
Hops are the flowering cone of a perennial plant that is a close relative to the cannabis family. Hops are one of the primary ingredients in beer. They impart the bitter balance to the sweet malt sugars and also have antiseptic qualities to prevent bacteria growth. Hops provide beautiful floral, piney, and citrus notes to both aroma and flavor. Hop-heads are beer drinkers who seek out beers with full hop flavors, which are most present in the India Pale Ale (IPA) style.
While the hop plant has been widely revered by beer drinkers, it is only lately making its way into mead making. Here are four hoppy meads sure to convert those hop-lovin’ beer drinkers to the sweeter side of craft brews.
HoneyMaker Dry Hopped MeadMaine Mead Works adds whole leaf Cascade hops to the mead as it ages through a technique called “dry-hopping.” Cascade is a ubiquitous and versatile hop variety that yields nice grassy, floral tones to the aroma. The hops also add slight bitterness and grapefruit notes. It is a drier mead and overall it leans more toward a floral wine than a hopped beer.
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Brothers Drake Hopped TraditionalBrothers Drake is a unique meadery and music venue in Columbus Ohio. They use Oregon sourced Cascade and Chinook Hops in their Hopped Traditional Mead with local Ohio wildflower honey. The hops provide citrus & pine notes and a little bitterness on the finish. Its hard to get outside of Ohio, so if you are near columbus, definitely stop into Brothers Drake. |
Crafted Hop NectarHop Nectar from Crafted Artisan Meadery is a semi-sweet mead made with Ohio wildflower honey. This traditional mead is also dry hopped with Cascade Hops. The hops provide subtle bitterness to balance the sweetness of the honey and an floral aroma. Drinking the Hop Nectar is like sipping from a meadow. |
B. Nektar Evil Genius
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Let me know if there are any other hoppy meads out there that are missing from this list.
Looking to brew your own? Check out my Hop-Head Mead recipe.
Want to learn more about hops and hop varieties, get For The Love of Hops: The Practical Guide to Aroma, Bitterness and the Culture of Hops.
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REdstone Meadery Nectar of the Hops