[Cellar Review] He'Brew Jewbelation Reborn (17th Anniversary Ale - 2013)

Brewed By: Shmaltz Brewing Company in Brooklyn, New York  

Purchased: 22oz bottle bought at Binny's in IL; 2013 

Style/ABV: American Strong Ale, 17.0%

Reported IBUs: ?

Tonight's beer is a beer I first had back in November of 2013. And as I said back then: "this beer is a bit of a hot mess." But that was back then. This is now. Five years later. About He'Brew:

that was then, this is now

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 Jewbelation Reborn is part of the He'Brew Anniversary Ale series. The malt list is: 2-Row, Spelt, Vienna, Munich, Rye, Wheat  Einkorn, Emmer, Chocolate, Crystal Rye, Dark Crystal, Roasted Barley, Roasted Wheat, Flaked Oats, Caramunich 40, Carapilsner, and Kiln Amber. The hops include: Warrior, Columbus, Apollo, Palisade, Golding, Tettnang, Ahtanum, Cascade, Czech Saaz, Centennial, Chinook, Santiam, Simcoe, Summit, Amarillo, Citra, and Crystal.

He'Brew Jewbelation Reborn 2018 Cellared

So you're probably wondering, does this look dramatically different than its fresh counterpart? And the answer is surprisingly: YES! Look at the struggling head on the five year vintage. The cellar vintage pours out like coca-cola. Contrast that to the tight and thick head on the fresh 2013 vintage. But looks are deceiving, like that experienced senior in sweatpants who doesn't do their hair or give two looks about their apperance compared to the perfectly manicured freshy who would be lost in an eggplant factory. 

Gone on the aroma are the hops, along with the fruity berry puree notes. No, this does not smell anything like how I described the fresh vintage. The aroma is rich, and aged, with hints of soy, molasses, lovely sherry wine notes, dark fruits in the form of prunes, raisins, and plums, and oxidation for sure with some stale wet leaves and pine nuts.  

He'Brew Jewbelation Reborn 2013 Fresh

And wowza. Not only does this taste amazing...it is quite layered and complex. This has barleywine qualities with complex layers of burnt maple, caramel sugars, brown sugar, and toffee. There's a light fudgy aspect to the mix, which reminds me of the pre-2015 Bourbon County glory days when the beer seemed a bit hotter and less sweet. There is quite a bit of alcohol, which I would expect (and honestly) want in a 17% beer. The idea that a 17% beer would be without alcohol seems absurd, right? I'm not getting as much of the oxidation notes in the taste, which is GREAT. In fact, the faint oxidized hops in the aroma don't really show up on the palate. What I do get is a kiss of dark fruits and soy. It is a nice counterpoint to the beer itself.

This has some bitterness to it, which may be from the remaining hop oils or the dark shades of malt. This is wonderfully complex. This is also CONSIDERABLY better aged than fresh. It's too bad He'Brew dropped the anniversary year corresponding hops/malts/abv shtick. These are always fun to age, and sometimes you end up with a really nice sipping beer like tonight. Speaking of: up front you get dark fruits, raisins, light raspberry puree, alcohol, and complex caramel sugars; the mids touch of fudge, umami/soy/dark fruits, some light light oxy; the back end drops more fruits and fudge, with alcohol. This is sticky and deep like the adult side of the swimming pool. Palate duration is off the chain.

Rating: Decent Above-Average (4.25/5.0 Untappd)

Wow, so when you compare this beer fresh to the beer we are drinking today....it is really one of those night and day examples. I gave this beer a generous 3/5 back in the day and called it a "hot mess." The beer we have today is complex, layered, and delicious. My only regret is this was my last bottle. Wah wah. If someone from Shmaltz is reading this....please, bring this back. 

Random Thought: So what did we learn today? Well, we learned that this beer sucked fresh and needed at least a few years in the ol' cellar. Honestly though, this beer could have probably aged for another year or two. I just got antsy after five years. I really did have a debate in my mind about whether or not to open this beer. I'm glad I did.

