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

<i>My bottle (650ml) shared with tupalev.</i> Shared with tupalev after a tasting, after the rest of the gang went home. Needless to say I was feeling pretty good so my notes will take some deciphering. Pours a clear yellow-orange with a small diminishing white head. Aroma of a sweet hoppy Lager. Flavour’s malty along with some resiny hops. Average bitter finish. Good body for the style. Pretty good.

tap at Brother Tuckers. Golden pour wtih a small whitish head. Hops and malts hit the nose and surprisingly enough some big time hops hit the tongue. Better than I expected.

Bottle from a NYC deli. This one is my favourite among their lagers. The foru hops have taken the edge of the malt, making an imperial pilsener with fruit and pineyness combining to make a depply refreshing beer. There is a mellow Bohemian malt and yeast side to the finish.

Bottle. Gold pour. Nose is floral hops, grassy notes, toasty malts, citrus fruit, and soft honey. Taste is flowery hops, grassy notes, lemon, fruit notes, honey and grains/bread. Body is a bit chewy while having a medium overall feel on the palate. Carbonation is strong with being a burden. Dense and bubbly, really. Finishes with lingering citrus fruit notes, lemon juice, flowery hops, light melon, hjoney, grains, and malt. A so-so beer that kind of hit the "refreshing spot" tonight.

Draft at The Gate. After a Flower Power, I didn’t think I’d get much hoppiness outta this but I do. Nice amount of floral hops and some sweet caramel blend together. One of the whole Shmaltz beers that you can drink a few of.

Bottle. Small white head with good retention, spotty amounts of lacing, transparent yellow body, and slow-rising carbonation. The aroma was malty, fruity, some bready notes, and hoppy. The flavor was bready malt, hoppy, some citrus hops, and a semi-dry finish. The mouthfeel was fairly smooth and this is a medium bodied beer. Easy to drink for the style, but nothing to write home about.

Tallahassee, Fl. - Liquor Loft - 22 oz bomber. Pours a medium dark golden with a sticky white head that sticks around quite a while. Somewhat neutral aroma with faint wisps of grain. Bold lager flavor with some cake mix maltiness. Faint traces of hoppiness with some spicy notes. A refined version of some Eastern bloc lagers I have had. Mouthfeel surprisingly thick for the style. What’s with the phallic symbolism on all the Coney Island labels?

Bottle. Poured a clear medium orange color. The head was thin, white, and left some lace behind on the glass. Fruit dominated aroma that included the likes of apricot, melon, and orange. Light to medium bodied and delicately sweet up front. Dry and grainy at the end with noble and resiny hop flavors. Nice.