B. Nektar Raspberry Chipotle Mead

Brewed by B. Nektar Meadery
Style: Mead
Ferndale, Michigan USA

Bottle shared at BCTC. Might have been too late for this one, as there was still more then half left once everyone turned in. Consumed the rest of the contents of that blue glass the day I got back home. Note: Needed to be drunk room temperature for the peppers not to be absolutely lost to me. Poured into my newly acquired baby Duvel glass. Pours bright & clear like some cranberry juice, though a bit darker like honest merlot. Smells of bloody & tart raspberries, & a whole plastic bag full of macerated orange peels. Maybe a strong, unfinished batch of sangria, or maybe just some realy fruity Beaujolais. Taste is big again on red wine. Fruit punch sweetness, giving way to medicinal alcohol & bitter orange. Wine-like tannins come through near the end, which finally introduces some warming sensations in my cheeks. Tiny, tiny zip of chili on the sides of my tongue, but too faint to be enjoyed initially. I get real comfortable after 3-4 ounces. The heat builds to a noticeable level. Body rolls, but doesn’t quite stick to my lips like some of their other meads. Alcohol is invasive, but big fruit the & winey nose & tannins make for a better then average package.