BEULAH, MI -- Blue skies, green grass and a red barn have crowds swarming this Northern Michigan meadery where the hours pass slow and sweet just like the honey dripping from the hives.
A short drive from Crystal Lake and just 30 minutes south of Sleeping Bear Dunes, St. Ambrose offers a relaxed, Up North hang.
Spend a weekend afternoon listening to live music from the barn or playing yard games in the sprawling grass around the venue in Beulah.
On tap is their mead and craft beer as well as Michigan wine from vineyards in Benzie County.
Mead, a fermented beverage made from honey and water, is the staple of the bee-centric outdoor spot.
The farm offers 11 draft meads with flavors like Wild Ginger, John Lemon, Grateful Head (mango habanero) and X.R. Cyser (apple cinnamon).
While the draft selection offers a zip of carbonation akin to cider the four still meads give an uncarbonated honey wine flavor.
On the menu are burgers, sandwiches, tacos, salads and keto bowls.
The standouts are the wood-fired pizza, especially those using the sweet nectar the farm’s famous for, like the Angry Bee topped with Kirk’s Hot Honey sauce.
In a true testament to Saint Ambrose, the patron saint of beekeepers, the farm lets visitors take a peek into the hive in their pollinator garden.
Most of the bee keeping, though, happens at their sister spot, Sleeping Bear Farms, where they’ve been raising bees and making honey for more than 40 years.
Honey and beeswax products can be found onsite at their little shop, Bee Dazzled selling “gifts from the hive.”
Take time to explore the grounds and find yourself in a bocce ball match or throwing discs on the farm’s 9-hole disc golf course.
In addition to weekly live music here are upcoming fall events at St. Ambrose:
- Saturday, Sept. 14: Specialty Car Show
- Saturday, Sept. 21: Barn Dance
- Sunday, Oct. 6: Zombie Disc Golf Tournament
- Saturday, Oct. 12: Oktoberfest
St. Ambrose is open throughout the year with indoor seating and a stage to keep the live entertainment going in the cold weather. Here are fall and winter hours:
Monday-Wednesday: 12 - 8 p.m.
Thursday-Saturday: 12 -9 p.m.
Sunday: 12- 6 p.m.
See more at facebook.com/stambrosecellars.
Stories by Lindsay Moore
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