Banana Split by ClubGonzo, Mead, 11.5% ABV.
Honey, vanilla beans, cocoa nibs and banana. Sounds good, right?
Banana Split, mead batch 10.
It pours a clear, still, medium golden body, just the way I like it.
The strong aroma is pretty special, and doesn’t smell that much like a banana split. I had expected massive notes of overripe banana, but the fruity notes are not that obvious to me. The cocoa is even more well hidden. There is also a strange vegetal thing in that I can’t quite pinpoint (it sort of reminds me of a rhubarb jam I once made, where I’ve added hop pellets that got dissolved in the jam).
It tastes a bit better than it smells, without being fantastic. Honey, banana and the same strange, vegetal, dull hop pellet trub notes as I found in the aroma. It has a very sweet taste, and the texture is thick and syrupy.
Conclusion: a bit strange and not that banana split-y, but almost drinkable.
Aroma: 5/10 Appearance: 4/5 Taste: 4/10 Palate: 4/5 Overall: 8/20 Ratebeer score: 2.5/5.0
Beer With Me 
This was the first time I experienced that some meads should be viewed as session IPAs: to be consumed pretty much immediately after all ingredients have been added. In the beginning, this was a funny little thing, full of banana, chocolate, vanilla, etc. As months passed, it began vaning in complexity and the tastes dissipated into each other, leaving a mixture of undiscerning fruitiness which is hard to define. I mainly blame the banana on this one, as I also discovered as a rapid degenerator with a later batch (“Absolutely Bananas”). 😛 But yes, drinkable but not really good is the rating I would give as well. Seems we are much more in tune when it comes to mead than beer Terje! 🙂
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