HeBrew Jewbelation 5766 Ninth Anniversary Ale

Shmaltz Brewing Company
Brewed at Olde Saratoga Brewing (Mendocino Brewing Co.)
Style: American Strong Ale
Brooklyn, New York USA

Serve in Snifter, Tulip

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22 ounce bomber, ....thanks to Brad the Beerguy for the gift! Dark brown body, fully opaque, lush cocoa head standing tall above... Sweetness in the nose, nuts, cocoa, hints of maple and espresso...invigorating and inviting, reminiscent of both brown ales and porters, ...very nice, I like it a lot. Down the hatch: rich and malty, lovley dark flavors rushing to greet the palate, chocolate and caramel, whispers of coffee and carob, ...judicious lacing of hops hovering on top of the flavor. Alcoholic strength creeps to the fore assiduously, but never overshadows the flavor, in fact keeps perfect step. Full bodied, strong and long dark, rich, malti-licious finish. Dangitidang, I like this one. While I enjoy the rest of the bottle, some of the important appearances of the number 9 in Jewish history, courtesy of Jeremy Cowan, as found on the side of the label: "Adam Sandler was born on 9/9. Danielle Stelle has 9 children and writes a book every 9 months. Gene Simmons moved to Brooklyn at age 9. Robert Downey Jr.’s father gave him a joint at age 9. Jack Roy struggled 9 years at comedy before changing his name to Rodney Dangerfield." And so on, and so forth, including some facts actually having to do with religion. L’Chaim! Closer to end of the bottle....I still really like it. Highly recommended.

Dark brown with a solid head. Intense aromatics that could be smelled at the pour. I smell a lot of burned things. I keep wanting to smell something sweet just to bring this brew back down to earth, but alas! Burnt nuts, bitter dark chocolate. A peculier drying effect to the finish after a harsh bitterness. There’s definitely a lot of things happening here, especially with the amount of ingredients being poured into the batch. I have to wonder though, why there seems to me that there isn’t a focus on crafting a solid beer versus seeing how far a beer can be taken with a shopping list of ingredients. In my opinion, this one veers a little too far off course. Interesting, but not excellent.

After the Badgers have won 9 of the last 11 meeting with the Gophers what better brew to celebrate with, well at least it has the 9 thing going for it. Very dark brown with a moderate tan head(3+). Fairly simple aromas, with a brown sugar and molasses, hint of licorice, and mild roasted malt. Really nothing very exciting to incite a quick gulp. Nice soft feel. You can certainly taste every percentage of alcohol. Light pale malt start, that is taken over by a resinous hops flavor, with dark malt and alcohol bringing up the rear. A dark caramel linger, that is interrupted by the alcohol still fuming on the tongue and warming up the gullet. While the concept is interesting, sometime simplicity has it merits.

Dark as night color with a nice tannish head. Malted roasted aroma with a slight hint of dates. Smooth but a little grainy, nice malt flavor not too robust. Has some hop bite at the end, leaves a little bitter and dry. Nothing overwhelmes the palate but an enjoyable beer.

Pours dark brown and sits black with a big tan head. Roasted scents and an earthyness. Flavor is quite malty. Earthy - hop and malt earthyness makes it a bit rough but the hop and light roastedness do meld well with the alcohol that ducks back and forth with a piney hop. As it warms there is a full carmel malt sweetness that appears. It finishes a bit dirty with a mostly bitter character lingering.

Bottle purchased at Edy’s in Saratoga Springs, NY. Prunes, raisins, dried fruits, and some banana yeasty notes in the aroma. I also smell coffee bean hints and chocolate as well. There is also a bit of sweet doughiness in the aroma. Nice! Mostly transparent deep mahogany color with a nice off-white/tan head. Fruity raisins and prunes to start, turning very roasted and very chocolatey. Dry cocoa power-chalkiness to finish with a robust roastiness and a fair amount of hops pulling through at the end. A bit of alcohol is evident in the end, which makes this a warming beer. I think this might be a bit jumbled, but it is still very interesting and quite tasty!

Bottle. A dark brown to black color with a foamy brown head. The nose has a strong malt and roated nut finish. Rich malts and earthy flavors with a hint of licorice, cereal, toasted bread and wood. A rather robust beer at 9% abv but oddly missing a hop presence. Moderately sweet.

Head is initially average sized, frothy/creamy, brown, mostly lasting. Body is dark brown. Aroma is lightly malty (roasted grain, toasted nuts, chocolate), lightly hoppy (resin), lightly yeasty (dough), with a light note of anise. Flavor is moderately sweet, lightly acidic, moderately bitter. Finish is lightly sweet, lightly acidic, heavily bitter. Medium to full body, creamy texture, lively carbonation, moderately alcoholic. Damnedest thing...nine malts and hops and hardly any of ’em are apparent. Virtually nothing in the nose, and unbalanced toward the bitter end in the finish. What a big letdown for a big beer! Appearance and mouthfeel are nice, though.

dark reddish brown color. taste is really hopped up, with a big balance of malt. not really a brewing company that i think of making good beers, but this one is a pretty good effort. if it wasnt 5.99 a bottle it would be even better. a little too pricey for what you get in my opinion.

Clear reddish brown in color with an initially thick head that settles rather quickly yet retains about an inch or so. Smells slightly sweet and like a brown ale. Newcastle comes to mind. Some chocolate malt in the aroma but otherwise nothing definitive. Late bitterness in the finish that lingers on the palate. Body is medium and slightly oily. Drinkable yet not sure what to make of it. Alcohol sure is well hidden.