woodside urban honey: 2013

Woodside Honey

WOODSIDE HONEY IS ROOTED IN A KINDRED SPIRIT OF FOUR GENERATIONS OF BEEKEEPING.

Several small colonies of bees can be found on a portion of our old family farm and namesake. Built in 1848 and standing proudly as the oldest home in Maplewood, Missouri it is notably listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Beekeeping was once considered a country enterprise but with the rich multiflora sources thriving in an urban landscape, the city offers a vast and nourishing palette for exceptional honey. And while one in three bites of our food depends upon the pollination of bees, urban beekeepers are contributing greatly to this process as an alarming number of bees are dying due to pesticides used in conventional farming, among other causes. Urban beekeeping is a niche practice throughout the United States and Europe where colonies of honey-bees flourish in major cities such as San Francisco, Manhattan and atop the Opera House in Paris.

Woodside Honey supports responsible practices that pay homage to the cultural traditions of food and their impact on the planet. Our efforts resonate with both a rich lineage of artisans and a contemporary consciousness. We believe that buying thoughtfully grown and locally produced food is a healthier alternative and simply makes good sense.

Beginning in February as trees start to bloom, our honeybees will travel upwards of two miles in search of early nectar sources and will continue their work until Autumn's end. Honey is collected in late Spring and Fall from the colony. Surplus honey is stored by the bees in smaller frames called "supers". Once collected, these frames are then placed in a machine which uses centrifugal force to extract the raw honey. It is then lightly filtered and packaged, with spring honey lighter in hue and the Fall a warm amber due to the differences in the seasonal flora. It takes the lifetime of nearly 300 hard-working bees to collect enough nectar to produce a four once jar of honey. And among the many benefits and delectable delights of consuming local raw honey, is the belief that it is an immunity booster for people with allergies. So enjoy your Woodside Honey, thoughtfully crafted with care for you.

Perennial Artisan Ales in St. Louis released, "Woodside Honey Tripel" beer early in the summer.
This was a fun project to contribute to, and you should definitely try it out if you get a chance. Additionally is has an alcohol content of 9.1!
It is distributed in MO, DC, NY, CT, IL, etc, and will get a larger release next year when version two is produced.
Locally, it is available at Perennial Beer, but also at Parker's Table, and The Wine and Cheese Place, and many others.

Here is a review of Woodside Honey Tripel by the Beer Advocate.

Additionally, Trencherman Restaurant in Chicago and Perennial Artisan Ales hosted a special beer dinner event on August 27th in Chicago featuring two of our great chefs; Chef Kevin Nashan of Sidney Street Cafe, and Chef Gerard Craft of Niche Restaurant. Chef Craft paired pulled pork shoulder, caramelized peaches, corn puree, globe basil, cracklins and smoked trout broth with "woodside honey tripel".