HeBrew Messiah Bold on Rye

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

Draught. Pours a mostly clear amber with a large off-white head that left lots of sticky lace. Very pleasant aroma of oak, sweet malt, vanilla, and a few notes of rye whiskey. The flavor is definitely more about the rye than anything else. There’s some sweet malt up front, but from there on its mostly rye whiskey along with some mild oakiness. I don’t know what the abv is on this beer, but the rye makes it feel much higher than it is. An interesting beer, although it is a bit too heavily influenced by the rye; not so much the oak, but the whiskey itself.

Hand bottled from cask... Clear, dark ruby ale with a very small, creamy, off-white head. Earthy, woodsy, vinous nose. Medium-bodied and watery with tickling carbonation. Moderate caramel and darker malt sweetness flanking mild acidity and very low bitterness. Crisp, thin, clean finish. Thanks to redlight for generously hand bottling this sample!

Tap @ OTH. Lucky to have this on tap. Thanks Tony. Pours amber, huge foam, beige head. Aroma oaky. fruity with sugary notes. Taste, sweet and tingly to the palate. Light fruity notes (apple), hoppy, some sugary malts. Mouthfeel and palate get the nice touch of oaky, close to a brandy barrel. Hard to believe the beer was only 5.6%.

On tap at the OTH (Oldsmar Tap House). It poured up very foamy and it took Tony a while to complete the tumbler fill. It ended up with a clear garnet body and quarter inch tan head with cool looking creamy looking lumpy layered foam top. The aroma was fairly light and consisted of mostly dry fruity wine notes followed by mild wood/oak and faint malts in the back. The taste was very similar. I had to strain to pick up the base beer notes behind the full fruity red wine like flavors, dry tannins and oak wood notes. At the finish the base beer started to show up but only in a supporting role bringing mild malty notes and even milder notes of citrus hops. Seems to be too smooth and mild a base beer for barrel aging. Or maybe it could be aged a little less to keep the beer notes from getting smothered.

hand bottle provided by redlight and SoLan: big thanks guys. pours dark cola brown with a small off white head. aroam is very nice quite funky with some sourness of the barrel some creamy smelling malt. realy like this one. falvour is very good slight sour an d decent barrel taste, nice malt with a slight roast and touch of chocolate. very good beer.

On tap @ Redlight. Blackish pour, thin very light tan/off-white head. Oaky funk, light rye and roast, light alcohol, background mild tartness. Decent roast taste, but the feature is the funky oak flavor that shows more on the back end. Very interesting brew.

On tap @ City Beer poured a clear dark brown with a small lasting creamy amber head. Aromas of rye, fruittiness, carmel, toffee and sour cherry. Palate was light to medium bodied and smooth with a lightly tart finish. Flavors of rye, sour cherry, light oak and light carmel with a smooth lightly tart finish.

Draft at Redlight Redlight. Cloudy mud brown pour with a thin off white head. Big spicy whiskey and oak notes. Taste is slightly sour with sweet malt, oak and whiskey all floating around in the glass. Finishes slightly bitter and dry with hints of the whiskey as it fades away. Just an outstanding brew.