Tapping Into the Honey...Keg?

(May 14, 2011 - Philadelphia) The mugs were out, the keg was ready and the bee was in attendance for the tapping of Iron Hill's seasonal brew Honey Maibock last Thursday night. Among cheering and whistling worthy of the Derby crowd, Iron Hill Brewer Mike Rutkowski (otherwise known as the bee) and honey-daddy Gary Moore did the official tap at about 6:40 p.m. I was lucky enough to nab a glass during the commotion to see if it was worthy of the 60 pounds of honey that went into the batch. 


The perfect summer brew, Honey Maibock is light and sweet with a tinge of honey flavor - and there's nothing artificial about it. A collaboration of Iron Hill brewers and White Clay Honey Apiary, the local brew draws its inspirational flavor from bee-master Moore's honey-collecting business located near the Delaware-Maryland state line. It's not the first time that Moore has worked with Iron Hill brewers - he teamed up with them to make a mead as well, resulting in a first place in its category during a recent competition.


The 60 lbs. of honey in the batch brought the alcohol level up to 7.5%, but according to Moore, the original plan was to use twice that; however, 120 lbs. of honey would have taken the Honey Maibock from the beer into wine territory in terms of potency. While the Honey Maibock is guaranteed to give you a healthy buzz, it's not the only way to enjoy White Clay Apiary honey - you can buy it by the bottle.

Head Brewer Larry Horwitz

If you're looking for more information, their website will be up soon, so until then you have an excuse (not that you need one) to stop Iron Hill and try out the Honey Maibock - it's for the bees. And afterward, Iron Hill will defend your new obsession with the brew, because as they say it, "Our beer snobs can beat up your wine snobs."


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