Sloan's Batch 8 Fall Pumpkin Mead

This is not beer. I don't know why I expected mead to be more meaty, cloudy, and it should probably come with a viking horde to quaff it all over the place. This one didn't come with any of that. It's more wine-like in its presentation, and Robert Sloan, brewer of this beverage, insists that this is the way it is intended. We shall see if the way it is intended is the way it should be, or if beer is the natural progression that we should not allow regression from.

The color is that of a white wine. It is clear as a bell with absolutely no head. I have poured flat Coke, Pepsi, and even a beer or two, and I can tell you that this beats them all with its flatness. The aroma is an odd one. It smells more like wine than anything, but there is more... it's got a spiky sweet smell that adds more thickness to the aroma.

First sip is very sweet with a definite pumpkin husk overtone. It also has a distinct grainy taste about it that I might attribute to yeast. What is odd is the way it makes my mouth feel like it is puckering and opening at the same time. There is definite alcohol and sweetness all around the beverage, but there is a bit of a tart twinge to it, too. I understand that letting it come down to room temperature may change the taste, but I'm not unsatisfied with a sip. But I need more. I must quaff.

Tip-in is a watery wine with an alcohol burn and a pumpkin background. The middle is possibly more watery than the tip-in. It definitely has a whiff of whiskey about it, but that may be mostly the alcohol talking. I remember having Wild Turkey at one point, and this gives me that slightly nauseous feeling that I got with the Turkey. When the finish comes, it brings the power. Like a nail hitting my tongue, the alcohol burn hits, and the pumpkin/wine sweetness hammers the back of the mouth.

Bottom Line: It's not smooth, but it is ferocious in its individuality. I probably won't want another.

1.25/5