tonraner sent me this beauty on 3/24/08. I really appreciate this Joe! I love meads. A still mead with recorkable cap. Slight yeasty aroma when popped open. A light yellow color. Subtle pineapple aroma. Strong alcohol burn, even with the very high sweetness level. Definitely a sipper and perfect with cheese. Oh how i wish I had some now. Very good, but then I’m a sweet freak, and a high alcohol beer freak, and mead freak.

Bottle, split with NachlamSie. Pours hazy still yellow with fast-falling legs. The aroma is a woody honey sweetness with a little bit of alcohol and a distant hint of pineapple. The flavor, though, has a nice, strong, fruity pineapple kick to it. There are plenty of smooth honey notes in there, too, with quite a bit of residual sweetness. There are more subtle floral and woody notes, especially toward the finish where there is a slight tannic bitterness. The alcohol is assertive, but not overwhelming; it does leave a lingering, warm aftertaste, though. Definitely one of the better ones from Shady Grove.

Bottle, thanks to Tronraner. This is a still mead with just a bit of haziness. The pineapple is not really noticed in the aroma. It’s woody, honey sweet, and just a touch earthy. Upon sipping, I find the pineapple to be quite apparent as an initial fruity sensation but quickly melds away to the tastefully done honey flavor. I get a little bit of wooden character on the palate as well. This is pretty nice, one of my favorite fruit meads from Shady Grove thus far.