Coney Island Sword Swallower Steel Hop Lager

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

was curious to try this after having a different offering from coney island and I can say they make some unusual beer. The nose was very grassy and woody or even some burnt wood that lended a smoke note to the nose. appearance was an ok gold with generous head amount. taste was bitter grains with hints of sweetness and metal. Just kind of odd overall but what should i expect from a beer themed as a freak show.

Bottle. Gold pour. Nose is floral hops, grassy notes, toasty malts, citrus fruit, and soft honey. Taste is flowery hops, grassy notes, lemon, fruit notes, honey and grains/bread. Body is a bit chewy while having a medium overall feel on the palate. Carbonation is strong with being a burden. Dense and bubbly, really. Finishes with lingering citrus fruit notes, lemon juice, flowery hops, light melon, hjoney, grains, and malt. A so-so beer that kind of hit the "refreshing spot" tonight.

Bomber. Pours hazy dark gold with a thin and frothy but surprisingly lacy white head. Floral/herbal hops with some nutty malt in the aroma. Medium body and moderate carbonation. Bits and pieces of bread, fruit, honey in the taste. Earth and lightly piny-crisp finish. Not too bad for a beer style that doesn’t seem to aspire to greatness.

This starts out okay, pouring a deep gold body with a creamy head and plenty of lace. The aroma is grainy and sweet balanced by a grassy, floral bitterness having a touch of citrus rind. The flavor begins malty and smooth but the hops from the nose transform into a hit of metallica. (Are those the steel hops?) The latter is retained in the finish, which isn’t a very enjoyable finish. Still, not too bad of an attempt at a stronger lager.

Pat’s Liquors, Munster, IN

Bottle. Pours a clear orange with a thick foamy white head. Aroma of light fruits (some citrus, raspberry) and stale wheat. Flavor starts off a little shaky with lots of stale wheat, but then it gets a bit fruitier and citrusier with some light citrusy hops. Dry, wheaty finish. This beer has some nice flavor, but I’d like just a little more! Still, pretty tasty.

Bottle. Aroma sweet, grainy (wheat, hint of rye), fruity (citrus (orange), cherry, maybe some strawberry), always returning to a pleasant toasted grain aspect. Flavor sweetly fruity, robust fruit, caramelly toasted aspects, maybe something like raisin bread, except without the actual raisins. Light bitterness, but enough bitterness, mingling with the wheat and other grains. Definitely a rich caramel aspect at the finish, perhaps more of a toffee syrup type of feel, no, marmalade, well done Glouglouburp, that’s exactly it, luscious marmalade. Very tasty, another lager that I feel is underappreciated.

In short: An unusual dry fruity of some kind. A bit “off” but certainly not boring
How: Tap at Beer Island. Beer Island? yes Beer Island. I’m so gonna add this place in ratebeer
The look: Cloudy dark golden body topped by a medium orangey head (yes orangey)
In long: Unusual fruit flavours blending McIntosh apples skin, marmalade, some dried fruits and pink grapefruit without the tartness that usually comes with it. Fluffy yeasty feeling with a sawdust-like dryness. Finish is dry and has a bitterness of medium intensity. I’m surprised to see this is a lager, I would not have guessed it. Not a very good beer but interesting in a strange weird way. I had this beer on a hot summer day sitting by the beach with my girlfriend at Coney Island. That was a nice day. I have fond memories of the time I had with the Swallower, and this beer.

Eh. Golden color, not clear. Straight forward hoppy lager with an unpleasant spicy earthy bitterness. Nothing to write home about and nothing I’d seek out.