Mjød

This review comes with a bit of a culture/history lesson as well (aren't you excited?).

First the history: mead is the forebearer of all fermented drinks and has was developed independently all over the world.  The ancient Egyptians, Chinese and Europeans all made and consumed mead.  It has even been noted by Claude Lévi-Strauss (no, not the jeans guy) that the invention of mead is a marker for societies to go from nature to culture.

Now for a bit of culture: the Vikings kicked a lot of ass as well as made mead (though they called it "braggot") and other alcoholic beverages that also kicked ass (a bit of speculation on the drinks there, but the drinks must have been good since it is one of the primary things to do in Valhalla).

For those of you not in the know, mead is made from fermented honey and there are occasionally spices and other things added for flavor depending on who was making it and when.

Now for the review portion of tonight's show: Mjød is pretty good stuff.

What, you wanted more than that?  Fine.

Mjød, by Viking Brewing Company would undoubtedly bring delight to the barbarous masses of the Northlands of old as well as any self respecting drinker of mead anywhere today.

Appearance wise, Mjød is nothing special.  It is a light amber in color and a one finger head that runs away faster than the women that the Vikings ravaged all those years ago.

The nose is where Mjød really shines.  With every whiff, you are transported to a verdant orchard filled with ripe grapes and apples with an afterthought of honey, which is somewhat of an odd occurance with braggots in my experiences.

The mouthfeel is pleasant, just the right amount of carbonation.

The taste is almost as wonderful as the smell.  Apples, grapes, grain and some honey.  The honey must have been eaten up in the fermentation process, which would explain the light aroma and taste of honey, but I am not complaining.  

The finish is clean and dry, leaving behind a bit of cereal grains and the faintest tint of alcohol.

Mjød is by far the best braggot/mead I have had in quite a long time: 5/5.  Go out and buy some and send it to me, this could very well be a new standby for me.