He'Brew Jewbelation Reborn (17th Anniversary Ale - 2013)

Brewed By: Shmaltz Brewing Company in Brooklyn, New York  

Purchased: 22oz bottle bought at Binny's in IL; 2013 

Style/ABV: American Strong Ale, 17.0%

Reported IBUs: ?

Tonight's beer is pretty much the definition of extreme brewing. Clocking in at 17.0%, this gentle beer is brewed with 17 malts, 17 hops, and was even born again. 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!

Tonight's beer is a part of the He'Brew Anniversary Ale series. Last year I had the dynamite Sweet 16 Anniversary Ale. It was just a complex, boozy, malt bomb. Delicious stuff, and I have a few bottles creepin' in my cellar. The Jewbelation Reborn is as much of a celebration as it is a beer. Brewed to commemorate 17 years of brewing AND the transition from contract brewing to owning a brew house  this ridiculous beer features all sorts of malts and hops. The malt list is: 2-Row, Spelt, Vienna, Munich, Rye, Wheat  Einkorn, Emmer, Chocolate, Crystal Rye, Dark Crystal, Roasted Barley, Roasted Wheat, Flaked Oats, Caramunich 40, Carapilsner, and Kiln Amber. The hops include: Warrior, Columbus, Apollo, Palisade, Golding, Tettnang, Ahtanum, Cascade, Czech Saaz, Centennial, Chinook, Santiam, Simcoe, Summit, Amarillo, Citra, and Crystal. 

He'Brew Jewbelation Reborn

The beer pours into a surprisingly dark, cola-black/brown body, kicking up a finger or two of foamy/soapy dark brown head. The head retention is actually decent, with a finger of sticky, soapy head hanging around...and there's lots of lacing. I wonder if that is courtesy of all the hops. There's some legs on this as well.

When I was pouring the beer, I was getting a surprising amount of hops on the aroma. Keep in mind that I'm drinking this beer at near room temperature...at this ABV, and with this much going on, the aroma is kind of muddled. I'm getting some brown/turbinado sugar, beef jerky, some umami/soy sauce, and lots of hints of fruity berries and berry puree. There's some dark grain and rye bread on the aroma as well, with nondescript resinous hops. Chocolate, sugars. The aroma is as complex as it is muddled.

The taste instantly reminds me of Avery's The Beast Grand Cru. There's a lot of soy/beef jerky/berries, followed by berry puree and raspberry puree. Lots of alcohol, brown sugar, and turbinado sugar. Dark grains also follow. The whole mix has a plastic-rubber astringency, similar to the Goose Island Nightstalker. I imagine the 17 hops have a lot to do with that. There are hints of dark fruits like raisins, plums, and cherries, all courtesy of the brown/turbinado sugar. The alcohol almost has a smokey heat to it; leather...and I'm not getting a ton of the dark chocolate malts like I was in the Sweet Sixteen. 

I know this beer is young, but I'm not seeing the potential I saw in the Sweet Sixteen. This beer is both boozy and hot, but you expect that at 17%. It's a sipping beer, and a beer to be enjoyed damn near room temperature (imo). Palate depth is okay, and complexity is okay. The mouthfeel is medium-full, with nice carbonation, but drinks harder thanks to the booze and sticky sugar that aggressively coats your mouth. You get a rush of turbinado/brown sugar and astringent grain up front; that roles into sticky sweet raspberry puree, hop astringency, berries/jerky/soy/umami; the finish is bitter, features dark grain, more berry/raspberry/beef jerky puree, and boozy complexity. Sticky sweet finish...it feels like an extreme beer.

