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| Carolyn Smagalski BellaOnline's Beer and Brewing Editor |
Brad Dahlhofer of Ferndale, Michigan began meadmaking in 1998, when he started experimenting with beer, meads, wine and cider as an avid homebrewer, with his friend Paul Zimmerman. Inspired to create a mead for his wedding in 2005, Brad crafted a Vanilla Cinnamon Mead that captured the attention of their wedding guests. Through all the compliments, he joked about his next career as a meadmaker, never dreaming that a few years later he really would take that leap of faith.In 2006, Brad’s wife Kerri had become one of the many statistics who fell prey to the restructuring monster that devoured her job. Consoling her bruised ego, she sat sipping a glass of Brad’s Vanilla Cinnamon Mead. As the spices rolled across her tongue, her vision of the future became clear. They could sell this! By August 2008, Kerri and Brad, with the assistance of Paul Zimmerman, opened their doors as B. Nektar Meadery with a portfolio of premium meads, limited releases, and a Ken Schramm Signature Series.
Their dedication to creating the finest, most distinctive meads in the country is apparent the moment the tasty nectars roll across your palate. With untraditional products that include such flavors as Raspberry Chipotle, Bourbon Barrel and Heart of Darkness Meads, I asked if Brad and Kerri might be called the Extreme Brewers of Mead. Says Brad, “I want to be the Dogfish Head of mead, not the Budweiser … making really good meads that will be in really good places that carry the best beer.”
Presented with the opportunity to taste a few B. Nektar Meads at the Atlantic City Beer Festival, I happily seized the occasion. Wildflower Mead seduces the tongue with gentle florals and a light sweetness, touched by a vanilla earthiness that develops from aging on American oak. Vanilla Cinnamon Mead appears golden and honeyish, with assertive vanilla and the exotic presence of spice from the Far East. Orange Blossom Mead, also aged on American oak, settles with a dry character, dusted with fresh floral and citrus aromatics. Perhaps the most mind-captivating is the Bourbon Barrel Mead, drenched with complexity. The strong, spicy, dark character of Buckwheat honey marrys the softer, citrusy florals of Orange Blossom honey to produce a mead filled with characterful flavors. This blend is then mellowed in “wet” 12-year-old Elijah Craig Bourbon barrels that contain about a gallon of residual bourbon, producing a distinctive sipping mead suitable for an evening soiree or after-dinner digestif.
Even more titillating is the Ken Schramm Signature Series of Ultra-Premium Meads. Ken Schramm, author of The Compleat Meadmaker, collaborated with the Dahlhofers to produce a line of meads fit to be signed and numbered. Heart of Darkness uses the freshest hand-picked fruit from the Schramm property – morello cherries, black currants, and red raspberries, gently stroked with shade and sun. Ginger Mead, deluged with one pound of fresh ginger per gallon of finished mead, echoes the exotic climate of Asia, as it merges with the delicacy of Orange Blossom honey.
Xtra Limited Releases are on the horizon. Each month in 2010, a new release of extreme meads will be launched by B. Nektar Meadery. Seek out the unusual blends of Chocolate Raspberry Mead, Cactus Pear Melomel, Chai Tea Mead, Dry Tupelo, and Cherry Riesling Pyment. As you find each, fill your mazer to the brim and drink the ambrosia of the gods.
As of April 2010, B. Nektar Meads are available in Michigan, Maine, Massachusetts, North Carolina, New Jersey, Maryland, and Washington DC.
Cheers!
21st Amendment joins the friendly skies
Flying Virgin America just got a little bit sweeter. Or perhaps, more accurately, hoppier.The airline partnered with San Francisco’s 21st Amendment Brewery to provide Brew Free! or Die IPA on its flights. “This is a huge day for beer drinkers looking for a full flavored craft beer while flying aboard Virgin America,” Shaun O’Sullivan, brewmaster and co-founder of the 21st Amendment, said in a release. “The 21st Amendment’s innovative approach of putting craft beer with unique flavors in cans partners perfectly with Virgin America, a brand synonymous with innovation, creativity and an emphasis on the customer’s experience.” Because this is the digital age, the partnership started on Twitter. “The great side note and cool little twist about this story is the whole thing started on Twitter. I was flying aboard a Virgin America flight and tweeted about the amazing in-flight experience and later inquired about the possibility of getting the 21st Amendment beer on Virgin America’s planes. One thing led to another and now we’re drinking 21st Amendment’s craft beer at 35,000 feet. Social networking, planes and beer go together,” O’Sullivan said. |
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