At ANTELOPE, we’ve tried brewing our first mead using yeast typically associated with craft beer—a mead made with kumquats and hops.

We used a yeast called "Kveik," known for ultra-high-temperature fermentation and producing very few off-flavors. We wanted to see what kind of mead this yeast would produce.

For hops, we went with Saaz and Citra.
Saaz and kumquats were used for bittering, while we dry-hopped with just 2g/L of Citra.

It has a light, crisp flavor that makes it a great choice from start to finish—perfect for any occasion. Okada-kun was given free rein to design the recipe.
When I ask him for the details, he’s clearly put a lot of thought into the design, but he won't say a word unless I specifically ask. These days, I’m starting to think he might actually be OpenAI.

〈Craft Beer → Mead〉

The world of mead has so few players that there is very little brewing literature available. Compared to beer, it’s practically non-existent.
That’s precisely why we have to apply what we’ve learned from brewing beer to our own in-house research on mead, so we’ll keep pushing forward.

This time, our research focused mainly on the yeast.
We were also curious to see how a mead would harmonize with a more restrained approach to dry-hopping.
There's so much we're looking forward to discovering.

〈Tasting Note〉
The ABV is 5.5%, labeled as 6%. It opens with a soft aroma of kumquats, followed by a crisp, Citra-driven palate with sweet, vanilla-like notes and a hint of green freshness. It’s light on the palate, and the clean, off-flavor-free finish is truly pleasant. Okada-kun recommends pairing it with "Chinese-style white fish soup." I've never heard of it or tried it, but it might just be a great match.

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Style: Melomel with Hop
ABV: 6%
Carbonation: Yes
Volume: 500ml
Ingredients: Honey (Myanmar), Kumquat, Hops
Sweetness (10-point scale): 3 (Semi-Dry)
Recommended Serving Temperature: Chilled thoroughly (4-8℃)
Pairing: Freshly fried potatoes, Chinese-style white fish soup

〈Label〉
The label and naming were created by Canadian designerSam (@dae030). The theme is "Connection".

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