He'Brew Miraculous Jewbelation (8) - Shmaltz Brewing Company

Avantyawn

New York

2.35/5  rDev -36.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 1

From the Vertical Jewbelation gift set.

A: Deep brown, little head, no lacing

S: Delicious sweet malts permeate. Maple syrup , toffee , coffee cake. Simpler smelling than many of the stronger beers int he series which I actually enjoy.

T: As good as it smells, the taste is tinny and soapy and pretty bad. It almost tastes like diet dr. pepper or something, not a good thing. Ends tasting watery and thin and sour. Unfortunately, this is the worst of the series.

M: As much as I find the taste unpleasant, the mouthfeel is decent.

D: Eh..I don't like how it tastes, I don't even want to finish my 12oz bottle of this. Awful drinkability here in my opinion. I just dumped the last 4 ounces or so down the drain, yikes.

I'm a big fan of this brewer and this series in general, however this is not a good beer. In fact, I think it is a terrible beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2011 04:05:30 | More by Avantyawn

Haybeerman

Colorado

3.68/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Dark brown color; almost no light. poured a 1 finger tan head with fair retention dissipating to a skim. Laced n thin rings.

S: Mild toasted malts; slightly smokey. Earthy hops and alcohol.

T: Toasted malts like the nose. Dark, fruity esters. Malt comes through really big in the taste. Clean and warming in the finish for a big beer.

M: Light to medium body. Moderate carbonation. Smooth and creamy then dry and warm in the finish.

D: Complex and flavorful for many of its style. The ABV is evident but not overbearing.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2011 22:00:08 | More by Haybeerman

OBeerMeGreatOne

California

4.18/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

From notes:
Poured from a 12oz into a Vertical Jewbelation glass. Pours dark brown with a small tan head, minimal lacing. The smell starts with sweet caramel and chocolate covered fruit. Alcohol spice follows with earth notes and some floral hops. The taste follows suit, very rich in taste, but light in body. A very nice offering.
My internet wasn't working when I had this one. Lucky I have notes. I'm up to 13.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2011 02:43:57 | More by OBeerMeGreatOne

imagese

California

3/5  rDev -19.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

1st bottle in vertical boxed set

A- cola colored pour with a half finger head that leaves very little lacing

S- licorice, baker's chocolate, and a faint plum. Malt dominated nose

T- tart dark fruit with licorice and a bitter chocolate. Not very balanced

M- light body with slightly high carbonation.

D- pushing myself to down my 6oz share of this bottle

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2011 08:49:08 | More by imagese

JamnesCameron

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +21.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a Shmaltz short tumbler.

Pours a deep brown with reddish highlights and two fingers of tan head. Lots of lacing.

Aromas of light roasted malts, cocoa, earthy hops.

First sip is of chocolately, roasted malts, light bitterness. Medium finish, of cocoa. Fades slowly, begging for another sip. Light alcohol burn.

Mouthfeel is medium, with a dry, roasted touch. Warming alcohol.

Drinkability is very good. Would gladly quaff a few of these at a session. Very tasty.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2011 01:01:04 | More by JamnesCameron

Errto

Connecticut

3.63/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a dark brown, just slightly translucent. 1 finger head, fairly noticeable bubbles.

Smell is dominated by chocolate malts. Taste is more of the same, just a tiny hint of sweetness. No real hop presence that I'm able to detect. Carbonation is quite strong, even a bit harsh. An almost fruity aftertaste as it warms, but fairly modest.

Overall a decently enjoyable beer, but the carbonation makes it hard to pick up the subtleties from the blend of malts used, at least for me. No alcohol bite at all for 8% ABV though, which is a nice trick that not every brewer achieves, so it wins on drinkability for that.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2011 23:08:32 | More by Errto

claspada

New Jersey

3.58/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Aromas of chocolate and roasted malt, but subtle, not in your face. Some earthy hops smells as well.

The taste follows the nose. Pretty smooth. Decent amount of hop presence, underlying earthy balance. Roasted malt and chocolate come out in the flavor. Smooth and well balanced. Finishes balanced and dry. Flavors all improve as it warms. Definitely can't taste 8 different hops though, really glad I don't actually. As it warms some dark fruits come out as well.

Overall this is a good start for the Jewbelation series for me. Drinks extremely light for the ABV. Not crazy amazing but just good.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2011 00:57:45 | More by claspada

bucklemyshoe

Georgia

4.22/5  rDev +13.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

12 oz bottle at 45 degrees into a Sam Adams perfect pint glass.

