I Finally Get To Try Mead!!!

Eight years ago I heard a story on NPR about mead. After that story mead which I had previously never had in interest in became a sudden obsession. I had to learn everything I could about mead. I also had to learn of the meads available locally at the liquor store which was supposed to be the “best”. After my research I ran out the the liquor store and picked up a bottle. I got it home, sat it on my kitchen table and my cat Thomas Paine immediately knocked the full unopened bottle of mead off the table and onto my tile floor. My sudden obsession with mead came to a crashing halt. The honey nectar of the gods never passed my lips. As with most sudden obsessions it then passed into obscurity. Then along comes Honey Tree Meadery.

Cue Honey Tree Meadery

Honey Tree Meadery is a meadery based in Nashville, TN. They opened just a few months back. The opening of Honey Tree rekindled my dormant fascination with mead. A meadery had opened up in my own backyard!

A couple weeks after Honey Tree opened I called up my buddy Jordan to see if he would be game to go try some mead with me. Jordan is also a mead novice. So we head over to Honey Tree on a Wednesday evening and give it a go. I arrive first and walk into the tap room. I am greeted by friendly faces doing yoga in the front room. They also have two bartenders working the taps. They asked me the most important question first. “Have you ever had mead”. I let them know that I am a mead novice. So they explain to me how mead is made and allow me to try samples of the three meads that they currently had on tap. They bartenders that were working had an amazing attitude and were more than willing to talk a novice mead drinker though the paces.

Honey Goodness

After trying the three meads that were on tap I decided to go with the Basic Batch. I felt that the Basic Batch most embodied the basics of what a mead should be. It was 14% abv, served room temperature, and did not have any other flavors infused into it. Hence it is the Basic Batch. I don’t have a ton of experience with mead so I can not give a very thorough review. The majority of my experience with reviewing beverages is with Scotch and bourbon which have a substantially higher abv.

Color: The basic batch is a golden yellow color. It has thin legs that run quickly.

Nose: The nose is pretty much straight honey, with some sweetness, there was no detectable ethanol scent.

Mouthfeel: The mouth feel is thin, and a bit drying.

Taste: There is an explosion of honey sweetness, and a bit of a wine taste for lack of a better word.

Finish: The finish is short and sweet. The flavor does not linger.

Overall I would say that I enjoyed my first experience with mead. I will have to go back and try their other variants in more detail. It was a really great experience trying mead.

The location of Honey Tree Meadery is top notch. It is right on Woodland with plenty of other things to do near by. The taproom itself is really nice and gives a nice view of where they make the mead. The back patio though was awesome. They have plenty of seating, they have a good number of plants and some nice shaded areas.

We Will Be Back

My initial thought right after leaving Honey Tree Meadery was “We will be back!”. It was a great experience. They have a great tap room and a great porch. The bartenders were knowledgeable and really welcoming. The mead was fantastic as well. I plan to make many trips back over the coming year to get to know mead better.

Nick Bumgardner is a beverage photographer based outside of Nashville, TN.