Posts tagged Shmaltz

Shmaltz Brewing Co.

Saratoga Springs, NY/San Francisco, CA

Funky Jewbelation American Strong Ale

9.8% ABV

I’ve had mixed results with Shamltz’s “bigger is better mentality.” Sometimes, it’s left me disappointed and wanting me. Other times, it’s left me staring at the bar top wondering how I was going to make it home that night. But most of the time, they fall into the “not good, but not bad” territory.

Regardless, I respect what they’re trying to do and the originality they bring to the brewing universe with beers such as Funky Jewbelation, a barrel-aged strong ale that comes in just shy of 10%. But it’s not just any barrel-aged beer; it’s one aimed at putting others to shame.

Six of Shmatlz’s different beers are aged in different barrels, with 73% ending up in whiskey barrels and 27% being put in bourbon barrels. Those beers are:

• Jewbelation Fifteen (aged for three months);
• Vintage Jewbelation (aged for nine months);
• Bittersweet Lenny’s R.I.P.A. (aged for one month);
• Origin (aged for 14 months);
• Reunion Ale ‘11 (aged for 7 months); and
• Messiah (aged for 14 months).

Damn. All right, let’s get to it. 

The beer pours black as night. It’s a little lighter brown toward the top but really murky throughout. Topped with a finger of a blink-and-miss-it head. The lacing falls off fast but alcohol legs go for weeks.

It’s super boozy on the nose (duh). Like stick-your-face-in-a-bourbon-barrel boozy. Just incredibly strong and almost overpowering. There’s definitely a whiskey character as well, but the bourbon is the stronges. There’s dark chocolate and dark fruits as well, but the booze is what hits you the most.

But oh, the taste. There’s a surprisingly strong carbonation on the front and a medium body mouthfeel follows, but the flavors on the end are spectacular. That booziness from the nose is masked with big globs of caramel, plums, figs, tart cherries, nuts and dark chocolate. It’s like a bouquet of deliciousness. To boot, it’s got a decadently smooth finish, like velvet. The booze is there, but it’s all bourbon coated and incredibly smooth.

I unfortunately couldn’t make it through a whole bottle of Funky Jewbelation, but I’m OK with that. It’s definitely something I would recommend sharing with a few folks, if only to see what different flavors and notes they pick up on. The barrel aging is unmistakable on the beer, and the blending techniques and various ages really brings out an impressively complex beer. L’Chaim once again.

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Note: I’ll have a ton of posts from my honeymoon in Belgium up next week, including some reviews of some truly amazing beers. In the meantime, I’ll continue to post the reviews I’ve got queued up. Even during a whole week without any post, I still managed to get a steady stream of visits, so thank you all once again for reading. Cheers.

Shmaltz Brewing Co.

Saratoga Springs, NY/San Francisco, CA

He’Brew Hop Manna IPA

6.8% ABV

I’m sorry to say, but Shmaltz Brewing - the makers of the He’Brew and Coney Island lines of beer - is one of those breweries that generally falls into the “miss” category for me. Among my beer geek friends, Coney Island is regarded with a resounding “meh” and He’Brew has never had much fanfare either. But lately, He’Brew has been on a roll with me.

To give credit where it’s due, the guys behind He’Brew make some ridiculous - and ridiculously good - beers, both in alcohol content and creativity. It’s as if they’re constantly trying to find new ways to barrel age and blend their catalog and one-up their last batch. For example, Genesis 15:15, their insane new anniversary barleywine, is brewed with a variety of fruit juices and then aged in rye whiskey barrels; Jewbelation Fifteen is a blend of 15 different malts and 15 different hops; and Funky Jewbelation blends six different beers, all aged in different barrels for different amounts of time.

And then, there’s Hop Manna, their new year-round single IPA. It’s a break from the extreme, coming in at just 65 IBUs and 6.8% ABV, making it a fairly sessionable beer. It’s brewed with 2-Row, Munich, Wheat and Vienna malts and Warrior, Cascade, Citra, Amarillo Crystal and Centennial hops, then dry hopped again with Centennial, Cascade and Citra. So, yeah, sounds hoppy as hell. I had previously grabbed a 12 oz. of Hop Manna a few months back and - as with most prior He’Brew offerings - was really underwhelmed. But as is the case as of late, the newest and freshest release really surprised me.

It pours a golden sunset orange and swells to a huge bubbly head on top. There are big fluffy bubbles throughout which lend to some really nice lacing.

This thing is a major hop bomb on the nose. It’s a big East Coast-smelling IPA, with grassy notes coming through most prominently. There are hints of tropical fruits, mainly pineapple and peach, but also a definite malt presence. It’s sort of a biscuit smell. There’s a hint of grapefruit on the back, but overall a really great showcase of the hop profile.

While it’s a hop monster on the nose, it’s a much more subdued taste, which was a nice surprise. The grassiness and spice notes come through first on the tongue. That dries out a bit mis palate and toward the back of the throat, where the maltiness comes back in. The citrus pops in the middle, with big grapefruit and orange juice notes being the most prevalent. It’s got a real nice dry finish to it and isn’t overpowering in one way or another.

With Shmaltz/He’Brew being a “bigger is better” kind of brewery and single and double IPAs trying to out-hop each other lately, it’s surprising to see Shmaltz not only buck their own trend, but that of the market as well. Hop Manna is a nice break from the monstrous hop bombs being produced today. It’s very well balanced, though clearly a hop-forward beer, but not overly so. And it’s definitely wiped away previous doubts about their products.

L’chaim to them.