I’ve been meaning to start these awhile ago, and today is the day!

The essence of these reviews will match the essence of my stories(something sweet or with a little spice, or maybe a mix of both). Not all reviews will be like this, but any edible object reviews will follow this format. “Edible object” makes it sound so nice, doesn’t it? Haha. At the end of this review there will be a “pairing” with one of my stories. This pairing is my own personal opinion, and may or may not be shared by anyone else. Please do not take this as an endorsement of any kind by anyone.

Anyways! On to the review!

I’ve known about Moonlight Meadery for awhile. They’re sort of nearby, actually, and I went there when they first opened up. They were just starting out there, so it was a little more casual, but they’ve grown so much since then and I think that’s awesome. When I went, they were offering samplings and tours for free, but now they charge a minor amount. Honestly, I think it’s still worth it, and they’re very nice people there, so if you live around New Hampshire, I’d definitely go check it out sometime(Londonderry, to be specific).

Before I decided to review this mead, I already knew I’d like it. I will add that it’s not my favorite mead, but from what I know it’s one of their more popular meads. Here’s the rundown directly from their website:

One of our biggest selling meads made from local apple cider with Madagascar-bourbon vanilla and Vietnamese cinnamon spice added. Get your piece of the pie! This mead is a great after dinner dessert wine that is a perfect finish to any holiday meal.

Mead, for those who don’t know, is basically like wine. I say basically, but really it’s entirely different, too. For drinking purposes, you’d drink it during similar times that you’d drink wine, though. They have similar alcohol contents, too. This particular one is 16.8% ABV(so around 34 proof, I think?).

The initial smell of this mead is really nice. It’s something kind of akin to cinnamon baked apples. I wouldn’t say it’s like apple pie(as the name might indicate), but it’s probably close enough that I wouldn’t quibble about it. Personally, it reminds me more of those cored apples with cinnamon and butter and nuts stuffed in the middle, then baked.

It tastes a lot stronger than this, though. Strong as in, you can definitely get a sense of apple pie after your first sip. I found this part interesting, because it even has a slightly glazed sort of feel to it in your mouth, so it’s honestly really similar to the glaze part of an apple pie.

The taste is more casual and low key, though. It’s definitely reminiscent of an apple pie, but it’s not overflowing with excessive fruitiness, nor does the alcohol really hit you hard. It’s nice in those regards. It’s not super fancy or anything, but it does what it says on the bottle, basically. It’s a very relaxed and calm drink, which I think is nice. I especially think this works for this mead, because I think a lot of people think of apple pie as something of a comfort food, and I found it to be a relatively comfortable kind of wine, if that makes any sense.

I’m going to preface this next statement by saying I’m not a wine/mead aficionado by any stretch. I don’t know the terms, or if I’m committing some faux pas by mentioning this next part, so if you’re really into wine and you hate this, I apologize! Anyways, I really think this mead would go great with homemade macaroni and cheese. Nothing from a box, but the good stuff, made from scratch, with various types of cheese and topped with breadcrumbs or fresh-grated Parmesan or something like that.

I think this would be a wonderful mead to wind down to after a long day, with a steaming bowl of mac and cheese, a glass of this mead, sitting in a extra cushioned comfy chair, while reading a book. That’s what I think of this wine, summed up into a couple of quick ideas.

It’s a really smooth mead, too. Obviously it’s alcoholic(and it’s relatively high, comparative to some other meads or wines), but like I mentioned before I never found it excessively so. It leaves you with a slight, bubbly throat tickle, but nothing extreme in the way of alcohol-ness. It’s more sweet like a white wine, too, and not tart or drying like a red.

I think most people are of the opinion that wines(and in turn meads) should be savored, and I definitely think this one lends itself well to that, but it’s also the kind of wine that you could drink faster. I wouldn’t really suggest that, but that’s the feel I got to it. There’s none of that “mandatory” feeling of needing to hold back and drink it in smaller sips like with some wines I’ve had. The aftertaste is similar to the regular taste, too, which is nice.

Now, as this is a sweet wine, I feel like it should be paired with a sweet story. I mentioned this earlier, but it’s definitely got that “wind down after a long day” feel to it. In pairing this wine, I’d highly suggest trying it out with Soulless. After the world’s gone to hell and you may or may not be some kind of zombie, I really feel like some comfort food could go a really long way towards relieving a little bit of stress, you know?

If you’re interested in trying out Kurt’s Apple Pie, they actually have a deal with a distributor for a few states, so you can get it delivered directly to you. I don’t know how that works with alcohol, but I believe you have to show your ID to the delivery person in order to do that. You can also find Moonlight Meadery meads in lots of local stores, depending on where you live. Just ask around!