Beer of the Weekend #242: Big Honey Hefe

Today I went to Dirty John’s to get garlic salt and ended up buying tonight’s sampling. I only had 10 dillies on me, so I will have to get garlic salt some other time. (Actually, my intention was to get garlic salt and a half liter bottle of Schneider Weisse Hefe-Weizen, but anyway…)

The beer tonight is the latest edition of Millstream’s Brewmaster’s Extreme Series: Big Honey Hefe, obviously brewed by the Millstream Brewing Company of Amana, Iowa.


After returning home from Dirty John’s (sans garlic salt) I did the unthinkable: I totally forgot about the little four-pack of BHH in my backseat. (Here’s a tip for you Iowans: always put your alcohol in the backseat of the car. As I was told by someone forced to attend one of those all-day driver’s ed classes for repeat traffic offenders, just having an unopened bottle of booze or fresh sixer in the front passenger seat is probable cause to search the rest of your car.) About an hour later I saw it there, looking abandoned. Thankfully, today was very cool so I do not think the beer’s stay in my closed up car (in the shade) did much damage other than slowly warm it. It was probably no worse than walking home with a sixer.

Serving type: Four 12-ounce bottles. According to Millstream’s usual brewing month notch on the side of the label, this stuff is so fresh it has not even been brewed yet: the month notch is marked at July.

Appearance: Straight pour into a pint glass. The color is a cloudy orange with amber tones. One finger of lightly tanned head dissipated to leave a bubbly lacing and ring around the edge. A customary cake of yeast was stuck to the bottom of the bottle, but most of it was worked loose after a couple swirls.

Smell: When loosening the cap I got a whiff of hefe and vodka. After pouring it into the glass, the beer smelled more like a proper hefe: yeast, ripe banana, apple, bubblegum, orange, lemon citrus, and clove. Along with a slight alcohol edge, which is understandable, there is a hint of pepper. There may be a little honey in there, but it does not jump out and scream, “HONEY!”

Taste: I still do not get much honey, which is fine; the honey was not the selling point for me. Each sip is tinged with a potent alcohol edge, but it is partly hidden by the usual hefe suspects: yeast, ripe banana, apple, bubblegum, orange, and clove. As it warms, the alcohol edge becomes a kick.

Drinkability: Tasty stuff, though it is a tad bit boozy for my taste. Frankly, after one bottle I am a little buzzed.

Fun facts about BHH:

-Style: Weizenbock.

-Price: $8.99/sixer at John’s Grocery in Iowa City.

-Serving temperature: 45-50ºF.

-Alcohol content: 9.1 percent ABV. Mervgotti told me it is much higher than Millstream expected. They suspect the honey had something to do with it.

-Food pairings: BA recommends German cuisine, chocolate, and grilled meat.

-According to BA, weizenbock is best served in either a flute (which I do not have) or a weizen glass (which I have many of). However, since the death of my Hacker-Pschorr 300 ml weizen glass, I do not have one to accommodate 12-ounce bottles. The pint glass will have to do tonight.


The Quiet Man’s grade: B.

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