I have 10 hives of Russian/VSH cross bees, and its getting really hard to find good apiary locations. As for honey, it all depends on what you want to brew. Its always hard to go wrong with fresh, raw and local.
My brewing setup is a 40 L pot with a removable false bottom and a ball valve. I looovvve it. I still need a kegging setup but am limited by space and the fact that one man can only drink so much....hehe. After years of mead making, the jury is still out for me with regard to boil vs. sulfites vs. pasteurize (each has its merits).