Skip to content

Sip honey beer, learn how to start your own bee hive on Saturday

Partnership between Entomica and Outspoken shows off unique creation from Northern Ontario bees and brewers
honeybee AdobeStock
Stock image

Have you ever tried a craft beer flavoured with honey from local bees?

If not, you have the chance to sip on Outspoken and Entomica's brand new honey beer on Saturday on Outspoken's patio.

At 12 p.m., the community partnership will be officially launched, and experts will be on hand from a local apiary to share bee-keeping information.

The full press release from Outspoken and Entomica reads as follows:

Have you had the HESMOS experience? HESMOS – it’s beer, and it’s here!! Outspoken Brewing and Entomica have teamed up to create a honey beer and an event is set for our official launch this Saturday June 26 at noon at Outspoken Brewery, Sault Ste. Marie. Join the swarm at 350 Queen St. E. on The Patio aka The Hive.

HESMOS is an ancient Greek word that describes a SWARM – as in a swarm of bees sharing their gifts from the Gods of Nature. The word also refers to togetherness, swarms of shared emotion – what a fun way to celebrate a new and unique creation from Northern Ontario bees and brewers!

With honey sourced from local apiaries, the Belgian style beer delicately blends coriander, dried orange peel, and just the right amount of golden honey to create a delicate honey flavour profile. A wonderful fusion of ingredients, emotions and local collaborations.

Owners/operators Vaughn Alexander and Graham Atkinson met after home brewing for a decade. Together they created Outspoken Brewery in 2014 “a small brewery with a big voice.” Open Thursday to Saturday at their current location at 350 Queen St. E. Outspoken Brewery is currently expanding into their new home at the new train station located at Mill Square in the Canal District. For this community collaboration with Entomica, their goal was to create a unique honey beer.

“The Belgian style offers a complementary base and specialty grains, which supports the addition of the fruit rind (bitter) and coriander (creamy citrus) and honey of course! - which help balance out the subtle estery and phenol flavours imparted by the wheat and beer yeast." Some say Belgian beer is always unique and many consider it to be the best in the world.  

Entomica also launched in 2014 at the Mill Market by Riversedge Developments and a group of science enthusiasts led by John Dedes to create awareness, preservation and education about insects and the special place they hold in environmental balance and bio-diversity.

Since that time, Entomica has evolved into a household name in Sault Ste. Marie, hosting thousands of kids at the market and regional community events. In 2020 Entomica officially became a charitable organization, and moved to their beautiful new home at the Bush Plane Heritage Centre where they continue to create science-based community experiences.

By choosing HESMOS beer, you support locally owned businesses celebrating the vibrant and natural landscape of northern Ontario. This collaboration celebrates Ontario Bee-keepers; Entomica - as a local charity, will receive a portion of sales from each beer sold; and Outspoken Brewery - a local craft brewery creating fun community events and unique tasting experiences. As stakeholders in these products and services, we support the growth and environmental stability of Northern Ontario.

We also support local charities and businesses making SSM a place to celebrate. We invite you to join us in celebrating our community of Sault Ste. Marie as healthy, resilient and open to new social and cultural experiences. Our beer will provide all of that, with crisp flavors to create a honey of a time down at the ole’ Outspoken Breweries where summer is a’buzzin. Raise a glass of HESMOS and toast this unique collaboration of bees and beers!

It’s officially summer in the City and time to kick off the season of celebrating all that nature has to offer. People are swarming from their homes and confines in search of fun new experiences. Gather with us this Saturday at noon for the launch of HESMOS Beer at Outspoken Brewing and to learn how to start your own bee-hive.

Experts will be on hand from a local apiary, with bee-keeping equipment and information. Raise a brew and meet Entomica and their buzzy crew of nerdy fun-loving science-loving folks, including the “Queen Bee” of Entomica. Join us for the celebration – a celebration of new beginnings as people emerge from their hives and reimagine a thirst for life. Bee here for the beer. Join the swarm.



Discussion