The Consumer’s Corner

Following my good experience with Sam Adam’s Cherry Wheat review, I was eager to try another beer with adjuncts. Weiss beer, (which is pronounced “vice”) means “wheat” in German. This wheat beer is a bit lighter, brewed with cluster hops, and just a touch of honey. Despite that, Leinenkugel’s Honey Weiss beer is not what most people expect it to be.

Upon twisting off the top, I catch the aroma of grain and lemon. While slowly pouring it into my weisen glass, I notice it’s nice clear, gold color with just a finger of head that recedes quickly with no lace. Leinenkugel’s Honey Weiss beer is a thin and lighter bodied beverage. With every sip, there is lively carbonation, a nice wheat flavor, some light malt flavor, and almost no hops or bitters. The finish is slightly sweet and crisp, with little to no honey flavor.

Leinenkugel’s Honey Weiss beer is quite easy to drink and would go very well with seafood or a spicy dish. I recommend Leinenkugel’s Honey Weiss. I picked up a 12-pack for $11.89.

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–Matt Scheerer (of Red-Icculus.com)

leinenkugel’s honey weiss, beer, adult beverage

Samuel Adams produces excellent beer because they are made in much smaller batches, with a higher quality of ingredients. Sam Adams has a wonderful reputation, but I am usually skeptical about beers with adjuncts. Despite my reservations, I was certainly impressed with the ‘Cherry Wheat.’

I have always been a fan of wheat beer because of Blue Moon. I decided to try something little different and I snatched up a 6-pack of the Sam Adams Cherry Wheat for about seven bucks. I pry off the top (twist offs are for your frat buddies!) and pour it into a glass. It’s a dark amber color with a nice thick head and little lace. It smells faintly of cherries and grain.

Upon taking my first sip, I fall in love. It has a solid wheat and a bit of yeast flavor, but a light mouth-feel. Sam Adams Cherry Wheat is not heavy at all for the amount of flavor. Having the perfect amount of light carbonation, it has some sparkle without being over carbonated. In the finish, there is the crisp and light taste of cherries. Extremely refreshing.

For the price and quality, I highly recommend anything Sam Adams does.

Official Site

Matt Scheerer (of Red-Icculus.com)

samuel adams, samuel adams cherry wheat, beer

This one kind of reminded me of a cross between Smirnoff Watermelon, and Smirnoff Berry. Mostly Berry though. How does the flavor compare to a real pomegranate juice? Beats me. I haven’t tried a 100% juice product, so I’m kind of flying blind. It tastes excellent though; berries always equal delicious in my book. Blog. Whatever.

Alcohol percentage is a little north of 5.0%, just a smidgen stronger than most beers. You really can’t tell it’s even there though; it’s covered up incredibly well. This is a very common trait amongst all of the Smirnoff Ice varieties, they have perfected the art of masking the flavor of alcohol.

‘How do they do it?,’ you ask. Well, for starters, they dump in over 220 calories worth of sugar into each and every twelve ounce serving. That is a lot of sugar, folks. That number is good for each flavor as well. Smirnoff with Splenda, anynone?

Take it easy, these will quickly sneak up on you. Please, remember to be safe and responsible. Otherwise, I easily recommend. Cheers!

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–Jeremy Hobbs

Adult Beverage, beer, malternative

The pictured beverage is an energy/alcohol drink hybrid, Sparks Plus is an extension of the very popular Sparks, and the much less popular Sparks Light beverage line, produced by the Miller Brewing Company.Though the ingredients are mostly the same as Anheuser Busch’s ‘Tilt’, minus one percent alcohol, Sparks is quite clearly the superior tasting beverage. It leans heavily on the flavor profile of energy drinks, and much less on the taste of beer. If you know me, have read my articles on other sites and understand my loathing of beer, you’ll understand why that is important to me.

Energy wise, this stuff will light you up all on it’s own, alcohol or no alcohol. It’s quite potent, and the energy buzz will stick with you longer than the alcohol (assuming you don’t grossly over drink). Sure, you’ll still lose some of your inhibitions momentarily just as you would with any other alcoholic beverage, but the energy enhancing ingredients are more than enough to keep you from feeling too sleepy or drowsy. This effect allows me to have a better time if I drink, for others it may very well increase your feelings of being ten foot tall and bullet proof. I guess it just depends on how you handle alcohol in the first place.

Should you not handle it well, I don’t recommend this at all. It has a high percentage by volume, you don’t really taste it, and that combination can lead to all kinds of trouble if you’re not being careful. If you know your limits, either by mathematics or physical feelings, this might just be your thing. It’s not expensive, tastes quite good, and ‘gets the job done.’ I personally enjoy these while tailgating before a football game; I’m not left wanting to take a nap in the middle of the first quarter.

I recommend this to people that have any business drinking; only those that are over 21, not pregnant or breast feeding, do not have any religious objections, and don’t plan on operating any heavy machinery within a couple hours of consumption. You should be able to grab a 16 ounce can for somewhere between $1.50 and $1.99. Very well worth it. Calories are over 300 per can, definitely not diet friendly, but it tastes good. Enjoy.

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–Jeremy Hobbs