Chaucer's Cellars Chaucer's Mead

Chaucer's Mead

 

Chaucer's Cellars in Soquel, California, United States 🇺🇸

  Mead Regular
Score
6.72
ABV: 11.0% IBU: 10 Ticks: 25
Produced utilizing fresh honey without the addition of artificial flavorings, concentrates or artificial colorings. Even though greater production difficulties occur because pure, raw honey is used for fermentations, the intensity of flavor generated through this technique is worth the effort.
Exhibits a richness similar to a fine liqueur, this dessert-style beverage is not fortified, hence, it should be consumed shortly after purchase to enjoy its natural and rich honey flavor. Chaucer's Mead can be enjoyed in one of two ways, either chilled or heated with spices to create a delicious wintery drink.
The honey is produced in hives throughout Northern California and is composed of a blend of three types; orange, alfalfa and sage. Each of these components brings a unique quality to the blend and contributes to the overall complexity. Orange adds a pungent orange blossom flavor and has light color. Alfalfa is neutral in flavor but yields a dark, amber color. Sage, on the other hand, has a mild taste and a light color.
 

Sign up to add a tick or review

Join Us


     Show


7.2
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

I am a mead newbie, but I liked this one. Served cold. Aroma is honey, followed by grape, oak and orange peel. Appearance is of a nice oaky full-bodied Chardonnay. Taste is very much similar to a sweet German Gewurz at first with a somewhat strange, musky aftertaste. Goes down like a Gewurztraminer or any other white dessert wine aswell.

Tried on 02 Feb 2008 at 12:20


5.6
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 5.5

Bottle. Sour milk and honey aroma. Light yellow color. Sweet honey with light sour milk flavor. Standard mead.

Tried from Bottle on 26 Dec 2007 at 11:26


6.4
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5

Sample from Odeed and Wish; not mulled, without spices; Nose of grapes and wheat; absolutely crystal clear gold with no head; flavor was of alcohol, frapes, honey, and sage.

Tried on 30 Dec 2006 at 18:23


5.5
Appearance - 4 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 5

Well, I was curious about how this would be rated, after drinking it last night as one of my first ever meads. If this is considered a good mead, then maybe mead isn't for me. I wasn 't sure how to drink it, so I tried various options. Initially I tried it at room temp in a wine glass. The aroma hinted at fermented honey (honey + alcohol) but like a Necker Cube, randomly transitioned between that and a more fuselly alcohol, cheap Chardonnary and a solventy plastic smell reminiscent of a showroom full of fiberglass bass boats. The flavor was not unlike that aroma, with a light soft and smooth palate. I should mention its appearance before I forget: pale yellowish straw, perfectly still. Next I tried it heated with the accompanying packet of mulling spices. While I enjoyed the subtle spices, the heating made this undrinkable. The fuselly solventy character was magnified greatly, and I nearly choked from the fumes each time I placed the glass near my face to take a sip. Had to dump that. Lastly I pour a glass over ice, and that really made all the difference! Suddenly the aroma seemed of pure sweet honey. The aroma was light and sweet, definitely honeyish with some hanging on of a vinous white wine character and body. While I was able to finish my chilled glass of mead, I still wasn't entirely thrilled with it. The numerical rating for the room temp version would be about 1.5, while the heated version about 0.6. The rating shown is for the chilled version.

Tried on 31 Mar 2004 at 10:32


7.5
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

Figured I would make number 499 and 500 some new experiences - tonight, 499, is mead, tomorrow, 500, will be sake (though I'm not holding out hope that it will be a great experience) - to this mead - Looks like your standard white wine - no carbonation, smells very much of white wine as well, with apples and pears in the mix - quite sweet, but contains many subtle flavors - apples, white grapes, honey (of course), some grainy flavors, slight orange peel, some herbal notes - the subtle complexity is, most of the time, a bit overpowered by the sweetness, but this is still quite enjoyable - smooth, with well-masked alcohol, making it dangerously easy to drink - one of the better meads I've had, and a good first mead rating.

Tried on 06 Feb 2004 at 19:29