Posts Tagged ‘He’Brew’

After a rather crazed Labor Day weekend (wherein the Cha Cha Hut made its official commercial debut), we decided to journey to Oliver’s Discount Beverage in Albany to restock a quickly dwindling cellar. I once stated the selection here is much smaller than Half Time in Poughkeepsie, but what is there is truly amazing. I always find a ton of interesting new brews when dropping into Oliver’s So much so, I can’t remember the last time we made the trip to Half Time. Plus – the Oliver’s staff seem to be really excited to be selling something other than the endless stream of BMC we see going out the door.

Bombers
Southern Tier Imperial Pumking Ale
Southern Tier Imperial Mokah (chocolate & coffee stout)
Southern Tier Imperial Cherry Saison
Southern Tier Imperial Heavy Weizen
Dogfish Head Fort (brewed with pureed raspberries)
The Bruery Black Orchard
Brown’s Whiskey Barrel Aged Porter
He’Brew Rejewvenator Harvest Ale
Avery Fifteen Anniversary Ale
Avery Collaboration Not Litigation Ale
Red Hook DB Double Black Stout with Coffee

40 oz.
People’s Pint Tap & Die Malt Liquor

6 Pack
Wolaver’s Certified Organic Will Stevens’ Pumpkin Ale
Brown’s Oatmeal Stout
Sierra Nevada Kellerweis
Atwater Block Brewery Vanilla Java Porter
Boulder Beer Mojo IPA

Brewery: Shmaltz Brewing
Location: Saratoga Springs, NY
Style: American Strong Ale

While writing the Jewbelation Eleven review, I discovered a bottle of Jewbelation Twelve in the cellar. It seemed only fitting to follow the Eleven review with the Twelve. So – as a prelude to Cha Cha Hut Fish Tacos – we opened the He’Brew Jewbelation Twelve while the grill heated.

This time – the number of malt and hops increases to 12 each. That also means the ABV kicks up one point to 12%. I was not really expecting a huge difference from the Eleven and in many ways I was right.

The Twelve pours with the same deep black brown color of the Eleven. The head is still massively thick and creamy, but this time much darker – mild roasted brown. There is that massive malt aroma again – full of chocolate but also coffee in this edition. There is definitely more play between the malt and hop this time. (Note: I did server this a bit warmer initially than the Eleven as this line appears to favor the 55-60 degree range.) It starts with a big sweetness full of roasted malt, chocolate and coffee tones and finishes with a bittersweet punch thanks to the hops. The hops bring a piney edge to the back end.

A small complaint is – unlike the Eleven – the alcohol is more prevalent in the Twelve. There is a definite burning but not quite harshness. That makes this a bit more of a warmer than the Eleven. That definitely puts it into the “Winter Drinking” category for the OAB HQ. It was a fine brew – perhaps not the thing for a summer evening on the deck – that I hope to find a couple more for the cellar. I’m hoping a winter fire and a few months of cellaring will mellow this a bit.

Brewery: Shmaltz Brewing
Location: Saratoga Springs, NY
Style: American Strong Ale

We followed the Bittersweet Lenny’s with the annually brewed Jewbelation. In this case, we were lucky to find a Jewbelation Eleven on a recent cellar outing. Not sure how it came to be on a shelf two years after going out of production, but we are glad for the discovery.

The Jewbelation series celebrates the anniversary of Shmaltz’s founding with a brew using the same number of malt varieties and hop varieties as the brewery is old. Additionally, the ABV equals the anniversary. So, for Jewbelation Eleven there were 11 malts and 11 hops with an ABV of 11%.

Now that’s a stunt beer I can get behind…

It’s an almost black brown ale with a thick creamy head. There is a massive malt aroma – heavy on caramel and chocolate. The taste is intense – thick bold and sweet. Loads of roasty chocolate malt with a slight hint of hop bitter on the back end. It borders on being too sweet but thankfully never falls into the category. As it warms slightly the flavors deepen giving it a stouty edge. The hops also come into more play as this warms. The taste starts very malt sweet then ends with a perfect hit of bitter grassy hops to keep the big malts in check. I poured this at around 50 degrees, but it really come together in the 55 – 60 degree range. Keep that in mind if you’re bringing one up from the cellar.

