Plan Bee Brewing is to the state of New York what Jester King is to Texas, and what the Ale Apothecary is to the Pacific Northwest — hyper-local, incredibly focused, and totally committed to their home state.

USA Today even called Plan Bee “the closest thing to tasting a sense of NY terroir available on the market.”

That’s why Wild Ale fans across the country scour bottle shops and trade forums in search of these small-batch brews — there’s nothing else that expresses the flavors of the region the same way! 

If you want to get a taste of the rolling fields and fruit-filled orchards of the Empire State, look no further than today’s 4.24 UT-rated Precious Barrel-Aged Wild Ale with Apricots. And if you know any Wild Ale geeks, sharing this bottle from Plan Bee will land you in their good graces until the end of time.

Everything about this beer is local. The brewers use organic red wheat and barley from Stone House Farms in Hudson. All the malt is in-state courtesy of German Town’s Hudson Malt. Plan Bee uses 400lbs of apricots from Bittner-Singer Orchards and ferments with wild cultures from the gardens surrounding the brewery. 

Open the bottle, and notes of tart lemon zest and bright apricot come billowing up to greet you. Take a sip, and prepare to pucker as sunny, citrus-like acidity shines across the palate, followed by the soft sweetness of ripe and juicy apricots. A light, dry finish demands that you take another sip.

So grab a bottle or two, invite over the biggest Wild Ale fiend you know, and sip it slowly on a sunny afternoon. As you listen to the bees buzz and watch the blossoms bob in the breeze, you’ll be able to taste that same natural beauty found on Plan Bee’s New York Farm. 

And they’ve captured that beauty in each drop of Precious.

Rated 4.24 on Untappd; 4.16 on BeerAdvocate

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