Thrúd (Þrúðr) is a daughter of Thor and Sif, and a Valkyrie welcoming the fallen warriors in to Valhalla with a drink of Mead.
As our first hopped mead was named after Thor, it was a natural choice to ask Thrúd to patronise this mead.
Created using the English hop “Bramling Cross”. This is classed as a ‘Rare Breed’ hop, developed in 1927 and is a cross between Goldings and a wild Manitoban hop.
Our first batch was released at Jorvik Viking Festival in February 2020 – at the same time we released Jarl’s Mead, albeit a little more subtly, in the background, like a bit of a whisper.
We are nearing the end of our second batch, which is now just over 3 years old and packs the same fruity punch it did when it was made, the aroma and flavour of the hops have survived the passage of time and it is now one of our most popular flavours when we are at events. We entered this in the Mead Madness Cup competition in February 2024, and although it didn’t get a medal, there were 17 entries in this category, the judge’s comments were very encouraging.
Its appearance was ‘perfect’, with a “clearly outlined honey and hop aroma”, a “clearly marked honey and hop character in the taste” and with a “quite long sweet alcoholic finish”.
Inspired by an ale from Wiltshire’s Box Steam Brewery, one of the many breweries that have disappeared over the last 5 years, Thrúd’s Mead is one of the Meadmeister’s favourites.
The Bramling Cross hop, added after the fermentation has finished, brings such dark fruit flavours as bramble/blackberry and blackcurrant and adds a sourness to the overall finish of this mead. We cannot wait to make the next batch!
So why not click on the link and enter the code VIKINGS10 to get your 10% discount off a bottle or 3 of Thrúd’s Mead. Tantalise your taste buds or gift to friends who love a good English Pale Ale and put them on to the splendour that is mead.