Hickory Creek Brewing All The Buzz With New Mead

NEW LENOX, IL — Bees sure know how to party. Not only are they excellent dancers — as evidenced in that link — but apparently they also know how to make a mean mead. Who knew?! Well, Gary Meyer, owner of Hickory Creek Brewing Company in New Lenox, knew. Or, at least he suspected.

Meyer, a New Lenox resident originally from Joliet, recently created Tipsy Bee Mead, an 11.8 percent alcohol by volume concoction and had to get a special permit from the State of Illinois to serve it to his patrons at his brewery, located at 1005 W. Laraway Road in New Lenox. And the latest Meyer creation is creating a lot of buzz.

OK, we'll disperse with the bee puns (for now) and get down to the brass tacks.

First of all, what is mead? For fans of the fantasy genre, it's the beverage of choice. From Arthurian knights to "Game of Thrones" baddies, they all hoist their cups filled with the stuff to celebrate a victory or lament a defeat. Mead is the stuff of legends, but it is a bona fide brew.

According to the online Encyclopedia Britannica:

"Mead is widely thought to be one of the oldest alcoholic beverages, with evidence for the consumption of a fermented beverage made of honey, rice, and fruit dating to the 7th millennium BCE in China. Alcoholic drinks made from honey were common among the ancients of Scandinavia, Gaul, Teutonic Europe, and Greece and in the Middle Ages, particularly in northern countries where grapevines do not flourish."

Mead is different than beer, Meyer explained, because of the ingredients. Beer typically consists of four main ingredients: malted barley, hops, water and yeast. Meyer's mead, on the other hand, only uses fermented honey and water. Honey, by-the-way, that comes local beekeepers Bill and Brad Urban of B&B Bees.

"It takes quite a bit of honey," Meyer said.

And quite a bit of time, too. Meyer said it takes anywhere from 2 months to 2 years for a batch of his mead to be ready for sale.

All that fermented honey translates into a sweet, wine-like brew that is perfect for sipping.

But, as far as Tipsy Bee Mead goes, those who drink it will probably think it's the nectar of the gods — sweet ambrosia of bee gods, that is, and whatever deity it is they worship.

Full disclosure: This journalist purchased a bottle of Tipsy Bee Mead because, well, truth and accuracy and, as Meyer put it, "quality control." It comes in a 12.7 oz. bottle, suggested serving size of 2, for $12. Money well invested, in this journalist's opinion.

As for the name Tipsy Bee Mead, Meyer said "It just came to me."

"If bees could appreciate mead, they'd probably get a little buzzed and a little tipsy," he said. "We were going to call it Buzzy Bee for awhile, but that didn't work out. So, Tipsy Bee kind of fit. It was nice."

Meyer said he has plans to introduce even more flavors of mead, including raspberry, blackberry and jalapeño.

But it's not just the mead Hickory Creek Brewing is becoming known for. Meyer also brews a variety of ales, IPAs, stouts and even a special jasmine rice-based beer called Summer Breeze. And, starting Feb. 7, Hickory Creek Brewing will also begin selling wines and spirits.

Hickory Creek Brewing is open from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays; 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Fridays; noon to 10 p.m. on Saturdays; and 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Sundays. The brewery is closed on Mondays.

Meyer said the brewery hosts an open mic night on Tuesdays and features live music on the weekends.

As an added bonus, Hickory Creek Brewing is dog friendly, so patrons can bring along their favorite pooch for a good time. Just maybe don't make the dog the designated driver.

For more information, visit the Hickory Creek Brewing website and Facebook page.

Cheers! Or, as the bees say, Bzzzz!