Millstream Big Honey Hefe Review

Sorry about the fuzzy picture!

Name: Millstream Big Honey Hefe
Style: Weizenbock
ABV: 8.5%
IBUs: 21

Millstream Brewing is one of those breweries that you always see on the store shelves but are seemingly eclipsed by other breweries out there yet still manage to crank out new offerings all the time. Though this has been around for a few years per Beer Advocate, this is my first time seeing it on store shelves.

I'm of course talking about Big Honey Hefe, which is actually classified as a Weizenbock by Beer Advocate. The reason for this is the high ABV, which clocks in at 8.5%, while most Hefeweizens are usually in the 5-6% range, Also on Beer Advocate, this beer is considered "retired" and even has the same label that it did 5 years ago because it was supposedly a one-off offering. Did Millstream just recently bring this out of cryogenic suspension or do I have a beer in my possession that predates me getting my undergraduate degree? Well, we'll see depending on how it tastes. Also, in case you didn't pick it up from the label, this is a beer made with honey.

Appearance - Very cloudy dark orange color with no visible carbonation. The head starts out very thin and fades away after a few moments, leaving nothing behind except for a light white ring along the sides of the glass

Aroma - Malted wheat and strong honey notes mixed in with some pale maltiness and some light citrus-like notes.

Taste - Sweet honey and candied malts upfront with some malted wheat & banana notes towards the middle. In the back, I'm getting some floral hop & light clove notes, in addition to more honey sweetness and light booziness. The aftertaste is almost exclusively honey with a light floral hoppiness.

As a whole, this is a great beer. The flavors all work and the honey used in the brewing process really shines here. I'm hoping that this is a beer that was recently brought back because I can see this being a pretty big hit for the brewery. And if you so happen to see this, then I would say this is most certainly worth your time.

Millstream Big Honey Hefe - 9/10