Founder of The Referend Bier Blendery, James Priest, graduated college as a music and English major. 

But these days, he’s found an even better way to use his expertise in experimental rhythms and surrealist poetry — through spontaneously fermented Wild Ales! 

Relying on 100% native yeasts, grains, and other ingredients, he crafts award-winning beers that wouldn’t be out of place in a museum of culture.

Case in point: The Bees of the Invisible. 

This Lambic-inspired Geuze took years to make, but it’s a poetic expression of Priest’s surrounding natural world in Central New Jersey.

Starting in 2018, the team at The Referend Bier brewed The Bees’ base beer with NJ Pilsner malts and aged, whole hops. Then, they dosed it with locally sourced blueberry honey as it cooled.

Soon after, the crew loaded it into neutral French Oak barrels where it spontaneously fermented and matured for 18 more months. Then, they bottled it for further natural fermentation, with even more blueberry honey!

Much like a truly powerful poem, this beer is best when shared with someone special. Allow it to breathe a moment before diving in, and savor its sweet aromas of honey that open up to hay-like funk. Take a sip, and its silky waves wash over your palate with a lemony tartness peppered by nuances of vanilla, sweet berries, and earthy funk.

The Referend’s spontaneously fermented poetic stylings are catching the attention of everyone from Hop Culture to The Philadelphia Inquirer. But today, you have a chance to be one of only 82 Tavour members to experience The Bees of the Invisible for yourself. 

*The Bees of the Invisible is brewed with real ingredients and may have some sediment.