Rating: Average (3.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Light Average on this. I really like the Sweet 16, but this beer is a bit of a hot mess. I understand that this is a gimmick AND that it's probably intended to be aged, but yeah. The turbinado sugar veers into the direction of complex caramel/toffee and maybe even coconut, but it's not quite there yet. Maybe with some time in the cellar? Otherwise, there is lots of raspberry/berry puree, hints of beef jerky, and umami richness. It's like Avery's The Beast or Dogfish Head's Fort. I did grab a second bottle to age, and I will do that. At 13 dollars a bomber, this beer is priced fairly, but I'm guessing you'll find it on shelves for cheaper if you shop around. I would pair this with nothing. This is a sipper. Or pair it with a cigar. Maybe pecan pie.

Random Thought: 17% is what? Like 3 beers in 12oz. So this beer is almost a 6-pack in a bomber. Nice. To be honest, when I first started writing this review last night (we are going on two days here), I almost rated this as below-average. But now that I'm drinking the second half of the bottle at colder temps, I'm getting a little less of the astringent hop/sugar punch. I've pretty much covered the spectrum: fridge cold to room temperature. It's also hard to review these extreme beers. 17% is what...practically a spirit, right? I get shades of the 120 Minute IPA and Dogfish Head Fort in this beer, so I'm trying to keep an open mind, but I think this beer needs at least a few months to settle in the bottle. I look forward to cracking this open in a year or two, along with Avery's The Beast Grand Cru. Right now, I'm either (a) a big pussy, or (b) aversive to the extremes in these beers. 

All that said...this beer is still incredibly complex, and kind of fun to drink. It does unravel itself and reveal interesting flavors, with a lot going on both in terms of the malts and the hops. The huge ABV provides boozy complexity with notes of leather, berry puree, and a strange umami flavor I haven't quite figured out. This is a great beer to buy if you want to start doing some verticals. My only question is: what the hell is He'Brew going to do for the 18% anniversary? And at what point do they need to call up Jim Koch and ask him for his Utopia yeast. 

Drinking this beer is making me want to pull a Sweet 16 from my cellar, and maybe I'll do that as we get closer to the holidays. In the meantime, I'll throw another bottle of this into my cellar...and good things could, and should happen. So yeah. I don't love it, I don't hate it, I'm intrigued, but right now this stuff is middling. I love ya He'Brew, but shit is getting real.

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.

Shmaltz/Terrapin Reunion Ale 2012 - A Beer For Hope

Brewed By: Shmaltz Brewing Company in Brooklyn, New York (with Terrapin Beer Company in Athens, Georgia)

Purchased: 12oz bottle from the 2012 Holiday Gift Pack bought at Binny's in IL; 2012 

Style/ABV: American Strong Ale, 7.6%...8.0%...???

Reported IBUs: ?

Wrapping up with the Shmaltz Holiday Gift Pack, tonight I'm looking at a beer that Shmaltz brewed with Terrapin, which is pretty legit. 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!

I should probably mention that Terrapin is a brewery based out of Athens, Georgia, founded by Brian Buckowsski and John Cochran in 2002. If you roll over to the Terrapin Beer page, you can see that the Reunion - A Beer For Hope, is a series of beers. The 2012 edition is brewed with cocoa nibs, vanilla, and cinnamon. According to Terrapin, this one uses Canada 2-Row Silo, Victory, Special Roast, Crystal, Brown Malt, and Chocolate malts; and Willamette hops. They state that this clocks in at 7.6%, and the beer is described as a dark strong ale. Shmaltz also has this beer listed on their website (what's the difference, yo?)....according to the Shmaltz website, this beer uses 2-Row, Victory, Briess Special Roast, Fawcett Crystal, Brown, Dark Crystal & Chocolate malts; Warrior and Summit hops, and clocks in at 8.0%. Proceeds for this beer go to the Institute for Myeloma & Bone Cancer Research, which is pretty cool. Let's glass this up...and do the best kind of drinking...drinking for a good cause!

Reunion Ale 2012 - A Beer For Hope

This one pours a dark red/brown color, that looks black in low light. The head on this beer is absolutely gorgeous, with root beer float thickness. The head is a lovely light tan/sandy color. Head retention is nice, and the head has a nice khaki color in bright light. This beer is a murky brown black/purple/brown color in bright light, and you can see some carbonation rising upwards on the side of the glass. The head is leaving some nice lacing.

