How to Enjoy Mead

ANTELOPE meads are shipped in specialized cardboard boxes. Once you receive your order, please check the contents and store them in a cool, dark place.
For long-term storage, we recommend keeping them in their cardboard boxes in a cool area.

Reason: Exposure to ultraviolet rays can potentially alter the ingredients of the mead.

—What about refrigerator storage?
ANTELOPE meads currently on sale do not need to be kept in the refrigerator at all times. Regarding long-term storage specifically, a cool, dark place is more suitable than a refrigerator because of the slight exposure to light that occurs when opening and closing the refrigerator door.
We appreciate your prioritizing protection from light over temperature.

We recommend chilling sparkling mead before drinking.

For barrel-aged and other still meads, please enjoy them at room temperature or slightly chilled.

〈Guidelines for chilling sparkling mead〉

・Summer: 4 hours in the refrigerator
・Winter: 2 hours in the refrigerator

The temperature of your storage area will vary significantly depending on the season. Please chill in the refrigerator for approximately 4 hours in summer or 2 hours in winter before drinking.✍

ーVertical or horizontal storage?
When chilling in the refrigerator, we recommend storing the bottles upright rather than on their sides. Our meads are bottled unfiltered, so a small amount of sediment will naturally collect at the bottom of the bottle over time. Storing them horizontally causes the sediment to stir up when you pour. As this can be a matter of personal preference, we would like you to enjoy the clarity of the mead first.

Please twist the cap to open. The seal is perforated, so you can twist it open directly without tearing it off first.

The cap is tightened securely to prevent leakage. Please twist it firmly, as you would a jar of jam.

- What if it foams over?
Sparkling alcoholic beverages can, on rare occasions, foam over even when opened carefully due to a combination of factors such as light exposure, temperature, and impact.

In such a case, please quickly pour it into a glass and wait a moment for the foam overflowing from the bottle to settle. Once the foam has subsided, please continue pouring. The mead poured first is of perfectly fine quality—the carbonation is simply a bit coarse—so please enjoy it with peace of mind.

We recommend enjoying ANTELOPE mead straight, without dilution. For our barrel-aged meads and similar varieties, warming them up is also a great option.

Products labeled as "sparkling" (発泡) on the back label contain carbonation. Please do not heat these; enjoy them chilled as they are.

If you are unable to finish a bottle, simply tighten the cap securely, just as you would with a plastic bottle. Once opened, you may notice subtle notes of oxidation or a loss of carbonation, but please rest assured that the quality remains unaffected; we hope you enjoy the evolution of the flavors.

We recommend consuming the product within about one week when kept refrigerated.

We’ve introduced the simple steps to take from when your mead arrives until you enjoy it.

While it may be a less familiar alcoholic beverage, handling it is quite simple, and there is no need for anything complicated. We hope you will enjoy it at lively gatherings with friends.

The flavor profiles of each mead and recommended food pairings are introduced on the individual product pages and in the "Brewer's Note." Please be sure to check them out.