He'Brew Funky Jewbelation 2013

Brewed By: Shmaltz Brewing Company in Brooklyn, New York  

Purchased: 22oz bottle bought at Binny's in IL; 2013 (Batch No. 02; Cases 1492 - bottled 2/18/2013)

Style/ABV: American Strong Ale, 9.4%

Reported IBUs: ?

Oh snap! I got me a bomber of the 2013 Funky Jewbelation. The 2012 Jewbelation was aight, but it left a bit to be desired. Here is to hoping that the 2013 version kicks things up a notch. 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 2013 Funky Jewbelation is not unlike its 2012 counterpart. This one clocks in at 9.4%, and is a blend of "6 ales & lagers aged in 55% Bourbon Barrels and 45% Rye Whiskey barrels." This beer features a blend of the Jewbelation Fifteen aged 7 & 10 months; the Origin aged 11 months; the Bittersweet Lenny's R.I.P.A. aged 12 months; the Messiah aged 6 months; the Coney Island Lager aged 12 months; and the Albino Python aged 3 months. I'm hoping to pick up more of the barrel with this beer since it is fresh, and I'm hoping to get a bit more depth of flavor and fat malt kick. Let's glass this up and see if this beer delivers.

He'Brew Funky Jewbelation 2013

This one pours a dark black color in low light, with 3 fingers of thick, bready, khaki-brown head. In bright light, I catch a little red and brown on the edges, but this is mostly a dark, opaque beer. Head retention is solid, especially for such a boozy beer, with a finger sustaining. There's some lacing.

I already like the aroma on this better than the 2012. There's definitely some fruity sweetness with plums and pomegranate, but I'm getting some oak, wood, Bourbon, and fat fudge and malt sweetness. I'm getting some peppery rye spice as well, and I'm sure the two Lagers blended in with this are contributing some spice. The whole blend is nice, with the fruit playing off the fudge, giving the impression of chocolate-dipped cherries, and dried fruits. It's sexy.

Yay...this tastes big and bold, like how a blended beer should taste. The mouthfeel seems a bit beefed up from the 2013 version, and there's more balance between the Origin with the pomegranate/grape/plum/prune fruit, and the Bourbon/barrel/oak/fudge/malts. I'm getting Bourbon, wood, vanilla, big pomegranate, grapes, faint rye bread, fudge, rich malt complexity, mellow and smoothed out booze, and a bit of hop bitterness on the back. This is a really nice blend.

I'm getting the sense that you don't want to age this one. I had the 2012 Jewbelation after it aged a bit, and I felt like it was lacking some of the barrel character necessary to balance out the big fruit kick. It could have just been the blend. I grant that the 2012 Jewbelation was very smooth and hid the alcohol well...but when we're talking about these big, bold, blended beers, I do like to see some complexity and barrel character. Bring on the Bourbon.

This one is great, with a mouthfeel that is smooth as hell, with supportive carbonation. The mouthfeel is fat and pleasantly chewy, and is definitely full-bodied. The finish is sticky and boozy, with just a hint of bitterness. You get a lot of complexity from the barrel, the Bourbon, the Rye, the malts (aka the Jewbelation Fifteen), and lots of grape and pomegranate fruit (aka the Origin). Even then, I feel like this could dial up the complexity further. I'm curious to see how the 2014 version of this beer will evolve the series. Palate depth is great. You get sweet malts and big grape/pomegranate/plums up front; this rolls into Bourbon, oak, rye spice, and fudge malts; the back end is elusive booze, sticky sweet, trailing fruit, and burgeoning hop bitterness. An improved blend from the 2012....

Rating: Above-Average (4/5 Untappd)

This gets a big thumps up from me, with a Strong Above-Average. This is just a good blend, with lots of balance between the Bourbon, Rye, malts, and fruit. This beer is ridiculously easy-drinking at 9.4%, and goes down without any hesitation. The alcohol is non-existent, except for some noticeable warming on the back. I still maintain that you want to drink this fresh, but it might be fun to age a bottle of this...or not...because once the barrel character drops out, you lose a lot of the fun. That's my 2 cents. This is priced favorably at around 7-10 dollars a bomber, and would pair well with a cigar, dry chocolate cakes, fruit pies, steak with purple potatoes, sweeter sauces, sweet barbecue, sweet potatoes, and...if you really want to splurge...a Monte Cristo. Oh lawdy, this beer with a Monte Cristo would be off the hook. 

Random Thought: I don't know what the consensus is on blended beers, but I wish more breweries would make them. I know Firestone does good stuff with their Anniversary series...I'm glad to see variation with the Jewbelation, and now I get to look forward to the 2014 release.