This is the continuation of my post
from last night on Rabbit’s Foot Meadery in Sunnyvale, CA. Tonight’s post is going to cover the cysers
and wonderful braggots that they made on site.
The line of cysers and braggots are bottled under the Red Branch Brewing
label out of concern that consumers would not respond to products other than
Mead from a meadery. Additionally, the
cyser is marked as a cider (easier to explain what a cider is) and the braggot
is sold as a beer (again, everyone knows what a beer is, but a braggot would
take some explanation).
The cysers that were available were
the Apple and Honey Cider, and the Lemonade.
Apple and Honey Cider – 6.9% ABV
Apple and Honey Cider is a braggot
marketed under a more modern name. This
particular blend is 50-50 Apple juice and honey.
They say:
“We take great care in producing
our hard cider from the finest ingredients available and we are sure that you
will enjoy our version of this timeless classic. During the middle ages this would have been
called a ‘cyser’ and not a cider.
Produced from 50% apple juice and 50% honey it is perhaps the mother of
modern hard cider. Just slightly sweet,
with a full body and terrific crisp apple aroma. “
I say:
The Apple and Honey Cider is light
gold in color with a fine, wispy white head.
Rather than being served still (uncarbonated), it is very nicely
carbonated. There was a sweet apple
aroma with a slight floral honey finish.
The cyser has a sweet cider taste with a crisp, clean finish. This is a much better “cider” alternative
than the mass market ciders that are on the market.
Hard Lemonade
The Lemonade was interesting, but
unfortunately they would not share specifics about the combination of lemon
juice (?), apple juice, and honey. The
lemonade was only on tap so I was unable to get a good commercial description
of it.
The
Lemonade was yellow, with a fine white head.
It had a very citrusy (lemon) and honey-sweet aroma. The flavor was extremely lemony, like one of
those Lemonhead candies, but not as chemically.
And now, onto the braggots, of which there were four: Biere de
Miel, Honey Red, Diabhal, and Honey Stout.
Biere
de Miel – 4.2% ABV
They
say:
“This
is the first of our interpretations of a medieval ‘Braggot’ in our style of a
golden ale. Our ‘Biere De Miel’ or honey
beer, is an ale fermented with honey. We
use only the finest malted barley, freshest hops and select yeast to create a wonderful
and light bodied ale. Lightly hopped to
allow the orange blossom aromas from the honey to come through, it is an easy
drinking ale, which we are sure you will enjoy.”
I say:
The
Biere de Miel pours gold in color, with a thin, bubbly white head. It has a very light and dry aroma, similar to
a dry mead; with very little orange blossom honey and little to no hops coming through
(I would guess a low alpha German hop, maybe hallertau?). The flavor is very light, maybe pilsner malts,
to back up but not over power the honey, and little to no yeast esters
(American yeast strain?). It was very
light bodied and finished crisp, if I didn’t know better, I would have sworn it
was a lager.
Honey Red – 5.0% ABV
They
say:
“This
ale is a tip o’ the hat to the men and women that have served or are serving in
the armed forces. The ‘Bomber Girl’ or
Pinup evokes the spirit of the military and harkens back to a time when things
were a little bit different. Just as in
those days, we have selected a piece of art similar to that which adorned the
nose of many a fine aircraft. Another of
our honey ales or braggots, this Irish Red Style Ale is a big malty
mouthful. Lightly hopped and bottle
conditioned we hope you enjoy her as much as we do”
I say:
This
poured a wonderful light copper in color with a white head (very little
retention). It was caramel malt forward
backed up by a sweet, floral and citrusy honey aroma. The flavor definitely had notes of caramel
malt as well as very slight honey notes and the low hopping of traditional red
ales. This was an excellent braggot.
Diabhal – 8.2% ABV
They
say:
“Fermented
with traditional Belgian barley, yeast and candi sugar we have taken the
liberty of adding a generous amount of the finest honey to create the only ale
of its kind. Lightly carbonated when
bottled or with a thick head and fantastic ‘Belgian lace’ when poured from the
tap. At 8.2% ABV it is similar to a
tripel, but paler, drier and lighter bodied due to the honey. The style is often named after the devil and
of course we have taken the opportunity to do the same – our version ‘Diabhal’
or Devil in Irish.”
I say:
The
Diabhal was amber in color with a nice foamy head that had great retention once
it was agitated. The aroma definitely carried
some alcohol heat and a slight spiciness.
The addition of more highly fermentable sugars allows the alcohol
percentage to increase without additional body from the malt; some adjuncts (non-barley
sugars) also lead to a fermented beverage becoming dryer (the corn and rice in
American Light Lagers). The Diabhal is noticeably
dry, which is unsurprising given the additional honey, above and beyond the
candi sugar. The flavor is lightly
spiced and slightly sweet from the funky Belgian yeast and high fermentation temperatures
that the yeast prefers.
The
Diabhal was an interesting Tripel-style braggot that was very enjoyable.
Honey Stout – 7.2% ABV
The
Honey Stout is their newest beer, so new in fact that it does not yet have an
accepted label or description. They did
however have a picture of the current mock-up label.
I say:
The
Honey stout is very dark brown, almost opaque with a creamy tan head that had
very good retention. The aroma is roasted
with noticeable honey sweetness. The flavor is sweet and malty with a dry
finish. This was a very good Irish stout,
with just the slightest honey.
The final sample of the tasting was
interesting raspberry chocolate mead called Chocolate Raspberry Love, and it
weighed in at a staggering 18% ABV. Our
server referred to it as being an attempt at something reminiscent of a Port
Wine.
They say:
“A celebration of love, this delicious
wine is a marriage of two stars.
Chocolate Raspberry Love is the grooviest wine around and it makes exceptional
way to mix up a wonderful mead.”
I say:
This was extremely heavy and
viscous mead that was dark mahogany in color.
The aroma was of chocolate raspberry candies and the flavor mirrored it
with very sweet raspberry notes blending into a chocolate finish. It was an interesting mead, and definitely one
that was crafted for sipping in small quantities or savoring like a Port. Unfortunately, it was too sweet for me.
Well, that’s all for tonight. Stay tuned for the next update, a write-up on
Damnation 23 from Russian River Brewing Company.
Happy Drinking!
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