Coney Island Human Blockhead

Shmaltz Brewing Company
Brewed at Olde Saratoga Brewing (Mendocino Brewing Co.)
Style: Doppelbock
San Francisco, California USA

A vigorous pour into my 25cl tulip glass produces a four-finger thick, nicely tan colored head. The head leaves some nice layered lacing on the sides of my glass as it slowly subsides. The beer is a deep red / amber color that shows a brilliantly clear, ruby – gold color when held up to the light. The aroma smells of rich, concentrated malt; a mix of caramel, some toffee, brown sugar notes and a nicely toasted malt and biscuit like notes in the finish. The nose is sweet, but with a complex sweetness that easily keeps it from being cloying. I find myself enjoying this malty, brown-bread like nose on this beer.

The beer is sweet up front, but again there is a complexity to the flavor that makes it interesting. The finish has a touch of warming alcohol, and some toasted malt notes that struggle to come through the up front, caramelized malt notes. A light bitterness and even a touch of herbal (perhaps even menthol too) hop character helps to balance out the finish just a touch. As my palate gets used to the caramelized sweetness a more bread-like character starts to come forward. Notes of brown sugar encrusted, caramelized whole-grain bread crust flavors come out, as does some toffee flavors. The malt character does have a touch of a savory quality to it; I get this note in strong, malty beers and here it contributes very subtle flavors reminiscent of smoke and perhaps a touch of sea-water. The herbal hop character in the finish becomes quite a bit more noticeable as the beer warms up; this really has a fresh hoppiness to it that works quite well with the thick malt character. This has a fair amount of body to it, though it is not over-the-top heavy for a beer of 10% alcohol; it is somewhat quaffable, if only just so & in small sips, but does have a touch too much carbonation initially.

This actually has quite a bit of hop flavor to it; it might be just a bit more malt leaning than hop forward, but actually it might just be the other way around as well. I am actually enjoying this beer quite a bit more than I was expecting to.

Purchased: Plaza Liquors, Tucson AZ

Rich bready and malty notes with brown sugar, caramel and some butterscotch sweetness in the nose. Clear deep burnished copper coloured body is topped by a low, small bubbled off white head that recedes rapidly to a partial cover. Very sweet in flavour with some notes of tannins and plums ans raisins. Toffee and caramel in the aftertaste. Alcohol is not notable. Medium full body with pleasant soft bubbled tingly effervescence. Tulip glass. Cellar temperature. Bottle purchased at Brewery Creek in Jul-09.

pours a clear amber with a ruby tint, a small tan head, and some lacing. smell is of malt, brown sugar, roasted nuts, toffee, and spice. taste is smooth, spice, brown sugar, burnt caramel, roasted nuts, malt, and hops in the back, ends dry, tangy, and a little bitter.

Coney Island Human Blockhead is a very clear copper lager with a dense, yellowish off-white head that leaves great lacing. It has a tart aroma with sweet malt notes. It’s full bodied and very smooth with a clean, dry finish. It tastes tart and sweet and syrupy and simple. It’s rather lightly bittered with a grassy, herbal spice. It tastes clean. It’s very drinkable... but strong.

Perhaps calling this the best of the Coney Island series of beers is a bit misleading. It’s really the only one I gave a shit about, while the others were either passable, or flat out garbage.

The beer pours out a dark brown color, almost purpleish in color with a nice tan 1" creamy head. Aroma of light raisins, brown sugar, a bit of toffee...pretty nice. Flavor is kinda french toast like, a bit on the sweet side with some light caramel and alcohol.

Bottle from Belmont Party. Poured dark brown hue with an average light brown head that lasted most of the beer and had good lacing. Medium aroma of toasted caramel malt and small alcohol. Medium to full body with creamy texture and soft carbonation. Moderate sweet malt flavor with medium sweet finish and small alcohol bite of moderate duration. Drinkable beer.

Lt brown,beige head.Carmel alcohol nose.Big sweet malt profile,slightly fatty, harsh alcohol heat. Bitter end is both light hops/alcohol

Reddish brown color with a quarter inch thick, filmy head and a few light bands of lacing around the glass. Decent aroma of raisin, brown sugar and toffee. Malty body with a fairly hot finish. Malt driven flavor with hints of wheat bread, fig newtons and raisin. A faint bitterness is there, but doesn’t do much.