A: It pours a very dark brown color that is nearly opaque, showing red hues in light and a finger and a half of moderately thick light khaki head that has average retention and laces poorly.

S: Mild roastiness, some buttery diacetyl, biscuit, and some smokiness as well.

T: Rather sweet dark fruitiness, considerable roastiness, very doughy biscuit flavors, chocolate, and a touch of smoke.

M: This has a medium body with a very creamy feel that is quite chewy at times and a slighly bitter-but-palate-cleansing finish.

D: This has the smell and taste of a lower strength English porter but with more complexity and the 8% ABV is never noticeable.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2011 15:43:03 | More by bucklemyshoe

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

3.83/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle (though the label proclaims a 22oz measure - huh). Anyway, nice to see 2004 revisited, in a physical way - it was a good year, if only from memory.

This beer pours a solid, deep dark brown colour, not quite black, with no penetrating light, and three fingers of dense foamy beige head, which settles slowly, eventually rendering some hefty rings of lace around the glass. It smells of toasted malt, dry coffee, bittersweet chocolate, earthy black fruit, and mild warming alcohol. The taste is roasted bready, caramel malt, dry chocolate, a twinge of sour milk, and bitter herbal hops. The carbonation is on the down side of average, the body smooth, decently weighted, and not lacking in creaminess. It finishes a bit sweet, the 8 malts not to be denied by a noticeable, but underwhelming counter force of hops.

A pretty good porter, drinkable by the product line's standards, the booze well integrated. Little did this 'katan' beer know what it was spawning for the coming decade or so...

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2011 23:26:47 | More by biboergosum

WesWes

New York

4.2/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

The beer pours a dark brown/black color with a thick frothy tan head that slowly fades to lacing. The aroma is great. It has a nice burnt toffee and roasted malt scent. It's sweet with a touch of dry, roasted character. The taste is good. It has a bone dry, roasted character with a hint of burnt toffee sweetness. It goes down easy with a mild bitterness in the finish. The mouthfeel is fine. It is a full bodied beer with good carbonation. This is a well brewed porter. It dry and earthy with a touch of caramel sweetness for balance. The elevated alcohol content is well hidden, making this an easy drinking beer even at eight percent abv..

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2011 22:00:39 | More by WesWes

kaseydad

California

3.85/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Partaking as part of the vertical pack. Snifter pour and I am met with a dark brown ale and a nice brown foamy head that rings around the glass. The initial smell has charachteristics of a Barley wine. As it settles and I agitate the foam again, I smell garlic powder, soy sauce and some faint roasted malts. Though the smell is somewhat off, I like it. The taste has some light coffee/toffee taste with a strong presence of butter. I must say I do like it. The butter kick at the end is very interesting. The mouthfeel is creamy with the butter/silkiness presence. I drank this very easily and though it says 8%, this went down way smooth. I could see the taste putting off some drinkers, but the recipe in 2004 is pretty good to this BA'er.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2011 03:11:47 | More by kaseydad

jera1350

Minnesota

3.28/5  rDev -11.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

From the holiday gift pack.

Pours a thin non transaparent black with a trace of foam.

Very faint roasted malt smell.

Liking the flavor. Moderate roasty malt, green hops, raisin like fruit and cola notes.

Very flat and quite thin feeling.

I really like the taste of this brew, but the lack of body and carbonation wreck any chance of this being a good beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2011 01:08:38 | More by jera1350

UA8

Washington

1.78/5  rDev -52%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

From vertical gift pack.

Pours a dark garnett/brown body with a thin light brown head.

Scents of figs, dates, roasted malts. Fairly weak.

Palate is not pleasing at all very messy tastes of alcohol, fermented grain, slight roastyness, and some hints of off dark fruits. Some off grain alcohol notes just linger on the palate.

Harsh and coarse carbonation with a thin viscosity.

My first instinct was to be too lax in rating this beer but after some serious contemplation, this is quite an awful beer. The brewing in this is hack at best. I've had better initial batches from home brewers. There are so many flaws between the off flavors and harsh carbonation and thin mouthfeel. I hope the box gets better.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2011 21:45:53 | More by UA8

IronDjinn

Alberta (Canada)

3.15/5  rDev -15.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

From part of the Jewbelation Vertical gift pack. Pours out a deep dark brown with a rocky beige head that slowly settles to a creamy cap. Sticky lacing.

Some dry cocoa, but even more prominant sweet dark dried fruits, faint herbal spicy hops.

