Q is for Queen Bee Brews

Q.

Did you know that there are no Breweries anywhere close to Denver that start with the letter Q?

If you've been following this blog at all, you know I've been working my way down the alphabet in a quest to visit more of the little local breweries in the area.

I started with A ... A is for Alpine Dog Brewing Company

I've made my way through to P ... you can see a sampling at D is for Draw, Boggy; I is for IronWorks Brewery and Pub; M is for Mockery Brewing Company.

You can go back and see them all (including this one) by going to  Sheppy's Blog: A to Z.

Most recently, I hit P is for Pints Pub

No breweries start with the letter Q. I've known from the beginning that Q would be a challenge.



The other day, I decided to go to Fermentedly Challenged Denver Metro Brewery Map, which is the most complete, up-to-date list of breweries that I've come across. I thought maybe with all the breweries opening up all the time, maybe there was something I haven't heard of.

Indeed there was.

Q is for Queen Bee Brews

Yes. Yes it is. I still don't know of any Denver-area breweries that start with the letter Q ... But will a meadery work?

Yes. Yes it will.

Luckily for me, Dave at Fermentedly Challenged includes Meads and Ciders on his list. Make sure you visit his blog. It is the best beer blog I know of for Colorado brews.

Anyway ... did I mention that Q is for Queen Bee Brews?

Queen Bee Brews is located in North Denver at

800 E 64TH AVE #8 Denver, Colorado.

They are right next door to a Winery ... Kingman Estates Winery. There is decent signage for the Winery. This is not the case for Queen Bee Brews. I was actually a little worried that the Meadery had already closed down when I first got there.

But no... the meadery is right next door.

Queen Bee Brews is open from 12 to 6 on Saturday and Sunday. I walked in right at noon to a little tasting room. No one was there at first, but the owner and brewer, Deborah joined me from the back pretty soon.

She greeted me with a "Go Blackhawks!" Of course, you have to like anyone who greets you that way.

Deborah was nice enough to share tasters of 6 meads with me.

• 2016 MELILOTUS - Clover Blossom Traditional Mead ... Delicate, dry, water white mead with hints of spice, pineapple, pear, and Yellow Delicious apple.
• 2016 HONEY RIDER - Clover Blossom Mead With Hops ... Same as Melilotus, only dry-hopped with Golden. Hop adds apricot, orange, herbal, and black tea notes.
• 2016 CITRA - Orange Blossom Traditional Mead ... Liquid sunshine, creamsicles, wax candy lips. 
• 2016 LIMNANTHES - Meadowfoam Blossom Traditional Mead ... Rich toasted marshmallow and vanilla character. Notes of vanilla cream soda, smoke, and toffee. 
• 2016 COFFEA - Coffee Blossom Traditional Mead ...  My favorite. Honey derived from plants grown in the highlands of Chiapas, Mexico creates a rich, complex, dry traditional mead. Tropical fruit warmth and licorice spice with a hint of caramel. 
• 2016 Pomona - Not available in a bottle right now, but Deborah was nice enough to let me have a sample ... a Spiced Cyser aged in Rum Barrels. I'm not a fan of this in Beers. Somehow I liked it in a mead.

While there, a few people showed up to sit at the bar and talk to Deborah and try the different meads. Everyone who came in while I was there seemed to be her friends as she hugged them.

Most people seemed to really prefer the Pomona. My favorite was the Coffee Blossom Mead, but I enjoyed them all.

Not being much of a mead drinker, I was actually very amazed how different all the meads tasted .. the only difference of most of these were the honey varieties used. To me, honey (for the most part) has just been honey. Obviously this is not true.

After the tasting, I got a couple bottles to bring home. I got the Coffea and the Honey Rider. I sort of am wishing I also grabbed a bottle of Limnanthes. Maybe I'll have to make another trip up.

Not sure when I'll be drinking these bottles. Hopefully I can bring them out to try with company. I'm pretty sure my circle of family and friends is even less familiar with mead than I am.

I had fun at Queen Bee Brews and feel I learned quite a bit. I still like beer better, but at least I am now open to try honey wine.

Turns out that the new location of River North Brewery is minutes away from Queen Bee. I stopped by to get a pint before heading home.

River North  is NOT my "R" brewery. You'll have to stay tuned to find out what I picked for "R".

As always ... keep an eye on Sheppy's Blog: A to Z to find out what other breweries I'm visiting. We are getting close to the end of the alphabet.

Go Blackhawks!