He'Brew Funky Jewbelation 2012

Brewed By: Shmaltz Brewing Company in Brooklyn, New York  

Purchased: 12oz bottle from the 2012 Holiday Gift Pack bought at Binny's in IL; 2012 (Batch No. 001; Cases 999 - bottled 3/6/2012)

Style/ABV: American Strong Ale, 9.8%

Reported IBUs: ?

Continuing with the He'Brew 2012 Holiday Gift Pack, today I'm feeling a big, strong, blended beer that has been aged in whiskey barrels. You can't go wrong with that, right? About He'Brew:

He'Brew is part of the Shmaltz Brewing Company. The Shmaltz Brewing Company has two lines of beer: their He'Brew The Chosen Beer, and their Coney Island Craft Lagers. Shmaltz Brewing Company is a craft brewery based in San Francisco, California, founded by Jeremy Cowan in 1996. The company previously contract brewed most of their beer through the Mendocino Brewing Company, while operating a small brewery in Brooklyn, New York. After 16 years of having their beer contract brewed, the Shmaltz Brewing Company opened its own New York State microbrewery in Clifton Park, NY. The new location features a 50-barrel brewhouse, with 20,000 barrels of annual capacity, and began production April/May 2013, officially opening July 2013. The company is known for its innovative beer, eye-catching bottle artwork, and sense of humor. For more information, check out the Shmaltz website HERE. Don't be a schmuck!

The 2012 Funky Jewbelation is some intense stuff. This is the brewery's "barrel aged release #6." This is a blend of 6 ales, with 73% aged in Rye Whiskey Barrels, and 27% aged in Bourbon barrels. The beer is a blend of the Jewbelation Fifteen (aged 3 months), the Vintage Jewbelation (aged 9 months), the Bittersweet Lenny's R.I.P.A. (aged 1 month), Origin (aged 14 months), Reunion Ale '11 (aged 7 months), and Messiah (aged 14 months). Let's glass this up...and see what we got.

He'Brew Funky Jewbelation 2012

This one pours into a deceptively dark brown, cola-color, that looks black in low light. A centimeter of brown head made out of tiny bubbles fizzled for a few seconds, before receding into a nice cauldron effect. In bright light, this beer is reddish brown, with surprising amounts of carbonation in the form of microscopic streams of bubbles (visible on the edges). There's a ring of carbonation hanging around the edges of this, and there's some glossy legs. 

I don't know what to make of this aroma, which has cherries, funky/sour cherries, pomegranate, and very mild red apple cider vinegar funk on the nose. I'm also pulling off rich chocolate, brownie, Bourbon sweetness, dried fruits, and some fruity fig. Chocolate, cherries, tart, Bourbon...interesting. 

This is super weird, with tons of grape up front. The grape gives way to big chocolate, rye, and mild Bourbon sweetness. There's some brownie kick on the back end. I'm getting assorted sweet fruits up front: cherries, grape, figs, dates, raisins, pomegranate...there is absolutely zero booze in this, save for some warming on the back end. As this coats my tongue, I'm picking up some wood, a hint of rye, and some mild tannins.

This has absolutely spectacular palate depth, as it coats the entirety of your tongue and mouth. The carbonation is just right: mild, with smooth tingly vibes to help work the beer over. This one is medium-full to full-bodied, and definitely veers towards sweet and sticky. Complexity tilts towards fruity and sweet, with hints of subtle nuances beneath. The 9.8% is virtually undetectable. You get fruit up front; some wood, Bourbon, rye spice, and more fruit in the middle; the back gives way to subtle chocolate, brownie, Bourbon, barrel....not bad.

Rating: Average 

I'm feeling a Strong Average on this. I don't really know what is going on here, but it's not bad. It's an interesting blend, with dominating fruit and subtle chocolate/Bourbon/barrel on the back. I love how this beer completely masks the 9.8%. I wish I had a 22oz bottle rather than 12oz. I would totally pick up a bomber of this if I saw it randomly laying on the shelf, but the nuances of this blend don't seem to be hugely complex. I would pair this with chocolate cake, pizza, bread pudding, or dessert. This is an interesting experiment...I look forward to this year's blend. 

Random Thought: I do appreciate the fact that He'Brew enjoys experimenting. You can't say this beer isn't unique and fun.