Vista Brewing to host Hays Honey Festival

Apiarist, and co-owner of Vista Brewing in Driftwood Karen Killough inspecting one of her 17 honey bee hives on her property. Vista Brewing will host the fourth annual Travis County Honey Festival this Saturday from noon-4 p.m.
Photo courtesy of Vista Brewing

One of the busy bees from the apiary at Vista Brewing's farm. Visitors can learn more about bees and the honey they produce at the Hays County Honey Festival this Saturday from noon - 4 p.m. The Vista Brewery is located at 3551 FM 150 in Driftwood.
Photo courtesy of Vista Brewing

The Texas Natural Beekeepers Association and Vista Brewing are inviting the public to celebrate all things honey at the Hays County Honey Festival. The event will be held on Saturday, July 27, from noon to 4 p.m. at Vista Brewing, located at 3551 FM 150 W., Driftwood. Admission is free and open to the public.

This marks the fourth year of the festival, offering attendees the opportunity to sample local honeys and learn about beekeeping in the Driftwood and Dripping Springs area. Candlemaker Hunter's Hive will return, and local ice cream vendor Beanz Creamz will offer its honey ice cream for 2024. The festival expects about 300 guests this year as it continues to grow.

Beekeepers from the Texas Natural Beekeepers Association will be on-site to answer questions about the science and hobby of beekeeping. Exhibits will include an observation hive, allowing visitors to view live and active honey bees up close, within a fully enclosed box.

Honey tastings from various Hays County apiaries will showcase the natural variance in honeys based on bee foraging. Additionally, there will be live demonstrations of honey extraction and spinning, along with guided tours to Vista Farm's on-site apiary.

Event organizer and beekeeper Karen Killough said the purpose of the festival is to educate the public on how honey bees work together in the colony and with the natural ecosystem.

“Honey bees are not aggressive like yellowjackets,” Killough said, adding that it's important to know your beekeeper, so that you know your honey is local and actually natural, without corn syrup or other fillers.

Other activities will include: • Kids’ activities, such as a scavenger hunt, coloring sheets, and bee box coloring • A guided walk to the Vista apiary

• A live demonstration of rendering pure beeswax using a solar melter

• Food specials from the Vista Grill Vista Brewing, a 21acre ranch in Driftwood, is home to a 16hive apiary that supports pollination of the farm’s vegetable garden. Over seven acres at Vista are planted with wildflowers to support its honeybees.

“We’ve planted about eight acres of native Texas wildflowers over the past seven years, both to support the bees and other native pollinators, as well as for their beauty. We work with Native American Seed to source high-quality, native seed. Native flowering trees and shrubs, such as agarita, kidneywood, vitex, and Texas sage, provide much more forage for bees and pollinators than shortlived flowers,” Killough said.

The event is sponsored by its host, Vista Brewing; the Texas Natural Beekeepers Association; Bee-Mindful, a local business with over 60 years of beekeeping experience; and Hunter's Hive Candles, a family- owned business that sells scented beeswax candles.

Vista Brewing, owned by Karen and Kent Killough, is a farmstead and brewery producing craft beer. The ranch also features a restaurant and event venue. The Killoughs use the bees' yeast to produce their awardwinning Hive Mind Honey Ale. The ale, made in collaboration with other local beekeepers, uses wild yeast swabbed from a Vista honeybee.

Killough has been keeping bees since buying the property in Driftwood for Vista in 2017. “My grandfather was a beekeeper in Virginia when I was growing up, so I learned a bit through the years,” she said. “The bees contribute to the pollination of both our farm and of the native plants. This is a wonderful cycle of bees helping plants, and plants helping bees.”

Asked how often she gets stung, Killough replied, “I do not get stung very often, as honey bees are not aggressive and are really only bothered if you are harvesting honey or they are in a ‘dearth’ or scarcity of food. We advise guests to stay at a safe distance away from the apiary, do not stand in front of the entrance which is their flight path, and definitely do not open a hive without an expert beekeeper and proper protective gear. I have been stung on the forehead, and it is not a fun experience!”

Visitors will have the chance to sample the ale and enjoy the release of the 2024 harvest from Vista's onsite apiary, including allnatural comb honey and raw honey.