The flavour seems a bit indecisive. Dry bitter dark chocolate malt, with sweet dark dried fruits in the middle that would seem more at home in a Belgian Dubbel or Dark Strong Ale, finishing with sharp coffee and piercing herbal hops, the latter of which loiters on in the aftertaste. Coffee ground and bitter cocoa manage to overwhelm it eventually. This is an aftertaste with staying power, that's for sure.

Medium-bodied mouthfeel, quite light for the flavours within the beer, slick texture with low carbonation.

I won't argue about the style, as I think this is probably one of those beer experiments that colours outside the lines, which I'm cool with, although American Porter is still pretty broad. An Old Ale might encompass it a bit better. But the fact of the matter is that things just don't pull together in this beer. The flavour has some bold aspects to offer, but as a whole there is no harmony at any point, which greatly takes away from the experience. Rather than challenging me it just left me more confused.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2011 00:13:26 | More by IronDjinn

wordemupg

Alberta (Canada)

3.68/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle poured into tulip dec27 2010

A dark brown with some ruby highlights when held to the light with a 3 finger head that retains quite well and leaves a few partial rings of lace

S faint chocolate with a little molasses, a little nutty with some dark fruit and booze

T mimics the smell fairly well with a little sweetness, a bit of a strange brew if you ask me I think this could fit into several beer styles

M a little syrupy and sticky on the lips, the bubbles thicken it up a bit and the flavors linger

D decent brew and for 8% it went down pretty quick

picked this one up in my vertical pack and never really fingered out a beer style for this one

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2010 06:49:33 | More by wordemupg

Gmann

New York

3.48/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pour a dark brown color with a small yet dense tan colored head that settled into a light ring.

The aroma is quite subtle. Some brown bread with hints of raisins; that's about it.

Big raisin flavor which transitions into a toasted brown bread. There is some tea and lemon flavors as well.

Moderate body with prickly carbonation. Sweet on the palate but has some toasted bitterness. Good balance. ABV well hidden.

A decent porter with a big raisin presence. Not sure I like the raisin presence in a porter but its fine.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2010 02:52:28 | More by Gmann

superdedooperboy

Georgia

3.8/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12-ounce brown bottle poured into a snifter glass. This is the 2010 re-created brew, part of the 2010 Jewbelation Holiday Gift Set.

Pours a deep burnished brown with a small tan head that fades rather quickly to a thick crown that just barely holds on to the walls of the glass, leaving behind some slight short-lived rings of lace.

Aroma is pleasing, with notes of lightly roasted coffee, burnt caramel, herbaceous hops, a faint sour-acidic tinge, and dried figs.

A medium-full body holds a slick mouthfeel with moderate carbonation. An underlying sweet malt character of caramel and brown sugar is present, mingling with a hint of blackstrap molasses, layered on top with roasted malt, dried fig, a hint of herbaceousness, leading into a rather dry, roasty-sweet finish with a lingering character of dark chocolate.

Overall, a rather solid, heavy duty porter. Mildly complex, yet nothing mind-altering, I only wish that I had had the chance to try this in its original form. Quite a lovely beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2010 06:27:35 | More by superdedooperboy

siradmiralnelson

Iowa

4/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from 12oz bottle into Globe glass.

A. Poured 2 fingers of head. Really thick lacing and nice retention. Color is black.

S. Smell is chocolate and roasted malt. Nice chocolate smell going on. A little alcohol presence but not much. Some hop bitterness. Smells Good.

T. Nice porter taste. Pretty smooth. Not a lot of hop presence that you get in most porters. Roasted malt and chocolate come out in the flavor. Smooth and well balanced.

M. Medium bodied. Medium carbonation. Dry finish.

D. Pretty good porter. 8% isnt very noticeable at all. Nothing amazing, but a good beer none the less. Starting out on drinking Jewbelations 8-14. So far so good. Hopefully they get better from here.

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2010 00:34:48 | More by siradmiralnelson

jsh420

Illinois

3.63/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

pours clear dark dark ruby brown with a 1 finger tan head that left no lacing

smells of dark fruit malts some vanilla and chocolate

taste of dark fruit roasted malts but i do not get any vanilla that i pick up in the nose - lots of roast/chocolate in the aftertaste - for an 8% beer i detect no booze

mouthfeel is light thin with tons of carbonation that makes it feel a fuller then it really is

drinkability is so so - being over carbonated helped this beer a lot if this was low/flat it might have be a drain pour

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2010 02:47:07 | More by jsh420

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

4.3/5  rDev +15.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Part of HeBrew Jewbelation Vertical Pack - $25.99 at Total Wine & More in Kennesaw, Georgia.