All in all, this struck me a some sort of hybrid beer crossing a light stout or porter with a dark American strong ale. It’s a big beer. I mean – I’m no lightweight by any stretch, but even splitting a bomber with Mrs. Ohabeer still gave me a nice bit of buzziness. That 11% ABV is nicely hidden so this is a beer that can – and will sneak up on you. Sadly out of production, it apparently can be found if the luck of the Chosen Brew is with you.

Brewery: Shmaltz Brewing
Location: Saratoga Springs, NY
Style: Rye based Double I.P.A.

Keeping in the D.I.P.A. mode, next up is He’Brew’s Bittersweet Lenny’s R.I.P.A. According to the bottle, this is #1 in the Shmaltz Tribute to Jewish Stars. In this case the star is Lenny Bruce. I considered some sort of cheesy Lenny Bruce ranting tribute review for this beer, but decided it really did not succeed enough for the effort.

Not to say this is not a good beer – just not as great as some of the He’Brews I’ve had. Actually, that’s basically how I fell about Bruce as well. Some of his material was genius only to occasionally fall into something a bit too out there or experimental for my tastes. While I am a fan of bitter performers, I am not a big bitter beer fan – and rye beers are (to me at least) too bitter.

The packaging claims an obscene amount of malt and hops and as the list below demonstrates, they are not lying:

Malts: 2-row, Rye Ale Malt, Torrified Rye, Crystal Rye 75, Crystal Malt 65, Wheat, Kiln Amber, Caramel 70
Hops: Warrior, Cascade, Simcoe, Crystal, Chinook, Amarillo, Centennial. Dry Hopped with Amarillo and Crystal

Sadly, I don’t think this amount of malts and hops actually ends up creating any sort of balance in the brew. Instead, all I got was hop with little malt sweetness.

This pours the color of brown sugar with a massively thick creamy head. The hop scent leaps out of the glass – very flowery and piney. That hop massiveness continues into the tasting. Immediately – all moisture left my mouth. Exceedingly dry and bitter. This is something beyond “hop bomb” – perhaps “hop tactical device” might be a better term. No real balance and that hop whollop kills any chance of tasting the malts if they are actually there.

It’s definitely a big beer – 10% ABV – and perhaps one only suited to the biggest of hop fans. I’ve read elsewhere of folks getting a malty front with a big hop back. Wondering if perhaps it should have been cellared a bit. In any case, most likely not something that will be returning to the OAB HQ any time soon.

I haven’t really done much of a restock lately to the cellar. We’ve been a bit too busy around OAB HQ drinking various foamybeers – our own line of brews. A recent trip to pick up more brewing supplies lead us to drop by Oliver’s discount Beverage in Albany. so, the latest beerventory…

Growlers
Cave Mountain Hefeweizen (bought at the brewery on $8 browler Sundays)

6 packs
Widmer Drop Top Amber Ale
Widmer Drifter Pale Ale
Saranac Summer Brew
Wolaver Ben Gleason’s White Ale
Sherwood forest Friar’s Belgian White ale
Boulder Brewing Hazed & Infused
Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA

12 Pack
Smutty Nose Sampler featuring Shoals Pale Ale, Old Brown Dog, IPA and Robust Porter

Bombers
Long Trail Brewmasters Series Double IPA
Jolly Pumpkin Bam Biere
Jolly Pumpkin La Roja Amber Ale
Arcadia Ales Cocoa Loco
Arcadia Ales Cereal Killer
Southern Tier Jah-Va Imperial Coffee Stout
Southern Tier Iniquity Black Ale
Smuttynose Really Old Brown Dog Ale
Smuttynose Gravitation Belgian Quad
Ommegang Biere de Mars
He’Brew Jewbelation 12
Elysian Bifrost Winter Ale
Flying Dog Wild Dog Weizenbock

A recent client meeting meant a trip to New Paltz, NY and a return visit to K & E Discount Beverage. Our mission was to add a few more bombers to the cellar and begin the transition to ale drinking season. I did end up buying one six pack.

