Feel the Buzz with these 5 Honey Beers
By David Nilsen
Honey beers are growing in popularity, and they take their distinguishing ingredient from the amazing honey bee. One of the most popular is Rogue Honey Kolsch from Newport, Oregon.
The idea for Honey Kolsch was born when Rogue started their own farm in 2008 and began raising bees.
“There are very few ingredients you can grow that you can’t put in beer,” says Danny Connors, Rogue’s Innovation Brewer at their Portland pilot brewery. “If we have bees and are making honey, we thought, ‘Let’s do something with that honey.’”
That “something” turned into a 5.2% ABV beer brewed with Oregon wildflower honey. The beer uses honey as an accent to the delicate fermentation character of Kolsch yeast, balancing floral notes, understated fruit esters, and gentle hop character in a dry, easy-drinking body perfect for hot weather.
In addition to proving popular with consumers, Honey Kolsch has earned numerous awards. Most notably, the beer took home Best in Show Gold at the 2020 Honey Beer Competition, an honor it had earned twice before.
“We’re more and more hearing the narrative about how important beers are for pollinating, not just in agriculture, but in the natural world around us. This is telling the story of bees, and it’s an important story to tell.”
Here are four more delicious beers helping to tell the story of honey:
Bhramari Flowable State of Being
This 8.4% hazy Double IPA from Asheville, North Carolina’s Bhramari Brewing is hopped with tropical Ella, Strata, and Comet hops and aged in American Oak. It’s also brewed with meadowfoam honey made by bees foraging from meadowfoam flowers, and tastes unmistakably of toasted marshmallows. Flowable State of Being showcases floral, citrusy flavors with subtle spiciness in a smooth, creamy body.
Jackie O’s Chomolungma
This American Brown Ale from the tiny college town of Athens, Ohio is brewed with local wildflower honey. At 6.5% ABV, this hearty brew showcases flavors of toasty bread, dark fruit, and chocolate with subtle floral honey notes, all balanced by gently earthy hops.
Shoe Tree Honey Punch in the Nose
Shoe Tree Brewing in the Nevada desert town of Carson Hot Springs brews this light, easy-drinking American Lager with orange blossom honey, which lightens the body and lends a touch of floral citrus. This one is a perfect beer for a sunny afternoon, even if you’re not dealing with Nevada heat
Oxbow Dance Language
Oxbow Brewing from Portland, Maine is well known for their mixed-fermentation farmhouse ales, and Dance Language is a perfect example of why. This complex 8.0% ABV farmhouse ale has notes of hay, wildflower, lemon zest, and candied pineapple with a bit of acidity and minerality in a dry body. Who knew bees could be so funky?