The aroma on this reminds me quite a bit of Sam Adams' The Vixen Chocolate Chili Bock. I'm getting a ton of rich chocolate on the nose of this, lots of cocao, some dirt, cheap coffee with cheap creamer that you find in your office's break room, cinnamon, earthy spice, dirt, jalapeno, salt, vanilla bean, and some strong caramel malt. There's an elusive hint of really earthy fruit on the nose as well.

This is really nice, with tons of cocoa abound, and nice cinnamon-fruit kick up front. I'm getting lots of chocolate, cocoa, vanilla bean, crappy coffee with creamer, and a TON of cinnamon, with a hint of dirt and salt, and some mild hop bitterness on the finish. This end's a touch bitter, dry, and with lingering cocoa.

This has a decent amount of carbonation to help keep the body in check, giving this a medium-full mouthfeel. Nevertheless, the body has some density to it, and feels pretty thick and creamy in the mouth. There's almost a tannin quality to this beer, likely from the cinnamon. And yeah, you get a lot of cinnamon in this. Palate depth is great, and complexity is just okay. This one doesn't scream complexity, but it delivers the cocoa, vanilla, and cinnamon in a big way. This also does an incredible job masking the 8.0% ABV (or 7.6% or whatever). Up front is caramel malts, cocoa, and vanilla; that transitions into big vanilla and cinnamon; the back end is trailing cinnamon, spice, dry cocoa (almost cacao at that point), and some hop dryness....really solid stuff here.

Rating: Above-Average (4/5 Untappd)

This is about Decent Above-Average stuff, which is not bad at all. Really solid on the chocolate/vanilla/cinnamon thing, and has nice warming. I would pair this beer with some chocolate cake, or a burger, or some coffee-braised meat. You could also conceivably sip on this, though it would work better in the 22oz format rather than the 12oz bottle I have. NICE STUFF, good job Terrapin and Shmaltz.

Random Thought: It's raining, it's pouring...no seriously, we are projected to get like 4 more inches of rain, and it's been raining nonstop since like 5pm. I'm sure the roads and streams and retention ponds will be a source of much entertainment and frustration tomorrow. Hooray for adventures!

He'Brew Genesis Ale

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 

Style/ABV: American Amber Ale, 5.6%...6.0%...???

Reported IBUs: ?

Continuing with the He'Brew 2012 Holiday Gift Pack...here is part two of tonight's festivities! 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!

Looking at the Genesis/Messiah page, you can see that the Messiah is a "dry hopped session ale." This one uses Specialty 2-Row, Munich, CaraMunich 40, Wheat, and Dark Crystal malts; this uses Warrior, Centennial, and Cascade hops...and is dry hopped with Centennial, Cascade, and Simcoe. 

He'Brew Genesis Ale 

In low light, this one pours an amber/orange color, with two fingers of hazy, off-white head. In bright light, this beer's body is bright orange, unfiltered and slightly murky, and you can see mid-sized carbonation bubbles ascending upwards. The head grabs some of those orange tones, and is leaving some nice sticky lacing. 

The aroma on this is solid, with bright candied citrus, caramel, fruit cake, orange cake, cake batter, pine sap, grass, very very faint catty hop, and some elusive fruits. 

This pretty much takes the aroma, and runs with it. I'm getting a lot of bready orange, tons of caramel, lots of sweet pine sap, grass, iced-tea, hints of lemon, hints of light catty hops, and some faint grain/biscuit/coconut. 

Pretty simple stuff here, but this is incredibly balanced and features a vibrant nose, and lots of subtle flavor. This has a light-bodied mouthfeel, with moderate to high carbonation supporting things. Palate depth is good for the style, and complexity is good for the style. It's a fucking Amber Ale, people. Also, phrasing. Orange and hops up front; sweetness; trailing hops...light, refreshing, great in a 6-pack+ format.

