Wine bar
Unclaimed profileClear Skies Meadery
Rockville, MD · $$$
Inebrious
Beverage Program Score
The editorial take
Clear Skies Meadery builds its drinks around mead rather than treating it as a novelty. A Mead Cocktails section lists five builds, from a Mead Mule with ginger beer and lime to a Limoncello of sweet mead aged with Sicilian lemons. Local craft beer covers four beers plus a beer/mead blend, including a hazelnut braggot on nitro. The meadery keeps 16 regular meads and 6 session meads on tap, with growler and bottle sales. Non-alcoholic drinkers get house sodas and smoothies, and either can be upgraded with mead.
- What should I order?
- Start with the Mead Mule, a classic mule built on your choice of mead with ginger beer, lime, and bitters, or the Meadjito if you prefer dry mead, mint-lime simple syrup, and soda. For a beer-side outlier, the Hell of a Squirrel hazelnut braggot on nitro blends hazelnut session mead and helles lager.
- Who will enjoy this place?
- People who want mead as the base of a mixed drink rather than a side pour, and groups where some want a cocktail, some want local beer, and some want a smoothie or house soda. The non-alcoholic versions of the Mead Mule and Meadjito, made with botanical spirits, keep non-drinkers in the same format.
- When should I go?
- A reasonable stop for an afternoon or early-evening round when you want to compare several mead-based drinks side by side rather than commit to one style.
- What should I expect to spend?
- Mead cocktails run $9.95 to $11.95. Craft beers are $4.00 to $7.50 per pour depending on size and style, with the Nightcap Braggot at $9.00 for 10oz. House sodas are $4.00, smoothies $8.95, and adult smoothies with mead $12.95.
- What makes the beverage program distinctive?
- The beer list does not sit apart from the mead: Hell of a Squirrel blends hazelnut session mead and helles lager on nitro, and the Nightcap Braggot mixes TR's Nightcap stout with your choice of mead. That same mead-first logic carries into the cocktail and non-alcoholic sections.
Beverage categories
We only score what a venue sets out to do. Categories a venue doesn't attempt are left unscored rather than penalized.
Cocktails
Five mead-based cocktails, each built on a different mead style or flavor direction. The Mead Mule and Meadjito both offer non-alcoholic versions with botanical spirits, and smoothies can be made adult with a choice of mead. Pricing stays under $12 for the cocktails.
Menu strengths
- — Five distinct mead-based cocktails, with the Mead Mule and Meadjito available as non-alcoholic versions using botanical spirits.
- — The list moves across styles: a mule, a lemon-aged sweet mead, a chili-mango marg, a strawberry slushie, and a mojito-style build.
- — Smoothies can be upgraded to adult versions with a choice of mead for $12.95.
Standout selections
- — Mead Mule — $11.95 — Classic mule made with choice of mead, ginger beer, lime, and bitters; non-alcoholic with botanical spirits available.
- — Limoncello — $9.95 — Sweet mead aged with Sicilian lemons, finished with honey-lemon simple syrup.
- — Spicy Mango Marg — $10.95 — Lime agave mead blended with mango and hot chilis.
Pricing: $9.95–$11.95; non-alcoholic versions with botanical spirits $9.00; adult smoothies with mead $12.95
Beer
A Local Craft Beer section lists four beers and one beer/mead blend. The meadery angle shows in Hell of a Squirrel, a hazelnut braggot of session mead and helles lager on nitro, and in the Nightcap Braggot, which mixes TR's Nightcap stout with a choice of mead. Sif's Cider is also available.
Menu strengths
- — Beer and mead are blended rather than listed separately: Hell of a Squirrel on nitro and the Nightcap Braggot both cross the two.
- — The beer list includes Manor Hill IPA and Kolsch plus a barrel-aged Russian Imperial Stout.
- — Craft beers range from $4.00 to $7.50 per pour depending on size and style.
Standout selections
- — Hell of a Squirrel (Hazelnut Braggot) — $7.50 (Pint) — Blend of hazelnut session mead and helles lager, served on nitro tap (5.7%) (Contains Nuts).
- — Nightcap Braggot (Beer/Mead Blend) — $9.00 (10oz) — TR's Nightcap stout mixed with choice of mead (9–12%).
- — True Respite - TR's Nightcap — $6.50 (10oz) — Russian Imperial Stout barrel-aged for 2 years (10.5%).
Pricing: $4.00–$7.50 per pour depending on size and style; Nightcap Braggot $9.00 (10oz); Sif's Cider $5.50 (10oz)–$7.50 (pint)
Nonalcoholic
House Sodas come in four flavors at $4.00, and four smoothies are $8.95, each topped with whipped cream. The adult smoothie option adds a choice of mead for $12.95, and the Mead Mule and Meadjito can be ordered non-alcoholic with botanical spirits.
Menu strengths
- — Four house soda flavors at $4.00, including Blueberry Lemon, Blueberry Vanilla, Key Lime, and Strawberry Shortcake.
- — Four smoothies at $8.95, each topped with whipped cream, with an adult version adding mead for $12.95.
- — The Mead Mule and Meadjito can be made non-alcoholic with botanical spirits.
Standout selections
- — House Sodas — $4.00 — Blueberry Lemon, Blueberry Vanilla, Key Lime, Strawberry Shortcake.
- — Berry Bonanza Smoothie — $8.95 — Strawberry, Raspberry, Blueberry, Greek Yogurt, Oat Milk, topped with whipped cream.
- — Tropical Bee Smoothie — $8.95 — Banana, Pineapple, Coconut, Oat Milk, topped with whipped cream.
Pricing: House sodas $4.00; smoothies $8.95; adult smoothies with mead $12.95
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