Note: BloodMoon is not traditionally made mead like many of the bottles I’ve covered thus far. It is a cheaper alternative, typically made by sweetening wine with honey. Whilst this is a very nice drink in my opinion, it is not true mead, and I apologise for my oversight. The article has been revised appropriately.
Raven Forge is probably one of this country’s coolest businesses. They’re like IKEA for fantasy lovers, selling all that good stuff you don’t know you’ve always needed until you see it. If you’re anything like me, a quick perusal of their wares will see you with a brand new impulse buy itch. Like the inimitable pizza axe:
If pizza isn’t your thing, how about a set of cheese axes? Essential for all those times a family cheeseboard goes sideways over the last piece of emmental. Or a knightly BBQ for when you absolutely must cook some sausages over a brazier – it’s scientifically proven to be tastier. It’s not all novelty, far from it – Raven Forge have a huge selection of replica weapons from a variety of licensed franchises, real weapons (for when that cheeseboard goes incredibly sideways), jewellery, and, naturally – mead. I could spend a long time talking about all the stuff I’d absolutely love to fill my house with, so I’ll try and get to the point quickly.
Raven Forge BloodMoon mead
Raven Forge’s mead selection is pretty decent, if not as expansive as I remember it once being. There’s big names like Nidhoggr, Afon Mel and Hive Mind making appearances, including Afon Mel’s absolutely stellar apricot. But the thing that piqued my interest most when last I wandered through their mead hall was BloodMoon – their own mead-inspired beverage, branded appropriately with a magical stave and some Nordic saga flavour text on the back. A bottle will set you back £18.99 plus postage, and each one currently comes with an engraved shot horn delivered in a hessian bag for some added value. The price point was what hooked my interest – I’d usually expect to pay at least £25 for a quality bottle of mead, or around £15 for something average. If the glowing customer reviews held true, BloodMoon was an absolute steal. But would they prove true?
As it turned out, yes. I’ll be completely transparent – I even said to my partner before cracking BloodMoon open for the first time that I wasn’t expecting too much from it. But BloodMoon proves that sometimes in this life low expectations are met with grand successes, and that’s certainly what I’d call this drink. A silky, smooth body that still packs a decent punch at 14.5%. Slightly sweet but tart in the same way red berries can be, and it’s those fruity notes that make it dangerously moreish. An excellent mead-inspired wine.
Red fruit notes just sweet enough to shine through that tart, warm finish, not entirely unlike semi-sweet red wine. This is the ideal party mead (inspired wine). It’s powerful enough to stand by itself and versatile enough to accompany most meat-based meals. Have a bottle chilled in the midday sun, or sat around a roaring fire on a winter evening.
But what makes BloodMoon Viking Mead?
This isn’t just a thematic choice of words – any mead with a predominantly red colour like this one are commonly referred to as either ‘Viking’s Blood’ or ‘Dragon’s Blood’. Meads of this type are often accentuated with spices like ginger, star anise, or subtle floral elements like hibiscus to add extra depth of taste and colour. Given Raven Forge and their absolutely massive arsenal of axes, it makes perfect sense they’d start with a Viking Blood!
There is an absence of tasting notes or ingredient details available. I have reached out to Raven Forge for clarification on this so I’ll update as and when they can provide them. If there are any spices or herbal infusions, they’re not especially present – but on the assumption this is a simple cherry/red berry honey wine, it’s a good one. Not complicated, but the perfect bottle for a BBQ (knightly or otherwise) or your next game night.
Raven Forge BloodMoon Viking Mead – 3.5/5
I’m really torn on scoring this one. I really, really wanted to give it full marks just for the fantastic value for money and accessible taste/sweetness balance. But the ambiguity of the flavours themselves and the cheaper nature of this bottle’s making just steps it back a little.
BloodMoon is a simple, no frills sort of tipple that will appeal and delight a wide range of tastebuds. It strips back the sweetness so emblematic of the cheap honey-flavored wine drinks and delivers a great experience all the way down.
You can buy your own bottle of BloodMoon (and lots of other stuff. I mean… a LOT of stuff) at Raven Forge. Want us to review your mead? We’d be honoured. Please email me at lars@drunkendice.co.uk.
All images used in this article besides the header are credited to Raven Forge.