shielded

As much as I love a beer, I am open to other choices. With the unseasonably warm days, something lighter and sweeter might be appetizing. Still, the nights get kinda-sorta cold, so the northern connections of a mead feel fitting. They come and go in the stores, with a disappearing act just before Christmas, but some have returned to populate Labirratorium’s shelves. This one seemed the most likely – semi-dry, unfiltered, stern looking label. I don’t think I’ve come across Guerrero before, but let’s see if Escudera, the simplest of the meads I saw, gives them a good introduction.

It does look very unfiltered, kind of like a glass of honey in fact. It has a tingly, tangy scent, a little bit like some of the melomels, that tickles the nose but zips away as soon as you put the glass down. It’s definitely bubbly, but not being a beer there’s no appreciable head. There are a few bubbles at the edge of the glass, so it has a more soda like appearance. Lightly sweet at first, it builds in honey character as the drink goes down, giving you some oddly sharp floral notes and a kind of whisper of wax. I haven’t tasted natural beeswax in a long time, so my first thoughts go to those old wax candies, but I imagine I’m supposed to picture the hive giving up its treasure for the delight of humans, with only the simplest of production to get it in the bottle. It scores high on all counts, although I’m looking forward to the possibility of a stout next week.

Supplier: Labirratorium
Price: €3.30