In my continuing quest to enjoy the delicious beer flavors of the Northwoods here in Southern California, I found myself staring at a large can of beer at Whole Foods. How I wound up in Whole Foods is a sad, sordid story, but I was intrigued by a beer out of the Cold Spring brewery in Minnesota called Honey Almond Weiss. Surely, this would be the closest I could get to Leinenkugel’s Honey Weiss, brewed in Minnesota’s neighbor, Wisconsin. Plus, it didn’t hurt that this beer can contained one entire quart of beer.
I poured it out into my massive Michigan mug and it filled it perfectly, with just the right amount of head at the top to give the beer some breathing room. Then I got to drinking and the first thing I noticed was that this was surely no Leinie’s. The beer was a much darker amber than Leinie’s, but I didn’t want to let the look decide for me. Upon first drink, I realized that this was a sweeter beer, more along the lines of a hefeweizen than I had wanted. Yet, for the deeper color, the feel of the beer was more along the lines of a root beer float (the root beer part) than your typical wheat beer.
It was an interesting mix, and as for the almond, I must say I really couldn’t taste it. I’m sure it was there, but even though I was looking out for it, I didn’t really get much of an almond vibe.
I must give the beer some points for potency, though, for by the time I reached the bottom of my mug I feeling pretty good.
So while I wouldn’t recommend this beer for any sort of aficionado, I do think it has its place for people looking for a beer similar to a hefeweizen, but hoping for something a little different.
But for me, as I continue my quest for happiness and beer, I don’t think I’ll be needing another quart of Cold Spring Honey Almond Weiss.