Location: Market Shop, Rynok Square, Lviv, Ukraine
Date: August 30th
The Discovery
Our Mad Mead Club expedition to Lviv's historic Rynok Square led us to Світи Карка, a Ukrainian meadery that's about to become legendary among our members. Found in the bustling market shop, these high-ABV fruit meads pack serious flavor and even more serious alcohol content.
Personal Tasting Notes
🍓 Полуниця (Strawberry) - The Clear Winner
ABV: 17-20%
Personal Rating: 10/10 - My absolute favorite
This strawberry mead is perfection in a bottle. What sets it apart isn't just the authentic strawberry aroma or the luxurious sweetness – it's the incredibly smooth drinking experience from first sip to finish. No harsh edges, no bitter kick, just pure strawberry bliss that flows seamlessly across your palate.
The sweetness level is spot-on, managing to be indulgent without being overwhelming. For someone who prefers their meads smooth throughout, this strawberry variant delivers exactly what I'm looking for. The 17-20% ABV is completely masked by the masterful fruit integration.
Price: 720 UAH per bottle (~$17 USD at 42 UAH/$1)
🫐 Малина (Raspberry) - The Challenging One
ABV: 17-20%
The raspberry starts promisingly with authentic fruit aromatics, but here's where my personal preferences diverge from the meadmaker's vision. After the initial sweetness, there's a noticeable bitter kick that interrupts the smooth drinking experience I prefer.
While I can appreciate that some mead lovers enjoy this complexity and find the bitter finish sophisticated, it's not my style. I prefer meads that maintain consistency from start to finish.
🔴 Кизил (Cornelian Cherry) - The "Ukrainian Cherry"
ABV: 17-20%
(Yes, and I will keep calling it "Ukrainian Cherry")
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This cornelian cherry mead falls into the "okay" category for me. Like the raspberry, it suffers from that kick/bitter finish that I'm just not fond of. The fruit flavor itself is interesting – definitely different from anything we get back home – but that harsh edge keeps it from being a personal favorite.
What's interesting is how the strawberry mead manages to avoid this bitter quality entirely. The strawberry's natural sweetness seems to mask any potential harsh notes that might come from the high alcohol content or fermentation process.
What This Means for Fellow Mad Mead Club Members
If you prefer smooth, sweet meads: The strawberry is absolutely essential. Skip the others unless you're just curious.
If you enjoy complex, challenging flavors: The raspberry and cornelian cherry offer interesting bitter finishes that add sophistication.
For high-ABV mead lovers: All three pack serious punch at 17-20%, but only the strawberry manages to make that alcohol completely invisible.
The Lviv Experience
Finding these in Rynok Square's market shop felt like discovering a secret. The historic square provided the perfect atmosphere for this mead adventure, and the strawberry variant alone made the entire trip worthwhile.
Bottom Line
Світи Карка's strawberry mead is now officially on my list of all-time favorites. It's proof that when a meadery gets fruit integration and sweetness balance perfect, they can create something truly special. The other varieties, while well-made, just don't match my personal preference for smooth drinking without bitter kicks.
Must-try: Strawberry (seriously, don't leave Lviv without it)
For the adventurous: Raspberry and Cornelian Cherry if you like complexity
Personal tasting notes from our Mad Mead Club Lviv expedition. Sometimes you find exactly what you didn't know you were looking for.