# What was this Polish mead I tried? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 8, 2005, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-polish-mead-i-tried/302979 "2005-05-08T23:01:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2005, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-polish-mead-i-tried/302979/1 "2005-05-08T23:01:27Z")
It was fan-freaking-tastic. But I don’t know the name of it. I was told it was mead, and it did indeed start out tasting like a mild, smooth honey wine, but then changed flavors no less than four times, with a spicy hotness in the middle and ending with a warming (but not burning) feeling that spread from my tummy outward. I was also told it was 80 proof, which is WAY stronger than any mead I know of. And it’s Polish. That’s all I know about it. Any idea? (Gawd, I love me a Viking party!) 😃 ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2005, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-polish-mead-i-tried/302979/2 "2005-05-09T00:25:08Z")
Once at an SF convention I sampled something I was told was, IIRC, “hrolka,” a Polish blend of mead and hard cider. Could that be it? ---
**Author:** ![Hunter\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@Hunter\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hunter_Hawk)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2005, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-polish-mead-i-tried/302979/3 "2005-05-09T00:55:39Z")
Could it be [this stuff](http://www.internetwines.com/rws16126.html)? It’s basically honey mixed into vodka. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2005, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-polish-mead-i-tried/302979/4 "2005-05-09T02:06:05Z")
Which is basically [this stuff](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=315672). (OP’d an hour and a half later than this thread. I guess great minds drink alike.) ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2005, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-polish-mead-i-tried/302979/5 "2005-05-09T12:25:26Z")
Bingo! Hee-hee. Maybe \*\*BrainGlutton \*\*and I should go out drinkin’ together! 😃 Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Stark\_Raven\_Mad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Stark\_Raven\_Mad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stark_Raven_Mad)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2005, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-polish-mead-i-tried/302979/6 "2005-05-09T20:31:14Z")
I’m intrigued. I’ve tried googling [hrolka](http://www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&q=hrolka&btnG=Search&meta=) but the search turns up nothing. I don’t suppose this is the kind of thing you can pick up at any random liquor store? ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2005, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-polish-mead-i-tried/302979/7 "2005-05-10T01:04:48Z")
Unless you’re a diehard cider fan, you’d be just as happy googling **viryta** , **krupnik** or **krupnikas**. ---
**Author:** ![Hunter\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@Hunter\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hunter_Hawk)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2005, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-polish-mead-i-tried/302979/8 "2005-05-10T02:27:30Z")
> [@Beware of Doug](#): > > Unless you’re a diehard cider fan… I sincerely doubt that hrolka would be made from hard cider–(a) all of the versions I’ve tried have been honey/vodka based; and (b) hard cider would be way too weak. I suppose you could hypothetically make it from apple brandy, but that’d be a waste of brandy. > [@Stark Raven Mad](#): > > I’m intrigued. I’ve tried googling [hrolka](http://www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&q=hrolka&btnG=Search&meta=) but the search turns up nothing. I don’t suppose this is the kind of thing you can pick up at any random liquor store? I donno about the laws in your country, but my link above is to an online store, and the product is very similar to hrolka I’ve had. If you’d rather look locally, honey liqueur comes in several different incarnations. Barenjaeger seems to be pretty well known, but I haven’t tasted it in years, so I can’t say how it compares to the Polish stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Millit\_the\_Frail](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/51bf81/32.png) [@Millit\_the\_Frail](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Millit_the_Frail)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2005, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-polish-mead-i-tried/302979/9 "2005-05-10T03:18:45Z")
I’m thinking it could be “Old Krupnik,” a Polish honey liqueur I had once. I’m not sure if that was the general term or the specific brand. 'Twas pretty good but STRONG! ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2005, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-polish-mead-i-tried/302979/10 "2005-05-10T04:00:48Z")
> [@Millit the Frail](#): > > I’m thinking it could be “Old Krupnik,” a Polish honey liqueur I had once. I’m not sure if that was the general term or the specific brand. 'Twas pretty good but STRONG! My family is Polish, and krupnik is the general term for the honey-infused vodka that is often drunk around Christmastime. The link **Hunter Hawk** gave is the most typical krupnik that’s drunk around our household. You can also pretty easily make the stuff yourself. Just google the words “krupnik” and “recipe” and you’ll find it. It is most definitely NOT honey mead, which the Poles are also known for. All Polish mead I’ve had is 15% alcohol or under by volume and, as far as I know, mead is never distilled so it can’t have a much higher alcohol concentration than this. The Polish name for mead is “Miód pitny” or “drinking honey.” ---
**Author:** ![Stark\_Raven\_Mad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Stark\_Raven\_Mad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stark_Raven_Mad)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2005, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-polish-mead-i-tried/302979/11 "2005-05-10T15:57:51Z")
I’ll go barenjaeger hunting when the sun comes up. Thanks, guys.