Philomath: Nectar Creek's facility nears completion

Photo courtesy Nectar Creek

On the west end of town, Nectar Creek’s construction nears completion. The 7,500-square-foot production facility will include a taproom and restaurant. The build is a massive upgrade to their current 8-foot by 8-foot tasting room in Corvallis.

Founded in 2012 by brothers Nick and Phillip Lorenz, Nectar Creek combines a passion for beekeeping, agriculture, and brewing to make handcrafted session meads, a drink created by the fermentation of honey.

The grand opening of their Philomath location is expected this year. An official date has not been set. While the original plan was for October, that is unlikely.

“It’s the nature of such a large development—there’s always something that comes up,” said Nick.

Nectar Creek’s new facility will offer several options not offered at their Corvallis location. While current visitors can sample products, fill growlers, and buy cases, there are no tables or food. That will change when they settle into their new facility.

“We won’t have a full menu but will serve lunch and dinner,” said Nick. “We’ll have a big smoker on our patio that features fresh smoked meat that will accompany our food.”

There will also be an appetizer menu including meat and cheese plates for those seeking a small bite while sipping local brews.

In their new taproom, with a honeycomb theme, Nectar Creek will have 24 options.

“We’ll not only be offering our mead but also a selection of beer, cider, and a little bit of wine,” said Nick. “We’re also going to create our own honey soda to have non-alcoholic offerings.”

Their honey soda is exclusive to their new location and for taproom visitors only.

On the sales floor, local honey-related products will be available for purchase. Among those products will be Old Blue Raw Honey, a Philomath-based business that has collaborated with Nectar Creek in the past.

All of Nectar Creek’s brews are made with raw honey from farms in the Willamette Valley. One of those vendors, Corvallis-based Queen Bee Honey, is where Phillip worked for seven years before the brothers created Nectar Creek.

“We are excited to work with local agriculture as much as we can,” said Nick. “We grew up in local agriculture, and part of the foundation that inspired us to start Nectar Creek was that connection with local agriculture.”

Due to added space and services in the new facility, Nectar Creek will hire bartenders, cooks, and servers as the move-in date gets closer. Applications will be accepted only after public job postings have been placed.

For their grand opening, they plan to celebrate the occasion with live music and a few surprises.

“We’ll offer a selection of products we’re going to pull out of our cellar that we’ve been storing and aging especially for our opening that you won’t be able to find anywhere else,” said Nick.

They hope to continue to showcase live music on a regular basis.