Rating: Above-Average (4/5 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Light Above-Average on this. There's not much to say here, but what I will say is this is remarkably drinkable, balanced, and full of flavor. For a lighter, Amber Ale, you could do much worse than this. In fact, I've had some pretty dull, boring, and crappy Amber Ales...and this is not that. This one doesn't really cheat the style either by stretching the ABV or IBUs or whatever. Not bad. Food pairings: anything except for maybe pasta and heavy meats. This would be a great beer to drink out of the bottle at a party.

Random Thought: It's weird when you only drink extreme beers for a couple of weeks, and go back to two beers that are a little bit more down to earth. I love a sessionable Brown Ale, and Amber Ales are great too. I feel like the He'Brew Genesis would go especially great with a barbecue...specifically, barbecued ribs. I think the sweetness in this beer would play off ribs wonderfully. But that's just me.

He'Brew Messiah Nut Brown Ale

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 

Style/ABV: American Brown Ale, 5.5%

Reported IBUs: ?

Continuing with the He'Brew 2012 Holiday Gift Pack...tonight I'm going to try to knock out two brews. So consider this part one. 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!

Looking at the Genesis/Messiah page, you can see that the Nut Brown Ale is brewed with Specialty 2-Row, Carapils, Dark Crystal, Chocolate, CaraMunich 60, and Kiln Amber malts; this also uses Warrior, Cascade, and Liberty hops. Clocking in at 5.5%, this is within the Brown Ale range. There doesn't appear to be any catches to this, so let's see how this stacks up.

He'Brew Messiah Nut Brown Ale

Shocking! This one pours like a typical brown ale: you get a brown/ruby red body, and two finger's worth of bready, thick, tan/brown head. In bright light, this beer is an orangeish/brown color, with a pinky of khaki/tan head hanging around. This one looks to be transparent, and you can see a ton of carbonation cascading upwards in the form of small bubbles.

The aroma on here is mild nuttiness, big toast, some caramel, chocolate, and molasses, and some hints of dark fruits (plums/grape/cherry). 

The taste features some mild nuttiness, hints of pine sap, maple syrup, some toast, and some caramel/molasses sweetness. You get some nice toast/bread on the back end. There's also a hint of meat/smoke, reminiscent of a Smoked beer.

This one is super light, and pretty thin. I'd call the mouthfeel light. Tingly carbonation is strung along the way, and this is pretty smooth and refreshing. This is a drinkable style, and it shows at 5.5%. Palate depth is just okay for the style, but complexity is pretty nice. Up front is some toast and pine sap/light hops; this gives way to some bread, toast, nuttiness, and some more light hops; the back end is toasty, with trailing smoke. Lots of mild sweetness abound in this.

Rating: Average (3/5 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Average on this. This is pretty much your standard Brown Ale, with some nice balance and bready kick. The mouthfeel is a bit thin and light, but the tradeoff is that this is super refreshing. You could pair this beer with bar food, lighter Mexican food, ribs, chicken, whatever. This one would work best in a 6-pack format.

Random Thought: And now for ///drumroll/// part two!

He'Brew Origin Pomegranate Ale

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 

Style/ABV: American Strong Ale/Fruit Beer, 8.0%

Reported IBUs: ?

Continuing with the He'Brew 2012 Holiday Gift Pack...tonight we dabble with big, boozy pomegranate. 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!

If you roll over to the Origin page, you can see that this "Imperial Amber Ale," brewed with pomegranate juice, clocks in at a fairly big 8.0%. This one uses 2-Row, Caramel 30-40, Dark Crystal, Munich, Dark Munich, and Wheat malts; it also features Warrior, Centennial, Cascade, Willamette, Crystal, and Mt. Hood hops. Let's glass this up, and see how it stacks up.

