Nightcap. Mead. Because it's Easter. I should have Sahti but I don't. I somehow missed the window of opportunity of brewing, and here I am. No Sahti. But I have Mead. This is a commercial product. Sea-buckthorn and apple are the key inputs here. Vintage 2019. Interesting. This drink portrays a crystal clear appearance. The color is pale gold, distantly milky maybe. Beautiful, for sure. The scent is not particularly powerful. Rather mild actually. Zesty green apple is the dominant element. Is there sea-buckthorn in the air? Well... maybe but it's really modest. I expected it to be more prominent. The second thing that makes me furrow my eyebrows is the absence of sweetness. I expected a Mead to be sweet or oversweet but the scent is actually somewhat sour. It's not necessarily a bad thing but definitely something I don't expect of a Mead. But let's see. The first sip lifts the sea-buckthorn at par with the green apple. That's where it belongs! Don't be shy when you can be bold. But definitely this Mead is not a sugar bomb. This is a bit sour and relatively thin even. Like apple flavored white wine. Honey is absent. It's also interesting to see that a Mead doesn't necessarily feel thick if there are no tons of sugar there. Maybe this is the standard for Meads if the sugars were somehow sucked away from them? Well, that's an unverifiable counterfactual anyway. The mouthfeel is light, juicy, pulpy and moderately tart. Still, fairly subtle and elegant. Not vinous despite the apparent resemblance to white wine. Different anyway. Very natural. P.S. This is so different from what I have understood as a Mead that I had to check if this fulfils the qualifications of Mead in the first place. My source is the BJCP. Yes, this is a Mead. A Dry Mead, to be precise. Good to know. Life is a continuous learning journey. P.S.2. I can hear a tawny owl 🦉 calling in the nearby forest. Very easy to recognize but difficult to see. Especially in the dark...

Spring is coming 🌞 This apple cider is vintage 2023. Looks clear, champagne-colored. Faintly green actually. Sparkling carbonation and a hasty lacing that dies fast. Semidry green apple in the scent. Very juicy. Perhaps a hint of pear, too, if you let your imagination run wild. However, no pear in the taste. Just green apple. A bit sour. Straightforward. A clean profile. Feels light, juicy, slightly tart, moderately acidic and refreshing. Clean and balanced. Very natural. Enjoyable.

Limpid. Blueberry juice is the color. Dark purple. A moussy lace ring on the top. Looks pure white with a truly distant blue tint. Blueberry pie in the scent. That is blueberry and dough. Nice. Distinct sour apple juice follows behind. Sour apple zest confuses the blueberry enjoyment. And reduces its intensity substantially. No dough in the taste. But as if a suggestion of wild yeast loomed in the shadows. Feels light, zesty, summery, spritzy, slightly acidic and marginally funky. Interesting. And intriguing, too, although I would have welcomed a bigger blueberry punch.

A clear crimson cider. Sparkling and short-lived carbonation. So is the head. Bubbly, maybe half a finger, and soon dead. The nose receives an interesting cocktail of medium-sour red apple and sourish raspberry. There's also something funky and unexpected there, a twist of wild yeast maybe? Indeed, wild yeast seems to be present also on the tongue. Raspberry is apparent and accompanied by lingonberry and red apple that is sweeter than it was in the scent. Feels light, juicy, sparkling, gardeny and marginally funky. Not bad at all. I like the funky part but it mismatches the sweet echo of the taste. A bit confusing, therefore.

Good cider. Red colour, nice lingonberry aromas, sour tasty. Very tasty

This cider looks lucid straw. Sparkling carbonation. A vague head that dies right away. Cloudberry is copious in the air. Faint sour apple in the background. The gustatory profile is more balanced between sour apple and cloudberry. Apple grows still more in the finish. Feels light, juicy, truly natural, a tad dry and slightly drying. Simple, yet very flavorful! ABV = 5%.

Cider, vintage 2021. Lucid gold. Fairly long-lasting sparkling carbonation. The foam pops up on the surface for a second or two. Marginal sweetness can be spotted in the air although the apple juice is undoubtedly semidry. A twist of pear accompanies the key ingredient. Pear is lost on the tongue. Medium-sour apple mash with waxy peely nuances constitute the gustatory package. Simple. And somewhat thin... Feels thin, zesty, sparkling, modestly astringent. Dry and drying. Natural. Nice although I expected a four year old cider to be a banger.

Pre-sauna cider. The color is transparent ruby. Spritzy carbonation. A velvety head forms on the top and descends to the sides. The scent is surprisingly modest: medium-sour apple only. The taste offers a brave load of lingonberry and green apple, as well. Finishes with ample lingonberry. Gives what it promises. The mouthfeel is juicy and summery. Beautiful powerful berry taste. Deep for sure although straightforward. Acidic, spritzy and slightly tart. Super natural. ❤️