HeBrew Jewbelation Bar Mitzvah Thirteenth Anniversary Ale

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

On tap at the Toronado. Black with a nice frothy beige head. Didn’t really get anything in the aroma. Tastes great, though. Molasses, brown sugar, toffee, dark chocolate, alcohol, pretty sweet. Nice full body. I detect rye in the finish. Very good. Sweet overall but not cloying.

Pours a very dark brown, black in the glass, with a nice tan head that maintains down the glass. Excellent rings of lacing. Aroma is chocolate, molasses, cherries, some hops. Flavor is big chocolate up front, quite sweet, cherries, dark fruits, with a nice bitter hop to alcohol finish. Very smooth and creamy mouthfeel, probably the oats at work, very nice. Excellent overall.

I am shocked and appalled at all these low ratings. Anti-semitism perhaps? Whatever the case may be, this is one delicious beer. Yes, it is rather thick. It’s 13% alcohol!! This beer is complex beyond words. The interplay between the predominantly noble hops aggressive assault of grain creates a beer that is unbelievably balanced despite its absolutely insane hop & malt bill. Good job Jews!!! Keep em’ coming!!

22oz bottle. Dark brown with lots of red highlights and a small tan head. Aroma of cocoa, dried fruit, pungent hops, alcohol, cherry, and raspberry. Alcoholic and sweet smelling overall, with alcohol masking a seemingly complex spread of influences form the ridiculous amount of different malt and hops. The flavor is quite sweet with some dried cherry and chocolate bread crust. Huge alcohol bite as well. Slightly syrupy yet very hot and thin with alcohol in the mouth. Lots of flavors thrown in here, but alcohol seems to dominate everything. Definitely a big beer that will need a considerable amount of time to calm down. I tried to drink the whole thing but the last quarter unfortunately me the drain; there is just too much booze and sugar to drink much of this.

Deep amber-brown pour with a thin tan head. The nose is really sweet and lovely with a bit of chewy figgy fruitiness. Sweet and a little bit chewy with a touch of toasty cocoa as well as an intense date sweetness. Brown sugar with a touch of molasses and sweet chewiness. Sweet raisins and dates with a bit of sweet chewy character. There is definitely a touch of chewy booziness. It’s sweet but it’s pretty nice.

dark cherries, sharp hops, coffee, chocolate flavor of cherry, coffee. roast malt, quick warming. sweetness is on top but not cloying. alcohol well hidden. the flavor parts drift around a bit.. dark tan head over darkest red-brown. a little flat and thick in the mouth

Dark brown hue with a mostly dissipating tan head. Nose is big dark fruits, chocolate, grassy hops, caramel, and alcohol heat. Flavor is pure malty strong ale with chocolate and caramel malts buoyed by thick syrupy raisins, prunes, and figs, toffee and brown sugar round out the thick profile, moderate hop bitterness and grassy to resin hop flavor provide some balance, finishes full and sweet. Full body, moderate carbonation, thick chewy texture. A big and malty strong ale with high complexity and layers of flavor, the alcohol presence is stiff but not overwhelming. Happy Hannukah beer-lovers!

Bomber. Deep black body with a beautiful garnet hue at the edges. The dense head is light brown sugar colored with a hint of orange. The nose is largely anise with some toffee and a little bit of fresh morel mushrooms. A little bit of orange citrus hides behind the more earthy character. The smells remind me of a big imperial stout. The taste is very sweet with molasses and coffee hints at the start. Then you get some dark chocolate that becomes more pronounced as you drink. The finish has a harsh alcohol burn with some fruity apricot notes. I wanted to like this one more, but it is certainly hot right now.