He'Brew Origin Pomegranate Ale

This one pours a dark orange color, almost bordering on amber or brown. This one kicks up two finger's worth of bready, thick, orange-tinted head. In bright light, this one is a dark orange color, with a finger's worth of orange-tinted head that is hanging around nicely. There's a lot of carbonation in this, and the body is fairly murky.

There are a ton of hops on the nose of this, and if I was going at this blind, I might peg this as an Imperial IPA or Barleywine. I'm getting a ton of sticky pine, pine sap, orange, candied orange, fruit cake, alcohol-soaked-bread/cake, rum/brandy, and that really nice smoothed out American Barleywine aroma you get with aging. There's syrupy/sticky caramel-sugar as well, and hints of dark fruits. This maybe suggests dark fruits...but it mostly comes across as light, hoppy fruit aromas. 

In terms of taste, this takes the nose, and adds a layer of fruity grape/pomegranate/plum to the front palate. There's plenty of hop bitterness abound in this, and I'm getting some wood, hop astringency, pine, grass, and hints of citrus, and some grain towards the back end. In fact, the finish is kind of grainy and fusel-boozy, while the front is fruity and carbonated, and the middle is hoppy and earthy. 

Kind of a strange beast, this one can't decide if it wants to commit to being another pomegranate fruit beer, or if it wants to feature the fruit in tandem with some big hop kick. The Munich malts are an interesting choice as well...and come through in a big way that is reminiscent of an Autumn beer; lots of grain, toasted malt, and toast show up in this. This one is medium-full, with smooth carbonation, and starts fruity and refreshing up front, and finishes malty and dry. Palate depth is actually pretty good, and complexity is as well....hmm. Up front is carbonation and big pomegranate and dark fruits; this rolls into hops, light hop spice, and burgeoning toast, grain, and Munich malts; the back end is malty, boozy, and dry. I was expecting the hops to continue to grow, but you actually pick up more malts as you work your way through this.

Rating: Average 

I'm feeling a Strong Average on this. This is interesting, to say the least. There's nice fruit up front, nice hop kick in the middle...but man, that toasted malt and Munich kick grows in the back. It reminds me of an Oktoberfest or an Irish Red Ale...or a Bock even. I suspect this beer would feel right at home in the Autumn, especially with that boozy complexity and 8.0% worth of warming, which you definitely feel. This is actually a really interesting brew, and certainly not a bad beer. I'll have to sleep on this one, and definitely revisit it in the future. I'd pair this with a stew, or grilled brats, and Autumn weather. Seriously, this is an Autumn beer masquerading as a fruity little diddy. Not bad though. 

Random Thought: I watched A Serious Man this weekend...pretty dark stuff, but also pretty funny at times. The Coen Brothers know how to do dark comedy well, and they always put interesting characters on screen. The movie ends on a kind of ominous tone, and I liked that. If you haven't seen that one, check it out.

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. 

He'Brew Hop Manna IPA

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

Style/ABV: American IPA, 6.8%

Reported IBUs: 65

There's good news in the Shmaltz/He'Brew world. After 16 years of having their beer contract brewed, the Shmaltz Brewing Company is opening 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 will begin production April/May 2013, officially opening Sunday, July 7, 2013. You can read more at the official press release. L’Chaim!

On that note, I'll be going through this He'Brew Holiday Gift Pack I picked up over the next few weeks. The timing couldn't be better. 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!

Tonight's beer, the Hop Manna, is a true blessing from heaven. Clocking in at 6.8% ABV and 65 IBUs, this beer is brewed with 2-Row, Wheat, Munich, Vienna, and CaraMunich 40 malt. This beer is hopped with Warrior, Cascade, Citra, Amarillo, Crystal, and Centennial hops; and then dry hopped with Centennial, Cascade, and Citra. That's a lotta hopping, so here's to hoping this beer is magniv. 

He'Brew Hop Manna IPA

In low light, this beer pours an orange/bronze color, with 3-finger's worth of cloudy, off-white head. The beer is well carbonated, and might be slightly hazy. In bright light, the beer is a vibrant orange color, with lots of carbonation (thanks, Stiegl). There definitely appears to be some sediment in the beer, going beyond just a chill haze. As the head pulls away, I'm getting some nice lacing.

