Plan Bee - The Hive 2016

I've been up a few times and sometimes the vibe is hangout and share a few brews and sometimes they are busy and leave after a few minutes of chatting. On the opening day I'd bet there will be hanging out for a bit.

 

Is it too late to join the Hive? I saw the membership ran Aug-Dec.

 

I think they still have openings, but I'm not 100% sure. I just messaged you some info.

 

DeCiccos in Brewster,NY have bottles. Wild Mountain Honey and Dandeliaison.

 

is the opening for the public or just Hive/Swarm members?

 

Decicco's periodically has random Plan Bee stuff for sale; sometimes out on the shelves but sometimes stashed behind the bar.

 

The opening this Saturday is for the public.

 

Anyone have an idea of what will be available on Saturday?

 

From Facebook:

Nectar- All Hudson Valley floor malt & local nectarines. Tart and tangy, super juicy, oak aged wild ale.

Karnij- A dark wild ale with tart Balaton Cherries aged in Hillrock Estate Distillery Double Rye barrels. It's very reminiscent of a tart chocolate-covered cherry with subtle Rye Whiskey notes.

Wild Mountain Honey- Raw wheat & 60 lbs of raw local honey from Remsburger farms in Pleasant Valley. Very dry & juicy, with a light tang, tropical fruit, citrus, & floral honey aromas & flavors.

Dandeliaison- Dandelions from our farm & 60 lbs of local honey. Sharp aroma spice, sweet grass, & rich fruit flowers. Flavor of black pepper, slight bubblegum, melon, and floral honey.

Royal Jelly- Our Strong Farmhouse with lotsa local honey aged in Hillrock Estate Distillery Bourbon Barrels. Very rich & complex w/ tart pineapple & bourbon notes combine in an orange/vanilla flavor with a boozy accent.

Karnl- Wild Ale aged in second use Bourbon Barrels on Montmorency Cherries. Pours a pink/reddish hue with massive cherry-pie flavor with medium acidity.

 

I'm surprised Nectar is still around. Its been one of my favorites

 

I agree. My favorite as well. Picking up another 4 bottles of it Friday.

 

Looks like they cleaned up the shop a little and took out some bottles

 

Just joined today and this thread makes me so excited for what is ahead

 

Probably to make sure there is enough stock for the farmstand

 

A few things:

Did everyone get their Precious and Tree Beer bottles? They are still up. I wanted to get 2 of each but I am already in a situation where I'll be picking up 11 bottles while on foot to lug back uptown. That should be interesting.

Also, I've noticed that some of Plan Bee's beers have mediocre ratings due to the fact that the few folks that bother to write a review (which weighs much more heavily in the rating) often end up scoring lower; the tickers give better scores.

Just an observation, not sure if anyone cares. haha.

 

I think they low ratings are due to the lack of bold flavors. Plan Bee makes super delicate beers with subtle flavors that people overlook. They are used to hop bombs or crazy adjunct stouts. At least that is my opinion

 

I agree. Very light, refreshing and delicate (as you say). More for us. haha.

 

Maybe they weren't selling out so quickly because they were also $20/bottle

 

A lot of their stuff is somewhat polarizing -- in prior years, any sours/wild ales they brewed were terrific, but some people might have been overwhelmed by flavors to which they were unaccustomed. I'm too lazy to check, but Royal Jelly, which is probably my favorite beer of theirs ever, is one of their lower rated ones. Evan also used to brew a LOT of farmhouse/saisons, which I didn't think were anywhere near as good, but which got comparable ratings, presumably because they were closer to "mainstream" beers. And I should probably put on the caveat that I'm not usually a big saison fan.

That being said, I'm super local and have always bought at least one of any release, largely because Evan and Emily are such awesome people even on the rare occasions their beer isn't. There were a few I didn't like but those were specific flavors (sage and habanero come to mind). I've been thrilled by the past year; have the 6-bottle a month membership but probably buy closer to double that.

 

Are all bottles on the online shop getting bumped to $20? I noticed Dandeliasion is the only one that's not.