With his departure set for February 2026, Okada-kun, a brewer who has supported ANTELOPE since its founding, has left behind a final creation that defies all conventional wisdom.
"To put it in one word, it's 'rich' (koi)," says Okada-kun.
The name of that creation is "M&O."
Behind the flavor lies a story of growth, as a young man transformed from a "staff member" into a "full-fledged brewer."
Challenging the unconventional: "We didn't use a single drop of water."
When asked to describe this mead in one word:
"It's hard to sum up in one word. But if I had to choose, I'd say 'rich.'"
Okada-kun replies.
While "richness" can refer to many things—flavor depth, aging period, and so on—there is a unique point regarding its production.
Typically, mead is made by diluting honey with water before fermentation, but this "M&O" uses absolutely no water!
Instead, the only liquid added is blood orange juice.
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Standard Mead = 1 part honey : 2 parts water
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This "M&O" = 1 part honey : 2 parts juice
Where one would normally mix in water to adjust, he daringly opted to brew with only fruit juice. Surprisingly, there was no established "correct" brewing science behind this.
When you think about it, grapes become wine and apples become cider, but there is no such thing as an alcoholic beverage made "only from citrus" anywhere in the world.
All he had was his own intuition—a sense that "this sounds interesting"—and the confidence gained from his experience at ANTELOPE.
When I pressed Okada-kun, who kept saying how "interesting" it was, to explain what he meant by "interesting," what emerged was not just a desire for a gimmick, but the excitement of breaking established concepts. I could feel something like a "fever" that words cannot fully capture.
"Precisely because no one has done it, I want to try it."
That pure, slightly crazy spirit of inquiry gave birth to an unprecedented recipe of citrus juice and honey.
A year and a half of watching over it in the barrel
This M&O was prepared in February 2023. From then until its release, it took about a year and a half—a relatively long aging period for an ANTELOPE mead.
In reality, this time wasn't just spent letting it sit. There is an episode unique to Okada here as well.
"At first, I put it in a bourbon barrel, but the barrel was so charred that it was porous and started leaking. I had to scramble to transfer it to a red wine barrel."
In the end, this trouble worked in his favor. In addition to the vanilla notes from the bourbon barrel, the polyphenols and fruity flavors of the red wine barrel were complexly layered, resulting in a profound, aged character reminiscent of Shaoxing wine.
"Even after I put it in the barrel, it kept watching over my growth and my struggles. It’s like a partner to me."
Letting a year and a half of time melt away, slowly with ice
So, what about the taste?
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Flavor: Concentrated acidity from the juice and the depth born from 1.5 years of aging.
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Aroma: Aged notes reminiscent of Shaoxing wine or vintage wine.
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ABV: High (Fermented to nearly 18% during initial fermentation)
Rather than chugging it, Okada-kun recommends drinking it straight or in a rock glass with ice, sipping it slowly like a whiskey. It’s the ultimate luxury for a quiet winter night.
As for pairings, a personal recommendation Okada-kun tried recently is "venison stew."
He says it goes surprisingly well with rich dishes like tomato or red wine stews. He also recommends liver pâté.
Plus, since there's a chocolatey note to the aroma, orangettes are also a great choice.
"I want to make up for that frustration": The reason for choosing blood orange
To begin with, why choose "blood orange"? There, Okada-kun had a personal "regret" as a brewer.
It goes back to when he previously made a mead called "Miyamoto," also using blood orange.
"It was incredibly delicious halfway through. But at the very end, during the pasteurization process, the flavor fell apart... That always stayed with me."
The frustration of not being able to deliver something he was satisfied with. And the "interest" in the fact that blood oranges (especially the "Moro" variety) are a citrus with deep red pulp.
"The flavor is polarizing when eaten raw, but if you turn it into alcohol, it definitely has the potential to transform."
"M&O" was Okada-kun’s revenge match against an ingredient he couldn't conquer before.
Meeting farmer Miyamoto changed his life as a brewer
The blood oranges were grown by Miyamoto Farm in Ehime Prefecture. In fact, they were the first farm Okada-kun ever visited, and they had a massive impact on his life as a brewer.
The challenges, the coolness, and the joy of facing agriculture—Miyamoto-san is the one who taught him all of that.
"The best materials" and "the ultimate revenge." Without Miyamoto-san’s passionate blood oranges, Okada-kun’s final work never would have been born.
Now, what do you think the title "M&O" stands for?
Here, let your imagination run a little. The pop-style label design pays homage to those famous candies (M&M's), but the title "M&O" holds a different meaning.
Mead & Orange?
The correct answer is:
M = Blood orange farmer "Miyamoto"-san, O = ANTELOPE brewer "Okada"-kun
"This creation was born because of Miyamoto-san’s blood oranges."
This bottle is packed not just with honey and fruit juice, but with the "trust" between the producer and the brewer.
Packing up knowledge and experience for the next journey
When he first joined the company, Okada-kun says he just made things according to the recipes he was given.
But now, he says, "Because I have both knowledge and experience, I can design things myself, asking, 'What happens if I do this?'"
You can't create something like this with just knowledge or just experience. The unconventional "M&O" could only be made by him, possessing both.
This bottle, into which he poured everything he had at ANTELOPE, will surely color your evenings with a "rich" intensity.
Congratulations on your graduation, Okada-kun! And best of luck on your next chapter.
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Brewer's Note: Spice