I'm a naturally curious person, and have been beyond curious each and every time I see a can or bottle of Charm City Meadworks' mead right next to the checkout at our local beer & wine joint, Smitty's Cut Rate Liquor Store. The stuff always there, and always staring at me with their attractive packaging and simple allure. "Get me! Get me!"
But what ARE you, mead? What ARE you?
Some quick research on the Charm City Meadworks' site taught me a lot of cool stuff.
"The history of mead is a long story of love and passion. Mead has been a drink of choice since before written history, made and enjoyed by the ancient Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Inca and Aztec tribes, and of course, the Vikings. It has been referred to as the 'nectar of the gods,' and has long had fertility (and specifically the birth of sons) attributed to its consumption. The modern-day term 'honeymoon' comes from the term 'mead moon,' an ancient tradition where the newlywed couple would be given enough mead to last a full lunar cycle, in hopes that the wife would bear a son. In addition to fertility, mead is known for its aphrodisiacal and intoxicating properties, making it also the nectar of love and passion."
Awesome, right? I love how this kind of drink has such incredibly deep roots in history. I knew it was going to be cool. But how would it taste?
I ended up just getting the O riginal Dry, even though I was tempted to try the rosemary, basil lemongrass or elderberry, but I decided to just go with the tried and true, the original.
This stuff is so good... It was SO different than what I'm used to. The Original Still Mead is 12% ABV, just like wine. It's crisp, dry, and refreshing. Apparently this modern mead is best served lightly chilled, so I poured it over a couple of ice cubes, and man oh man. You can TASTE the honey! It was sweet, but not over powering, and it was crisp and really refreshing. It's actually a lot like a great dry cider. I can see this being amazing in the warmer spring and summer months, but even on a snowy, cold March evening, it was delicious.
Charm City Meadworks is made right here in Baltimore, as the name suggests, and guess what? Their distillery is open to the public! They're located at 3511 8th Ave, Baltimore, Maryland 21226 and their tap room is open Fridays 5-9 p.m., S aturdays 1-7 p.m., and Sundays 12 - 4 in the afternoon.
Personally, I can't wait to try some of the other flavors, most especially the cinnamon. I can almost guarantee that the cinnamon flavor mixed into that bright yet deep, lightly carbonated honey wine would be INSANELY GOOD. I also hope to one day get out there for myself, and experience what it's like to make some mead. Have you ever had Charm City Meadworks' mead? What'd you think?
