...

From a bottle at 3F’s DL day 2006. Not sure who to thank. The body was a dark cloudy brown with a thin peach colored head. The aroma was sour cherries with some honey and molasses. The taste was pancakes with molasses. There were hints of the tart cherries. Interesting and highly carbonated.

Bottle. Pours to a still brown-red body. Cookie-accented sweet cherries with an ethonal note at the end. Pale malt base to the flavor with light sweet cherry, wood, and acidic cherry skins. A bit of ethonal in the finish but it’s not a big deal. A nice fruit brackett but nothing to go out of your way for. Too dry in my opinion.