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

Deep golden color with a moderate, bigger bubbled head of light beige bubbles that diminishes slowly to a ring around the glass. Hints of herbal hops with some caramel and a bit of alcohol in the nose. Mild sweet toasted malt in the front. Herbal hops in the middle Touches of alcohol let you know this is a formidable lager. Fairly dry finish with a touch of pepper and bitterness. Linger is slow and a mild toasted malt flavor gradually returns. Palate is crisp and clean. A strong oktoberfest type brew. A good fall brew. Palate is crisp and clean.

22oz - Purchased at Perfect Pour - Sparkling gold, creamy white head. Grassy caramel and toasted corn biscuit nose layers on softly peppered dried citrus peel. Crisp sweet cornbread and grassy citric flavors round with slight earthed peppery hop finish. Medium bodied with soft carbonation. I swear it reminds me of Steel Reserve 211, but a very well done and tasteful version at that. Well crafted and thirst quenching...

The body was clear and golden peach colored, with an ample carbonation forming a one finger thick and durable head. The nose was clean and displayed a combination of noble hops and Munich malts. The taste was quite a bit more hoppy than I was anticipating from the smell. The hops were spicy and floral in character, and were backed by a Festbier like malty but drinkable backbone. The body was creamy and smooth, and the aftertaste was herbal and marred by a slight metallic note. An enjoyable and affordable offering from this brewery that seems to be growing on me with each release.

Wow. Not a lager. Let’s call this an IPA. In fact, when I blind tasted it, I thought it was Lenny R.I.P.A. but off a bit. If all lagers were like this , I’d drink them every day.

tasting at GDBTF on 10/18/08. golden color. bitter for a lager... but a bit flat for me overall. some citrus in the nose. for a lager, it drinks like an ale... which is nice.

500ml bomber bottle. Cloudy golden-tan color. 8 hop varieties in a lager? Interesting, but what the hell, this is 2008. The hops definitely dominate, but in a fairly enjoyable way. Pretty much what every sub-standard Eastern European strong lager could only dream of being. Strong in alcohol, relatively "classic" lager taste, but with a hop and malt bill that blows them out of the water. Good stuff.

Bomber courtesy of SoLan. Pours a clear gold with 2 finger off-white head and spotty delicate lacing. Nose is sweet malt and floral hops. Taste is caramel malt with a blast of floral hops and ripe citrus. It finished out with a nice resin bite that lingers. Medium mouth feel. By far the best lager I’ve had – comes off more like an IPA. Great beer - Thanks Alan!

Pours hazy amber with a thin white head. Aroma is very floral and hoppy, smels like pacific north west hops. Great flavour very floral and bitter. Creamy mouth feel. Really great beer. Drinks like an IPA.