Introduction to Mead Vol. 6: Recommended Craft Meads

Hello! I'm Yazawa, in charge of brewing at ANTELOPE!
In this post, I’ll be introducing some recommended craft meads! I’m going to share a few fantastic examples that are truly unique and show just how deep the world of mead can be. Since there’s a limited selection of fruit and spice-based meads currently available for purchase domestically, I’ll also include a few traditional meads that don’t use any adjuncts!

If you're wondering what exactly "craft mead" is, please take a look at the article I wrote previously.

【Recommended Craft Meads】
- Superstition Meadery "APHRODISIA"
- Superstition Meadery "Peanut Butter Jelly Crime"

【Recommended Traditional Meads】
- Katlenburger "MET"
- Two Metre Tall "Original Sparkling Mead"

I’ve selected craft meads from Superstition Meadery, a meadery in the U.S. that is super popular, including for its accessibility. Now, let’s dive into the introductions!

Recommendation 1: Superstition Meadery "APHRODISIA"

(Image: Quoted from the Superstition Meadery website)

Ingredients: Honey, Grapes
ABV: 13%
Carbonation: None

The first craft mead I’d like to recommend is "APHRODISIA" by Superstition Meadery. This mead is in the pyment style—somewhere between wine and mead—made using both honey and grapes.

It has the bouquet of a rich red wine with faint hints of honey. If you pour it into a glass and swirl it, you’ll notice it has a bit of viscosity. The color is like a very deep red wine. The intense sweetness and overwhelming fruitiness feel very American, and I imagine many people become fans after just one sip. Aged in barrels before release, the balance of deep sweetness, acidity, and aroma in this mead is magnificent. Despite the 13% ABV, I can keep drinking it while chatting with friends for hours!

The specific honey and grapes used can change from batch to batch; sometimes they use Cabernet, other times Syrah. The one I tried was "Batch 20," which used California-grown Syrah. It would be fun to do a side-by-side comparison with versions made from different grapes and honey! Also, it seems they’ve recently updated their labels!

The price might require some courage to commit to a bottle, but the closure allows you to reseal it, and the flavor profile doesn't change too drastically, so I think it can be enjoyed over a long period! (A bit like a sturdy red wine, perhaps?)

Recommendation 2: Superstition Meadery "Peanut Butter Jelly Crime"

(Image: Quoted from the Superstition Meadery website)

Ingredients: Honey, Blueberry, Peanuts
ABV: 13%
Carbonation: None

The next one I’ll introduce is also from Superstition: "Peanut Butter Jelly Crime." It’s a blueberry-based mead with peanuts added. Along with the overwhelming fruitiness, the peanut notes follow through, making it feel like you’re actually eating dessert in your mouth.

In America, it seems there’s a popular light meal for children called a "Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwich." You spread peanut butter on one side and jam on the other, then put them together. The name "Peanut Butter Jelly Crime," often abbreviated to PBJC, is clearly a play on this "PB&J" sandwich!

Compared to APHRODISIA, the acidity feels softer, and the difference between grape and blueberry is fascinating. It’s less like creamy peanut butter and more like eating coarsely ground peanuts. Even the official notes say, "Don't forget the toast!" and I really felt it would pair well with bread.

Like APHRODISIA, this one also has a resealable bottle, so you can enjoy it over a long period. When I drank it at home, I was able to keep enjoying it for about a month without it going off at all.

Recommendation 3: Katlenburger "MET"

Ingredients: Honey
ABV: 10%
Carbonation: None

If you want to try an orthodox mead, the first one I’d recommend is Katlenburger’s mead. It’s made by a German producer that crafts a variety of fruit wines. The balance between acidity and honeyed notes is intriguing, and the ABV is relatively low, so I think it’s a style that appeals to many.

It’s a beautiful, clear yellow liquid with a scent that reminds me of white flowers. Rather than drinking it chilled, I think you can taste the sweetness and the honey characteristics better at room temperature. It doesn’t have the intensity of a Superstition mead, but the balance of residual sweetness and acidity makes it very easy to pair with food. I think it’s particularly well-suited for Chinese cuisine.

You can find this online, and it’s very reasonably priced, so please give it a try if you’re curious! I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Recommendation 4: Two Metre Tall "Original Sparkling Mead"

(Image: Quoted from Two Metre Tall’s Instagram)

Ingredients: Honey
ABV: 8.5%
Carbonation: Yes

Next is a sparkling mead. As the name suggests, Two Metre Tall is a brewery run by a person who is two meters tall. They produce a wide range of drinks, including beer, mead, and cider. Their website states, "Fiercely independent, we seek flavour, sustainability & truth of origin in the food we grow & make," and you can really feel their strong commitment to natural production methods. The mead they create uses honey collected on their own land and local water, and fermentation seems to be carried out by wild yeast.

The taste is crisp with sharp acidity and gentle sweetness. However, the core character of the honey remains consistent, and it is incredibly delicious. It was so good that I still remember going out of my way to measure its sugar content and pH.

The aroma has a unique, wild-yeast-like quality. It might seem a bit eccentric to newcomers, but those notes build a rich complexity that is just lovely! (Apologies for my limited vocabulary!)

It’s a mead with immense potential for both toasts and meals, so if you happen to spot it anywhere, please try to buy a bottle! Or, you could keep an eye on their website for when new releases become available.

Closing

What did you think?

Superstition Meadery, which I introduced here, is actually the same place that made the first craft mead we ever drank, so I have a special attachment to them. It’s been two years since we encountered them at the "MBCT2019" craft beer festival, and it feels strange to think that now we are challenging ourselves to make our own craft mead.

This marks the end of our "Beginner’s Guide to Craft Mead" series. If you read from the first entry, you should have a good understanding of what we at ANTELOPE consider craft mead to be. As producers, we feel we can offer some deeper insights into the process, so I’d be happy if you checked out any articles you might have missed! As the number of places making mead increases across the country, I hope to update this series with even more recommendations!

See you in another article! 👐