There are big, mild hop aromas in this one. I'm getting big pine, pine sap, grass, orange, piney citrus, tangerine/mandarin, cake batter, toffee/caramel, and sweet bread/fruit cake.

The taste is reasonably bitter, with soapy hop bitterness, grassy hops, and lots of mineral bitterness. There is strong mineral edge, some cracker/biscuit, toffee, and bitter soap, grapefruit, mild citrus rind. 

This one is believable in terms of the 65 IBUs. And the alcohol is well-hidden. This is very drinkable, and would be fine in a 22oz format. What's a little harder to swallow is the fact that this is hopped with the encyclopedia, and then dry hopped with the American hop A-Team. This beer should be taking names, man. The mouthfeel is medium-full, smoothed out with non-assertive carbonation. This one is soapy, mineral-like, and finishes off dry. Palate depth works for the style, but the complexity (and boldness) leaves a lot to be desired. You get citrus, grapefruit rind, wood, and soapy hops up front; that roles into mineral, cracker, toffee/caramel, more soapy hop bitterness; the back end is lingering grass, soap, bitter, and dry.

Rating: Average 

I'm feeling a Decent Average on this. This is a good IPA, and a good example of the style. I fail to see anything mind-blowing here, especially with the huge list of hops used. At times, this beer even veers into APA company. I will say, this beer has a really nice grassy hop character, with a dash of cracker/biscuit/mineral. This would pair really well with doughy pizza, garlic bread, or bread-sticks and soup/salad. Basically: all things doughy. You could also pair this with everything else you can pair IPAs with...which is basically everything. 22oz bombers of this beer sell for around 6 or 7 bucks, which isn't a bad deal. 

Random Thought: I kept reading this beer as "Hop Mania." I'm surprised I didn't type it out as such. 

He'Brew Bittersweet Lenny's R.I.P.A.

Brewed By: Shmaltz Brewing Company in Brooklyn, New York  

Purchased: 12oz bottle from a 4-pack bought at Jewel in Skokie/Niles, IL; 2012

Style/ABV: Imperial IPA, 10.0%

Reported IBUs: ?

Skokie at 10pm

Bitches love Jewel. Seriously, I was up in Skokie with the girlfriend, and we decided to get some Bdubs. While waiting, I realized I didn't have any particularly hoppy beers on hand...which is a tragedy, because hops + wings = foodvana. Unfortunately, Skokie at 10pm is like...fuuuuck. But they have a Jewel! For those who don't know, Jewel-Osco is a decent chain store that sells groceries. The Chicagoland Jewels have started to pick up on the craft beer craze, and you can actually snag some decent beer at Jewel. I found a bunch of Revolution stuff at the Skokie Jewel, along with the beer I'm drinking tonight. (btw, the Walmart off Touhy is a fucking shithole...please avoid). 

There's some crazy shit going on in Chicago. The Walgreens in Greek Town had Bourbon County Stout, and supposedly had Bourbon County Coffee Stout. I picked up a 4-pack of the regular BCBS at the Greek Town Dominicks (Dominicks is Jewel's competition). The Jewel in Boystown had Madame Rose...and yeah. The elusive and rare beers, coming to your local Jewel.

Anyway...I'm glad to pop open another He'Brew beer. 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 contract brews most of their beer through the Mendocino Brewing Company, and they operate a brewery in Brooklyn New York. 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 shmuck, and drink good beer!

