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

Bottle:   Fiery golden, translucent, light carbonation, moderate sudsy white head, spotty lacing.   Soft alcohol nose, otherwise corn and/or rice like attributes.   Maybe its cornmeal I am smelling.   Grassy on the tongue, sweet straw but also a touch astringent.   Very mealy on the finish.   Moderate body and mouthfeel.   Not as crisp or clean as other examples.   Not bad, but does feel too alcoholic, astringent, and mealy.

Tap @ The He’Brew Bash at the Blind Tiger NYC. I was fricking wasted by the end so some of these rates might be a bit odd. The nose was full of very zingy fruit and had a very heavy finish.

(bottle - 22 oz) Lightly hazy amber pour with a very thin white head. Aroma is light and sweet with some very subtle hints of hops and flowers. Very large hop bitterness begins the flavor with a lot of floral and citrus notes. A good peppery bitterness and spicy flavor in the middle that goes to a very bitter and lingering finish. Not what I was expecting from the aroma at all.

22oz bomber. Pours a tawdry gold with little to no head, minimal lacing. Nose is surprisingly malty, with strong bread and cereal notes and a resiny, piney hop quality normally associated with IPAs. Mouthfeel is full and prickly, with strong ctiric hop flavors and a long powerful tannic bitterness. Really the only clue this is a lager is the clean finish, as the beer in all other aspects doesn’t much fit the definition of standard strong lager. Taken on its own merit, however, I found it relatively enjoyable.

It has a hazy yellow-orange color with a fluffy white head. The aroma is mostly citrus hops and grass. The taste is bitter, but with all the hops staying on the roof while your tongue stays mostly clean.

Yellow golden pour, good amount of fleating head...not overly hoppy or malty, nice balance...some citrus and grass...nothing super special

Poured to a fluted fest glass at Brixie’s Holiday Beer Tasting in Brookfield, IL. The color was a golden tone, with a modest, white, bubbly foam to the head, and light lacing. The nose had a light toastiness to it, with some fruit sweetness, a light touch of caramel, and some grassy hints. The flavor contributed some light, hop bitterness and pleasant, finishing dryness. A decent, quaffable brew.

Bottle from BevMo: Liquid is a crystal clear honey golden color with a thick fluffy topping of head. Aroma is faint and hard for me to pick up any scents other than what little hops are present. The flavor is bitter with a heavy serving of hops but also caries a strong malt profile which balances it out quite nice. There is some after taste of bread and perhaps mint?