With June on the way out, Wye Valley Brewery prepares to launch Butty Bee, their monthly beer offering for July 2009.

The 2009 monthly beer calendar has proved popular so far and has included some new brews, such as nettle beer Summer Stinger, and Hazy Daisy a pale golden wheat beer.

Butty Bee, as the name implies, is the popular Butty Bach with a hint of honey from Herefordshire bees. The beer will be gold in colour and a little stronger than the original Butty Bach at 5.0%.

The honey was sourced from Peter and Marion Guthrie & Bees who have apiaries at Kinnersley and Morehampton, Herefordshire. Peter is an award-winning beekeeper, and beekeeping has been in his family for 107 years. Peter has 150 hives, with approximately 60,000 to 80,000 bees per hive. These hives will usually yield 5 tonnes of honey per year, however, in recent years the bad weather has prevented bees from foraging for nectar, and there has been a shortage of honey.

Jimmy Swan and Peter Guthrie

However, 2009 is looking better and with the best spring since 2002 this year’s honey production looks promising.

Said Peter Guthrie, ‘We are delighted to be in a position to supply local honey to the head brewer at Wye Valley Brewery, and we are pleased for Wyefield Apiaries to be associated with this special brew of Butty Bee’.