Newburgh, New York - 6.9%abv

Surprise!!  We were all very excited to include a MEAD in this year’s advent calendar!  

Mead, or “honey wine,” is an ancient beverage potentially dating back almost ten thousand years, but is currently having quite a moment rapidly gaining popularity in recent years.  Mead is gluten-free, made from fermenting honey and water, and can be made in a wide range of styles from still to sparkling, from sticky sweet to bone-dry, and can also include a virtually infinite number of possible secondary flavors and ingredients.  

Graft Cidery out of the Hudson Valley in New York is one of our favorite cider houses for many reasons. Not only do they source their apples and major ingredients locally, but their creativity in seasonal cannings is seriously unmatched.  Even more special perhaps, is the fact that they’re one of the very few brands with the guts to transparently label their raw ingredients and nutritional facts - because they never use artificial additives, stabilizers, chemicals, or sorbates.  We knew Graft’s ‘Red, Roe, Ruin’ from their one-off, never-repeated Book of Nomad series would be perfect for this time of year.  Made with Nordic Kveik yeast to highlight and complement the honey and berry flavors, and using cinnamon, yarrow, and rosemary as a nod to the traditional herbs, roots, and spices of Nordic cuisine - it’s the mulled wine of meads!  Tart, slightly sweet, herbal, floral, bitter, tangy… This one’s a beauty.  

Please enjoy, and welcome to the wonderful world of meads!!