Did I have Jewbelation 8? I really can't recall. I can vaguely remember grabbing a bomber of 9 and 10 back in the day. Ah well, it's here now, that's what is important, right friends?

Appearance: Pours a very dark brown, near black body with a hearty, thick, tan head.

Smell: Dark, dusky malts, moderately roasty and earthy, with tones of sweet caramel, sugar dosed coffee, and chocolate hunks. Bright dark fruitiness in the nose. It also has a noted zip of freshly ground spices to it.

Taste: Dark maltiness tasting of semi-sweet chocolate, dark brown sugar and dark caramel with cinnamon-coated raisins and black cherries, toasted pumpernickel bread, and a sip of ashy coffee. Small hints of citrus and pine with a spicy, leafy, herbal hop quality. Snippet of black licorice rope. Fair amount of bitterness pushing back against the deep maltiness. Touch of earthy potting soil. A bit more of the chocolate, spice, and roastiness for the silky finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium carbonation. Smooth mouthfeel. It just feel 'right' on the tongue.

Drinkability: Enjoyable and richly flavorful. Now, to get Ninth nicely chilled and ready to go.

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2010 01:29:04 | More by ChainGangGuy

BigPlay1824

New York

4.03/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Served in a he'brew jewbelation vertical tasting glass

A: pours a black that appears very thick, has a thick head of frothy foam that lingers nicely on the top of the brew, leaves a nice amount of lacing

S: nice malty depth with a slight sweetness at the end

T: very nice malt notes, the sweetness that comes out at the end is possibly reminiscent of grapes?

D/M: very little carbonation, very smooth on the pallet, very deep finish, doesn't sit as heavy as it might drink

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2010 22:01:22 | More by BigPlay1824

OWSLEY069

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a deep amber to black in color with a light tan head. In the aroma, anise, coriander, and a small roastiness. In the taste, anise and a dry coriander end, with a nice roasty malt all the way through. A spice bite and medium bodied mouthfeel, with a semi dry cinnamon aftertaste. Nice holiday spice in a nice porter.

Serving type: on-tap

12-11-2010 19:59:26 | More by OWSLEY069

erosier

Connecticut

4/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Got this in the Chanukah 8-pack (but I'm wondering why it wasn't an 8-pack with a bomber for the Menorah?)

L: Pours a nice amber brown color with red highlights with a tall and medium sized head that fades slowly and leaves nice lacing down the glass.
S: Smells of sweet roasted malts, darker roasted malts, hints of coffee, dark fruits, and and some sweetness as well.
T: Tastes of sweet roasted malts, deeper more burnt malts, followed by flavors of toffee, coffee, caramel, chocolate, and dark fruit with a hint of alcohol.
M: Rich, smooth, warming, perfect amount of carbonation (even after all these years) fairly heavy feeling.
D: Pretty drinkable, this one went down easy and had a lot of flavors, body, and complexity to it.

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2010 11:53:08 | More by erosier

mdfb79

New York

3.58/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

From 12/06/10 notes. Had on tap at FireWorks in Arlington, VA.

a - Pours a mahogany brown color with high carbonation evident and one inch of tan head.

s - Smells of coffee, roasted malts, and light citrus hops. As it warmed up also got some toasted malts and bready malts.

t - Tastes of roasted malts, coffee, chocolate, and hops, as well as some dark fruits as it warmed up a bit.

m - Medium body and moderate carbonation.

d - A decent porter but not one of the better Jewbelation beers. Wouldn't look to have again if the others were still on tap.

Serving type: on-tap

12-07-2010 17:53:39 | More by mdfb79

IronCitySteve

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Had on-tap at Fatheads Pittsburgh.

A: Pours a dark brown color with some shades of red. Provides a small tan foam head that quickly dissipates. No lacing.

S: A large amount of chocloate, dark roasted coffee, toffee, caramel, dark fruit with some light amounts of citrus hops.

T: The dark fruit is the most predominant up front. Lots of raisins and dates. The chocolate and coffee are more prevalent in the middle and the back end. There is a light citrus hop flavor that provides an small amount of bitterness.

M: Thick rich and creamy. A nice full bodied beer.

D: A very nice sipping Porter. Let this one warm a bit and you will be nicely rewarded.

Serving type: on-tap

12-04-2010 16:59:39 | More by IronCitySteve