Six pack
Troegs Hop Back Amber Ale

Bombers
Troegs Flying Mouflan
Wells Banana Bread Beer
Avery Ale To The Chief
Docs Draft Black Currant Hard Cider
Smuttynose Really Old Brown Dog Ale
Smuttynose Wheat Wine Ale
Smuttynose Gravitation Ale
He’Brew Bittersweet Lenny’s R.I.P.A.
Long Trail Brewmaster Series Coffee Stout

A run into downtown Roxbury for some chips to accompany some grilled chicken added another – and quite unexpected – six pack to the cellar. (Trust me – Roxbury is not known for any store having a fine selection of craft beer…)

Six pack bought locally
Hook & Ladder Backdraft Brown Ale
(very surprised to see this in our local convenience store)

Brewery: Shmaltz Brewing
Location: Saratoga Springs, NY
Style: Imperial ale

Mrs. Ohabeer is kind of a sucker for fruit beers. I can often take them or leave them, but I am usually interested when the fruit is something out of the ordinary. We’re big fans of pomegranate juice here at Ohabeer HQ and the addition of real pom juice to He’Brew Origin Pomegranate Ale definitely piqued my interest.

This pours a lovely copper red. The head is somewhat light never really coming together. It fades fairly quickly. The scent is of malty goodness with only a touch of fruit. There is also a small hoppy aroma but nothing too pronounced.

The taste delivers on the malty goodness promised in the aroma. Nice big ale taste with an excellent fruit back end. The sourness of the pom juice plays nicely off the big malt and citrusy hops. It is to Shmaltz’s credit they used real pom juice here and other breweries could learn a lesson from that. The brightness of the real juice makes all the difference is a perfect balance between strong ale and fruitiness.

This is a nice solid ale running an 8% ABV in a 650ml bottle. Smooth drinking. Looking forward to re-visiting this during outdoor drinking season. I think it will be a perfect deck brew.

While out running errands (and picking up the supplies to start home brewing), I decided to stop and add some new beers to the cellar. Tommy at Keegan Ales recommended I try E & S Discount Beverage (906 Route 28 in Kingston NY, 845.339.7164). I was a bit surprised as I had passed this place many times traveling from Ohabeer HQ to Kingston and always thought it one the many generic beer stores in the Catskills.

Well, I was quite wrong and very pleasantly surprised. A very heathly selection of craft beers, a knowledgeable counter guy and – much to my extreme delight – four bottles of the Goose Island Bourbon County Stout 2008. Spent about half and hour wandering around and ended up getting:

New to the cellar
Goose Island Bourbon County Stout 2008 [4 120z bottles/13%]
Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron [4 12oz bottles/12%] : brown ale aged on palo santo wood
Flying Dog Old Scratch Amber Lager [6 12oz bottles/5.5%]
Victory Storm King Imperial Stout [6 12oz bottles/9.1%]
He’Brew Messiah Bold Dark Brown Ale [6 12oz bottles/5.6%]
Ipswich Oatmeal Stout [6 12oz bottles/7%]
Stone Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout [22oz bottle/9.2%]
Weyerbacher Heresy Imperial Stout [22oz bottle/8%] : aged in oak barrels

I’m really looking forward to all of these. Some very interesting looking beers here. I’m taking two of the Goose Islands and adding them to the one I have saved off to cellar three for next year. Reviews coming sometime…

A recent trip to Albany took me to Oliver’s Beverage Center. Oliver’s does not carry nearly the range of brews as Half Time (yes – I’m a bit obsessed with them) and shopping at Oliver’s is akin to hitting the warehouse, but they do have the best selection of craft brews in the Capitol region.

So, while I have not had a chance to do a full beerventory, here’s a list of the new items bought at Oliver’s:

Wolaver’s Will Steven’s Certified Organic Pumpkin Ale (VT)
Otter Creek Raspberry Brown Winter Ale (VT)
Rogue Dead Guy Ale (OR)
Rogue Double Dead Guy 2008
Rogue Santa’s Private Reserve
Rogue Yellow Snow IPA
He’Brew Origin Pomegranate Ale
Flying Dog Wild Dog Weizenbock Ale
Flying Dog Wild Dog Open Source Collaborator Dopplebock

While doing a bit of warehouse club shopping, I snagged this at BJ’s Club:

10 pack of Ommegang featuring 2 bottles each of:
Three Philosophers
Hennepin
Abbey Ale
Rare Vos
Witte

I’m quite familiar with all of the Ommegang’s and the Wolaver’s Pumpkin, but the rest will be first time drinks.