Discover Our New Honey Beer

Welcome to our brewery, the Saint James Brewery, your local hub of innovation in Long Island's craft beer scene. As a New York State certified farm brewery, we're excited to share our latest creation with you: our new honey beer “Chérie”. This brew is a celebration of our farm-to-pint ethos, blending locally sourced ingredients with our passion for artisanal brewing. Join us in experiencing the unique flavors and sustainable craftsmanship of our latest offering. 

What Is Our New Honey Beer?

Our new Chérie Honey beer, a delightful fusion of brewing tradition and natural sweetness, has a rich history and a modern twist. The beer is inspired by the French word Chérie: Meaning “Dear” or “Darling,” used in the common endearment “Ma Chérie” meaning my darling.

At Saint James Brewery, we've embraced this legacy, creating a beer that embodies both the time-honored techniques of brewing and the innovative use of local ingredients. 

Honey, with its natural sugars and unique flavors, offers more than just sweetness; it brings a complex profile to our beer, enhancing the overall sensory experience. In this section, we'll explore the essence of honey beer, its brewing process, and what makes our new honey beer a standout in the craft beer landscape.

Our new honey beer is more than just a beverage; it's a tribute to the natural resources of Long Island and the hardworking beekeepers who help us bring this unique flavor to your glass. Each batch tells a story of local collaboration, quality ingredients, and the pursuit of brewing excellence.

Where We Source Our Honey

The secret to the distinct flavor of our new honey beer lies in its source: the rich, natural honey harvested from the North Fork of Long Island at Promiseland Apiaries. This area, known for its pristine environments and flourishing bee populations, produces some of the finest honey in New York. By partnering with local apiaries such as Promiseland, we ensure that every drop of honey in our beer is of the highest quality, contributing not only sweetness but also a subtle floral essence that can only be found in this region. This section delves into our journey of sourcing honey, the importance of supporting local beekeepers, and how this choice impacts the flavor and quality of our beer.

The honey that gives our beer its unique character is sourced directly from the bee populations out east. This area's diverse flora imparts a distinct flavor to the honey - a flavor that reflects the natural beauty and biodiversity of Long Island. When you sip our honey beer, you're not just enjoying a drink; you're experiencing a piece of the local and fresh ingredients.

Our Collaboration With Beekeepers

Collaborating with Promise Land Apiaries is more than a business decision for us; it's about building community and sustaining the environment. These partnerships allow us to source the highest quality honey while supporting the vital work of beekeepers who maintain the health and productivity of their hives. In return, our beer plays a role in telling the story of their dedication and the importance of bees in our ecosystem.

How We Brew Our Special Long Island Honey Beer

The creation of honey beer is both an art and a science, combining traditional brewing methods with the unique addition of honey. At our brewing location, this process is meticulously carried out to ensure that each batch captures the essence of our locally sourced honey while maintaining the integrity of a finely crafted beer.

Step 1: Selecting the Ingredients

The journey begins with the selection of the finest ingredients. Alongside our locally sourced honey, we choose quality grains, hops, and yeast. Each ingredient plays a vital role in defining the character of our honey beer, from the body and color to the aroma and flavor.

Step 2: Mashing and Boiling

The brewing process starts with mashing, where the grains are steeped in hot water to release their sugars. After mashing, the mixture, known as wort, is boiled. It is during this boiling stage that we introduce our Long Island honey, allowing it to integrate fully with the wort. The timing and temperature are crucial here; too hot, and the delicate flavors of the honey can be lost.

Step 3: Fermentation

After boiling, the wort is cooled and transferred to fermentation tanks, where yeast is added. The yeast goes to work on the sugars, including those from our honey, converting them into alcohol and carbon dioxide. This fermentation stage is where the magic happens, as the flavors begin to meld and develop.

Step 4: Conditioning and Maturing

Once fermentation is complete, our honey beer enters the conditioning stage. This is where the beer matures, and its flavors become more refined and balanced. The presence of honey adds a unique dimension to this process, contributing to a smoother, more rounded beer.

Step 5: Packaging and Distribution

Finally, our honey beer is ready to be shared. It's packaged with care and then distributed, making its way to you, the craft beer enthusiast, eager for a taste of Long Island's finest honey-infused brew.

Brewing honey beer is a delicate balance of respecting traditional methods while embracing the natural sweetness and complexity of honey. Our brewing process is designed to highlight the unique characteristics of the honey, ensuring that every sip of our honey beer is a testament to the quality of our ingredients and our dedication to the craft of brewing.

Try Our New Honey Beer Today!

In crafting our new Chérie honey beer, we've blended the best of local ingredients with our passion for brewing excellence. This beer is more than a drink; it's a celebration of Long Island's natural bounty and a tribute to the art of brewing. We invite you to join us at Saint James Brewery to experience this unique creation for yourself. 

Come savor the sweet, nuanced flavors that only local honey and expert brewing can produce. We look forward to sharing a pint with you and hearing your thoughts on this special addition to our lineup of craft beers.