What business do you have drinking archaic alcohol in the middle of nowhere?
Well, let me tell you… and it’s not too far off the beaten path.
Located on South Pioneer Road in Beulah, Michigan, St. Ambrose Cellars is a gem in the northern Michigan countryside. Rooted in beekeeping and honey harvesting, the owners of St. Ambrose Cellars decided to invest in the art of mead making in 2010. And the rest is history!
Mead, widely thought to be one of the oldest alcoholic beverages of all time, is made by fermenting honey mixed with water and is often customized with fruits, spices, grains, or hops.
Fun fact about Mead, this drink is SO OLD there’s evidence of consumption dating back to the 7th-millennium BCE in China.
We visited St. Ambrose in the early spring and watched the barn and outdoor space come to life. But truly, they were just setting up the outdoor seating and umbrellas when we stopped by. (If you must know, we visited twice the week we were up there.)
Since it was a bit chilly, we opted to eat and drink indoors. The taproom offers a cozy, intimate vibe with multiple tasting options, mead slushies, and a full food menu! I tried their Pulled Jackfruit Sandwich and my parents tried their Deluxe Sirloin Burger. Bonus for celiacs like me, they have gluten-free buns and separate fryers for their fries!
They also have a stage set up for live music (in both the taproom and the barn), which happens almost every night all summer long. You can check out their full list of events here.
Along with our food, we ordered two flights of 4 oz. pours and of course, a mead slushie! Flight One consisted of Black Madonna, Razzputin, John Lemon, and Rhythm & Blues and Flight Two added the remaining draft meads and draft cysers: St. Cider, Grateful Head, X.R. Cyser, and Shotgun Wedding. We did skip Wild Ginger, but one draft had to be sacrificed to fit into our two-flight endeavor.
Their mead slushies alternate, and thankfully the day we stopped in it was Shotgun Wedding. My personal favorite. Alcoholic slushies always make the tasting experience more fun!
The food was great, the people were friendly, and the drinks were, dare I say, perfect. This was the first time my parents had ever tried mead and, though they were skeptical, they ended up leaving full-fledged mead fans with four bottles of mead, t-shirts, and stickers.
If you’re looking for a unique (and tasty) adventure, St. Ambrose is the place to be! I definitely encourage you to check this place out the next time you travel north. Just make sure you have a designated driver… it’s easy to get carried away!
Cheers!
Your Michigan Girlfriend 