Average Rating: (From 4 Reviews):
Submit a Review
A Story :)
From Tim Guarino of Memphis, Tennessee on .
I’m not a great writer so you’ll have to forgive me, but here we go anyways.
I’m choosing to post this “review” on the Blackberry Mead because of the surprise ending to this story and that it has become a staple in our household; however, we have also ordered Raspberry, The Statement, Valentine, Lutowka Batch 3, Marionberry, and Amelia 5th Bday (last of which is probably tied with Blackberry as my personal favorite - but I’ll leave that for a separate review sometime). Truly, each deserves its own.
You see, one year ago today, I had only ever known Mead as this very old, traditional alcohol that they would sometimes serve at Medieval Festivals that came through town every now and then. But that was really about the extent of my knowledge and I had never yet tried it for myself. Then my wife and I visited Norway mid 2022. We went to this amazing underground microbrewery loved by the locals in Oslo where I had pointed at “Number 17” on the Chalk Board and ordered what I thought would be my third random beer there. I was told by the owner, “you know that is mead, correct?” Obviously I couldn’t admit that I had zero idea so I simply replied, “Of course I know it’s mead!” He smirked, but poured me a glass regardless.
The look on my face must have been something to behold, because it was truly the most delicious thing I had ever tasted in my entire life. Question after question started pouring out of my mouth, and he just continued pouring for me mead after mead, several of which weren’t even on the chalk board, and he would explain each one to us with minute detail (he stopped charging us at a certain point and wouldn’t even except a large tip from me afterwards). I was fascinated. Turns out his brother made a lot of this himself and he was simply enjoying the sheer entertainment of watching 2 Americans fall in love with Mead. We’re friends to this day and I can’t wait to let him try a bottle of Schramms next time we visit.
Needless to say, the remainder of our trip had a huge focus on mead. Everywhere we went, I would make sure to try some. When it was time to come back home, I purchased a few bottles from a meadery, packed them up in our check in, and headed to the states. I figured I can always order more when we ran out…..
Wrong…
I was heart broken to discover that it’s practically impossible to have mead shipped from Norway to the States. And we were now out of it completely!! And so my search for America’s greatest meads began :)
I ordered mead from several different places throughout the country - most of it really was tasty - but none really had that true natural/sweet/lush/genuine taste as I had become accustomed to during our trip overseas. You can tell without even knowing about mead that some left out important details while others tried to unnecessarily over-complicate the flavor.
An acquaintance of mine overheard me sharing this story with a friend and he asked if I had ever tried Schramm’s. I had seen you guys online during my internet searches but definitely hadn’t ordered any yet. So that evening, I ordered my first few bottles of Schramm’s.
Blackberry was the first I tried. And I swear, the second it touched my lips, I knew. I felt like I was immediately teleported back to that underground microbrew in Oslo. I could feel the hearth from the fire he had going. I tasted actual blackberries. Not “blackberry flavor” but delicious, home-grown, fruit. I could tell the honey was of the highest quality. The mead itself was “thick” but not too thick - just right, and sweet but not overwhelming. It was perfect. Same with the raspberry. (And the others I mentioned at the beginning of this article although they all have their particular nuances).
Schramm’s has been the only place we’ve ordered mead from since. But this review (likely the longest ever recorded in human history) isn’t actually about the mead itself. It’s about the ending, which is where we are now.
You see, my mother was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis during the summer of 2005. She was a nurse and used her medical background to make constant adjustments to her diet and exercise in order to mitigate the inevitable effects this horrible illness can have on the human body and mind. One of these changes was eliminating gluten, as she came to realize it would sometimes cause her symptoms to flare up. Unfortunately, one of her favorite past times had always been visiting various breweries with my dad and trying beers from all around the world. (This is how I developed the exact same hobby!). So, in the interest of her overall health, she decided to give up beer, making it just another line item on the long list of things she used to enjoy but no longer can…. We’ve shared various wines with her in the past, but she simply doesn’t like it.
One thing my mom loves though, that she hasn’t had to give up, is fruit…. She LOVES fruit. And eats a lot of it. Fresh fruit. Like the handpicked from your garden kind of fruit. …..The kind that Schramm’s uses in their blackberry mead kind of fruit…. She picks a lot of fruit herself, so she knows it’s fresh and can also get some healthy exercise/sunlight in while doing so. And she’s ALWAYS telling me and my brother that we should be eating more honey for its slew of health benefits. She actually considers it a superfood! (You probably see where this is going)
So… as we were approaching the Christmas season, I decided to order a few more bottles of Schramm’s to share with friends and family over Christmas dinner.
Christmas Dinner Arrives.
We pop open a few bottles of Schramm’s to go along with a delicious Roast, and share a glass with my mom. I felt like my Norway friend watching her smile as she tried it. She had the exact same reaction that I did! And it was my turn to explain to her what it is. “Mead?? What’s mead Timmy???? Thousands of years old??? Honey? Blackberry??? Timmy this is so delicious! Would it be alright if I took a bottle of this home with me? I’m sure it’s expensive I will pay you don’t worry but this is so wonderful!” “Mom, why don’t you take 2. It’s all we have left for now but I promise I’ll get more. And it’s actually not that expensive at all. Oh, and you’ll never have to pay me back. This smile of yours is the only payment I needed.”
The end
P.S. I’m not exactly the greatest son in the world as I was still secretly saving the bottle of Amelia upstairs and I’m glad I did since that was an entire experience on its own! :)
Thank you Schramm’s. My mom has found mead because of you. And she loves it. Can’t wait to take a family trip up to Michigan one day and bring her along.
Until Next Time,
Tim
The Best
From Rema Allen of Pearland, Texas on .
Always great. Cheers.
Great Product
From Paul Gillum of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina on .
A great product and a company that goes the extra mile.
Blackberry Heaven
From Peter Sardi of Carrollton, Texas on .
Absolutely AMAZING! Well balanced and sweet without being cloying.
Submit a Review
