Welcome to Weed Weviews, a verbal foible that’s become the very real name of this monthly column. Think of it like our Doin’ Beers series, but for weed. This month I revisited a few brands with new flavors, a beer company dabbling in THC, a super-can of weed, and a stoner cocktail. Alright, let's do this!
Harriet Grove Botanicals’ Sour Cherry Lemonade
About: Minneapolis-based husband-and-wife team Corey and Sarah Lahm have been making CBD and THC cocktails and gummies since 2020. Corey has a background in wines, while Sarah does research and marketing. Cute!
Where I got it/price: About $8 at 36 Lyn Fuel Station, the fancy gas station at 36th and Lyndale. Avoid the chaotic car lines outside for gas but don’t sleep on their little bodega, folks—it’s got some good stuff inside.
Flavor: Now that is super cherry flavored! It smells like cherry chapstick, it tastes like a nice cherry cough syrup (liquid Luden’s?). It’s no more sour than a cherry popsicle though, and I’m not getting any lemon(ade) notes.
Blast-off time: About 20 minutes.
Experience: This is a 10 mg-er with 15 mg of CBD and 10 mg of CGG, so it will make you feel nice and toasty. I drank this on a rainy evening inside and watched Conclave, which was basically a Catholic telenovela.
Reframe’s Cannabis Spirit
About: CA-based Reframe makes one product: a tropical cannabis concoction that you add to drinks like you would a spirit.
Where I got it/price: A guy in Florida asked to send this to me and I said sure. You can get a 750 ml bottle online for $59.95 (they add that that's $3.50 per serving). You might not be able to find it locally in stores because of our THC packaging limitations, but you might spot a mini bottle like mine in shops though. I see that Nothing But Hemp and Total Wine have carried it.
Flavor: Oh man, this is good. It’s not a red fruit-punch tropical, it’s a yellow coconut/pineapple tropical with a hint of tartness on the tongue and a bit of a weedy aftertaste. I drank it straight like a sipping shot (I sip my shots, OK?), but you could easily add this to drinks like you would a Malibu rum.
Blast-off time: About 20 minutes.
Experience: This was a nice and easy 5 mg high. The little bottle is super cute too. I’d actually buy the big bottle of the stuff just because it’s pretty, but I also like the idea of being able to pour the amount you want, whether it’s a micro- or a mega-dose, into a drink.
Earl Giles’s High Voltage Lemonade
About: This beverage is made by northeast Minneapolis restaurant/distillery Earl Giles.
Where I got it/price: I was sent a variety pack from their PR rep, but I see you can order a four-pack of this stuff off their site for $20. That’s pretty cheap!
Flavor: There is a lot going on here. The can tells me this drink has “lingering, tingling notes of cayenne and Szechuan peppercorns.” I would say those are actually the first things I noticed when drinking High Voltage; the carbonation and the spice hit the back of your throat right away. So if this is the kind of thing you like (I do!) then you will enjoy that aspect.
As for the rest of the flavor, I struggled to taste lemonade. I see that the second ingredient on the can is lemon juice, but if you made me blind taste test this stuff, I would have guessed it was cranberry juice. It's not bad; I quite like High Voltage. It reminds me of fizzy Ocean Spray cocktails I used to make for myself as a child when I wanted to feel fancy. I gotta start doing that again.
Blast-off time: About 15 minutes? Not long!
Experience: This is not a late-night drink. This can has yerba mate, so you’re gonna get a nice energy boost. I also see there’s guayusa in here, which is also a stimulant/antioxidant. So that's how I ended up playing video games until two in the morning on this stuff.
333’s Triple Drop
About: This Miami-based company specializes in low-dose and low-calorie drinks. They recently added a 5 mg drink additive packet into the mix.
Where I got it/price: These were sent to me in a sample pack, but I have spotted them in stores at Total Wine & Spirits. A 12-pack will set you back about $48.
Flavor: Another cherry with no lemonade. Who would have thought something as bright and flavorful as lemon would be conquered so completely by artificial cherry? Anyway, as far as cherry-flavored things go, this is pretty good. If you drink any of those "sports" additives you squirt into your water, you’re gonna like this. And the packaging makes it discreet and easy to toss in a backpack or purse. Flavor-wise, I prefer 333's lime seltzers to the cherry lemon ones, so I hope they expand their flavor options soon.
Blast-off time: About 30-ish minutes.
Experience: This was a nice treat to add to my canned Waterloo. If you take a couple sips from your can you can easily rip the little package open and add it to your drink without a mess—very handy for backyard BBQ stoners.