Tonight's beer is described as a Double IPA brewed with Rye Malts. Truthfully, based on the other three bottles I've had, this shit drinks a lot like Founders' Devil Dancer. This beer kind of gets into that "Triple IPA," super malty/hoppy range. At 10.0% ABV, this is on the upper echelon of the Imperial IPA style, and as it touts big malts, it tends to lean away from the usual styling. If you roll over to the Lenny's R.I.P.A. page, you can get a lot of info on this beer (including how the thing is brewed). This beer uses 2-row, Rye Ale Malt, Torrified Rye, Crystal Rye 75, Crystal Malt 80, Wheat, Kiln Amber, and CaraMunich 60 malts; it uses Warrior, Cascade, Simcoe, Crystal, Chinook, Amarillo, and Centennial hops. This beer is also dry hopped with Simcoe, Amarillo, and Crystal hops. It's unclear how bitter this is, but at 10.0% ABV, and with all the hops...yeah. Into the glass!

Bittersweet Lenny's R.I.P.A. 

My pour was kind of amateur hour, but maybe not. When I popped the top, this started to gush like a prison break or something. I rushed to get this into a glass, and the end result was 4-fingers of big, foamy head. The head is slightly off-white. /cue prison break joke about off-white inmates. The head picks up some amber; the body of the beer is a hazy amber/orange in low light, with lots of carbonation. Honestly, I don't feel too bad about my pour. This pours like the Devil Dancer or the 1000 IBUs. In bright light, this beer is a murky orange, with slightly latent/lazy mid-sized carb bubbles. The head has mad orange tones, and leaves spunky lacing. It's like an STD tiger. 

The aroma on this beer is crazy. You get fat candy oranges, maple/pine sap, caramel, toffee, and rye. I'm getting some slight floral aromas, and maybe a dash of honey/maple syrup as well. Imperial IPA? Har. 

The taste is like the nose...only with immense hop bitterness. This really reminds me more of the Devil Dancer/1000 IBUs than a straight up Imperial IPA. This is riding that Barleywine-Triple IPA-style-guidelines-don't-real line. And it's fucking awesome. You get a blast of maple-citrus-rye hops up front, with some sap and pine; this rolls into immense bitterness, with woody citrus, grapefruit rind; and the finish hits rye spice, rye bread, and lingering bitterness. Dry. Oh man. This is smooth and creamy as well. I'm getting oranges, lemons, grapefruit, huge sweetness, toffee, caramel, and boozy bite that is well masked but known at the same time. You actually get some booze on the finish with the rye. Nice.

Oh He'Brew. You make such insane...complex beers. At 10.0%, this is very smooth, with a full-bodied mouthfeel, and just a dash of alcohol heat. This is bitter, but I'm not sure how bitter this is. It's hard to tell with all the malt sweetness. Yup, this beer is sugary as fuck. They might as well call it the Diabetes IPA. Palate depth is outstanding, complexity is outstanding, and this is fairly drinkable for such a big beer. Up front you get caramel, toffee, maple, echoes of an aged Barleywine, candied hops, citrus; this rolls into a dash of rye spice, assertive hop bitterness, woody hops, pine, sap, lemon rind, grapefruit rind; the back end features rye bread, a dash of malt sweetness, dryness, and lingering citrus/rye. There's slight booze on the end, and this warms you up.

Rating: Divine Brew

As a standalone beer (without food)...I gotta go with a Light Divine Brew. I'm not okay calling this an Imperial IPA, so there's that too. For my money, this is kind of like a hopped up Barleywine thing...or a Strong Ale. I mean, fuck it. Who cares? This stuff is delicious, and a 4-pack of this will only set you back 10 or 11 bucks. Totes worth it, and then totes worth it some more. This is super aggressive, complex, smooth, and drinkable. And it goes pretty well with wings. The extreme dryness/bitterness mingles well with everything up to Blazin'. At that point, you just want water, and the beer just piles on the hurt. So yeah, I suggest pairing this beer with wings, or a burger, or some nachos. I like this beer so much I could see it becoming part of my usual rotation...recommended. 

Random Thought: Seriously, the Walmart on Touhy is disgusting, it's overcrowded, and it's the epitome of everything "fuck Walmart." Unfortunately...when you need groceries, and you live in a big city, you gotta do what you gotta do. Oh well.