HeBrew Messiah Bold

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

I’d like to be able to rate this higher but this happens to be a style that I personally don’t like. The malts are well-roasted but are thrown together with the hops leading to a product which, although fresh and assertive, is nasty and negatively bitter in a subjective sense. I’ve had bad luck with a certain type of brown ale in the past and this is the epitome of that type -- it’s an unofficial drainpour in fact (I tossed it), though generically it’s a well-crafted product which brings it over the 1.0 in my book.

I got this one at Chips in the Outer Banks of NC. I wasn’t particularly impressed but wasn’t repelled either. It poured coppery brown and seemed to have either an oat or rye flavor laden in it.

Dark brown with a tan head. Sweet aroma, a nice roasted malt flavor with a touch of fruit. This is a very fine nut brown ale, will without a doubt purchase again.

Nice dark chocolate brown liquid with eggshell head. Looks like a winner. Very good beer!!! Can taste the malty, roasty flavor. This is much better than Genesis. Based upon its competition. This is one worth looking for.

Very nice marketing! Pours a nice dark brown with a bit of a head but no lacing. Aroma is sweet; typical for a brown, with some darker fruits and a bit of a nut (walnuts?) scent to it. Flavor is malty with the fruits and nuts as mentioned above. I torn between rating to style and taste here. It’s neither as sweet nor as, well, bland as I find most Browns. This has a nice balance to it. Palate is thicker than the style, but I like it. It has more of a mineral feel to it than I’ve seen in any other of the style. Very nice. Overall, this is either mis-catagorized or is one of the best Browns I’ve had. It leans toward a Porter but has more character IMO. Worth seeking out. Edit: I see that it’s brewed by Mendicino, which explains the quality. I think most people her at RB are biased agains Brown Ales, as am I; compared to my favorite beers this is an average beer, but compared to the other Browns I’ve had, this is exceptional! I’m not sure my rating (or most here) reflects that.

Dark Brown Coloring with Sandy Skin. Light Hop/Sweet Malt Aroma. Herbal Notes...A Bit Cloying..Heavy Malt, Rich Notes as Well.

Bottle: Nearly black, dark brown, quite dark for a Brown Ale in fact, mediocre off-white head, rather nice lacing.   Mild roasted malt aroma.   Fairly smooth roasted malt flavor to start, but finishes with a bit of an astringent cardboard twang.   Better than the Genesis Ale at least.   Body and mouthfeel seem fairly average.   Fairly strong roasted malt character on the exit.   Strong for a brown, bordering on Porter territory if you ask me.   Aside from the slight astringent cardboard twang, a fairly decent offering.

Dark brown color with no head. Aroma slightly of cardboard. Some vague maltiness in the taste, but it still has that watered down paper/cardboard quality. Blah.