Danish Nature Brew Miniature Giftbox Danish Mead 3x10 cl 14%

Honey, apple must and patience. That is very nearly the whole recipe for Danish mead, and in the town of Kolding, Danish Nature Brew still brews it from recipes far older than any label could hold. Three of them stand side by side here in miniature: one pale, one dark, one cask-aged.

The expert's description

Danish Nature Brew Miniature Gift Set Danish Mead 3x10 cl 14% is a gift set holding three hand-brewed organic Danish Mead, all bottled at 14%.

The set contains Gunlöd, Bifrost and Mimer, each in its own 10 cl bottle. Gunlöd is the pale one, matured for at least 12 months and kept fresh and sweet in a style that sits well beside ripe cheese and dessert. Bifrost is the dark one, given at least 18 months, and it leans towards port and sherry. Put it next to dark chocolate and it comes alive.

Mimer is the odd one out. It is built on Danish honey and unfiltered Danish apple must, then matured for a minimum of 24 months, twelve of which are spent in American oak casks from Stauning Whisky. The wood lends body and a clear streak of smoke and coal, which is why Mimer drinks more like a whisky than a dessert wine.

All three are fully organic and hand-brewed in Kolding. The format is well judged: 10 cl gives you enough to taste properly, and little enough that three people can work through all three in an evening without leaving half-empty bottles behind.

Tasting notes

Nose

Honey in three registers. Gunlöd opens bright and fresh with apple and blossom. Bifrost is darker, carrying dried fruit and a nutty edge. From Mimer a dry wisp of smoke rises, the kind you meet in an emptied whisky cask.

Palate

Gunlöd is sweet without ever turning sticky, held up by acidity. Bifrost sits closer to port, dark and nutty across the middle. Mimer is the fullest of the three, where honey sweetness runs into oak, coal and smoke and pulls the whole thing somewhere else entirely.

Finish

Short and clean on Gunlöd. Longer and more sherried on Bifrost. Mimer lingers the longest, dry smoke on top and a trace of apple underneath.

Specifications

Name: Danish Nature Brew Miniature Gift Set Danish Mead 3x10 cl 14%
Producer: Danish Nature Brew
Region/Country: Kolding, Denmark
Type: Danish Mead
ABV: 14%
Size: 3 x 10 CL
EAN no.: 5700002146410
Serving suggestion: Lightly chilled in a small wine glass, with cheese, dessert or dark chocolate

Flavour profile

Honeyed · Fruity · Cask-aged · Lightly Smoky

Did you know?

All three names come straight out of Norse mythology. Gunlöd was the giantess who guarded the mead of poetry, Mimer sat at the well of wisdom, and Bifrost is the rainbow bridge between the world of humans and the world of the gods. The naming is no accident. Mead is among the oldest drinks the North knows.

See our full range of Mead

Listen to our podcast:

Frequently asked questions about Danish Nature Brew Miniature Gift Set Danish Mead 3x10 cl 14%

In what order should the three meads be tasted?

Begin with Gunlöd, move on to Bifrost and finish with Mimer. Gunlöd is the lightest and palest, Bifrost is darker and more concentrated, and Mimer is cask-aged and smoky. Reverse the order and the cask flattens the other two completely.

What is Danish mead actually made from?

Honey fermented with water, and at Danish Nature Brew also unfiltered Danish apple must. The honey supplies the sugar, while the apple must brings acidity and orchard fruit into the finished drink. Everything is organic and brewed by hand in Kolding.

Does the set work as a gift for someone new to mead?

Yes, and it is the best possible way in. Most people assume mead is one thing and usually cloyingly sweet, but three glasses side by side show that the distance from pale and fresh to cask-aged and smoky is as wide as between two wines.

Why does Mimer taste of smoke?

Because it spends 12 months in American oak casks from Stauning Whisky. Those casks held Danish whisky first, and they carry coal, smoke and wood straight into the mead. The rest of the maturation, up to at least 24 months in total, happens outside the cask.

What food suits the three meads?

Gunlöd goes with pale cheese, apple desserts and anything light and baked. Bifrost handles tapas, dried fruit, blue cheese and dark chocolate. Mimer is best on its own after the meal, served in a Whisky Glass exactly as you would pour a dram.

Can mead be used in cooking and cocktails?

Yes, more often than people expect. The sweetness and acidity work in jellies, glazes and sauces for game and duck, and the dark Bifrost can stand in for port in a reduction. In cocktails, mead usually takes the place of syrup as the sweetening element.

How long does an opened bottle of mead keep?

Put it in the fridge and drink it within a couple of weeks. Mead is fermented rather than distilled, so it behaves like wine and loses freshness once oxygen gets to it. With 10 cl bottles that is rarely a problem.