Coney Island Lager - Shmaltz Brewing Company

archyquaffer

Montana

3.83/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 22 ounce bomber into a schooner glass. The colorful label art, featuring an evil clown with pierced ears and tattoos, advises that the beer is "ALIVE" and "Freak's Favorite Beer" or "Beer Freak's Favorite" (as you prefer). The beer is really attractive, with a hazy, reddish-golden-pale amber color and a thin off-white head that sticks to the glass.

With my poor nose I can detect sweet malt and underbearing floral, oily hops and cereal grains. The taste is very eye-opening, and quite unlike most of the western U.S. brews that I'm more used to. The hops are perhaps understated, allowing the sweetness and complexity of the malt to shine through, while still adding a nice citrusy and perhaps a cherry sort of aroma/taste. The mouthfeel is light to moderate, and the beer seems non-filling even though I just partook of an excellent meal. Lots of nice tastes/aromas in the burps.

This lager is very unique and quite tasty. It is a fairly hard beer to obtain around here, or I might drink it more.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2013 01:45:23 | More by archyquaffer

JMad

Texas

4.1/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

The beer pours a copper color with a thick off white head and lots of bubbles rising from the bottom. The aroma is crisp with some lemon, grain, grass and a hint of caramel. It tastes bitter up front with pine and lemon, with a hint of grain. It is nice and refreshing with a perfect amount of carbonation and a dry finish. Overall this is a really good beer that I would make a top choice if it was widely available.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2013 23:07:12 | More by JMad

John_Henry

Japan

2.74/5  rDev -25.5%
look: 2.75 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

A: Pours a good golden beer, with a reasonable head that soon diminishes.

S: Not much smell, but nothing unpleasant either.

T: Nice, I think sums it up well. Nice, as in nothing exciting, but better than your average mass produced lagers. The hops are a lot more present than your average Lager, but not especially distinctive, just more present, In no way too bitter though. Good balance with a little nod to the malt.

M: As most Lagers, a little sharp for my palette.

O: I drink a fair bit of Lager, and have since I was young. I am however more inclined towards Ale. I was really quite excited to dry this Coney Island Lager, and was hoping it would sway me towards Lagers. However, whilst I enjoyed it, It was nothing to get excited about at all. I certainly wouldn't go out of my way for it, but if it was reasonably priced on tap and there was nothing in the way of Ale, I'd tuck in. If you are used to drinking bud and the likes this may be a revolution, but if you've tried a few other beers, this will probably be nothing other than mediocre.

Overall there are much better beers out there, and this was sadly disappointing.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2013 10:44:40 | More by John_Henry

RonaldTheriot

Louisiana

4.23/5  rDev +14.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Coney Island Lager has a very thick, creamy, light beige head, lots of chunky and thick lacing around the glass, a semi-opaque amber appearance, and no apparent streaming bubbles. The aroma is of dank, fruity, bready malts with a touch of a hop zing. Taste is of sweet and sour malt, brown bread, citrus, and one encounters a hoppy undertaste, but the bitterness is low, overall. Lots of hop oil also comes across in the smell and flavor. Mouthfeel is medium to thick, and Coney Island Lager finishes semi-dry, refreshing, and quite drinkable. Overall, this is a really nice, interesting beer. You should most certainly check it out.

RJT

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2012 15:02:46 | More by RonaldTheriot

AlCaponeJunior

Texas

3.88/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Amber to red with a pretty good tan head and good lacing.

Nice malty and toffee like aromas, with a little bit of bready/doughy notes.

There's a good blend of biscuit, toast, toffee, grains, caramel, with a pretty good hoppy balance.

Dry and smooth going down, carbonation is ample, body is light, a very nice lager.

Great job again Schmaltz!

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2012 00:10:38 | More by AlCaponeJunior

Ranz

Texas

2.75/5  rDev -25.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

A: Poured into my Charlie Sheen pint glass, it pours a nice copper orange with a nice head. After the head clears a bit, it retains in funny-looking clumps. The bottle certainly gets some points.

S: Not much on the nose, but it aerates some nice malt. Overall, not too much here to note.

T: Clean and crisp with a subtle malt backbone. Nothing too crazy here, but it's drinkable.

M: Light-bodied, the CL is clean, dissipating quickly.

O: Not bad by any means, but it doesn't do anything new or interesting.

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2012 04:19:44 | More by Ranz

M_C_Hampton

Georgia

4.4/5  rDev +19.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: Poured from a 22 oz bottle into a pint glass. Clover honey colored with a thick, rich, white, foamy head. Dissipated leaving some good lacing. Slightly hazy. No stream of carbonation.
S: caramel, malt, some floral hops, cereal grains, toffee, not a lot on the nose
T: lovely bitter hops up front but leaves an odd sweetness on the lips, very surprising slight maple syrup taste on the lips that is quite pleasant, clean finish upon swallowing with a lasting dryness, excellent balance
M: medium body with just enough carbonation, quite a filling beer though
O: While I gravitate toward ales, I really liked this lager. It has a wealth of interesting flavors, good balance of malt and hops, and a clean finish that sits satisfyingly on the stomach. I would buy again, especially on sale at Kroger for $3.75.

Serving type: bottle

10-26-2012 01:23:03 | More by M_C_Hampton

u2carew

Massachusetts

3.88/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz bomber
A) Cracked the top and the head came spilling out. Pours with a big head then settles rather quickly. Fairly clear body with some chill haze. Amber in color. Thin semi-sticky lacing on the drink down.
S) Grainy with hints of fruit.
T) Dry grains. Slight astringency common to "reds". Noticeable malt tones - caramel, toffee. A subtle yet lingering hop bite in the finish and aftertaste, liken to black pepper.
S) Dry. Crisp. Medium-light body.
O) A decent brew. Not you normal run-of-the-mill lager.

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2012 00:25:14 | More by u2carew

MikeyA

New York

4.63/5  rDev +25.8%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

I generally find lagers to be kind of plain. This one was fantastic. I randomly picked it up in a backwoods grocery store (22) and was happy I did. Had a really nice caramel-ly darkish flavor with a nice mouthfeel. Fantastic. Really good beer if you don't want something heavy but can't stand light, cheap tasting beer. I would love to have this out of a keg, since I heard it's even better that way.

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2012 23:53:27 | More by MikeyA

Suds

Pennsylvania

3.45/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

With the creepy Coney-island face on the front, this large bottle pours an amber color with a modest white head. Good clarity. The aroma has a little malt, with a touch of wood, smoke, and peppery spice. It's not a usual clean lager smell. The flavor is of light and amber malt, a bit of grain, and twigs...interesting. The beer is of medium body, with a lingering hop and malt mouthfeel. Better than average and interesting, but not great.

Serving type: bottle

09-08-2012 21:35:37 | More by Suds

bourbonbock

New York

3.5/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 22 oz bomber bottle into a clean glass and received the following.

A. It pours a reddish gold with about two fingers of bubbly head. Crystal clear body sits there with a small cap of foam after a few minutes.

S. My allergies are acting up but i smell caramel toffee and bread crust. Very clean and cool aroma.

T. The taste leads with heavy lagerness and is composed of corn and maybe a little nuttiness. Not much going on in the flavor department.

M. Cool crisp and tingly with a funny aftertaste.

This might be a good beer in the right setting but overall nothing too spectacular.

Serving type: bottle

08-20-2012 01:52:16 | More by bourbonbock

MortarPestle

Indiana

3.9/5  rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Presentation: Poured from a 12 ounce bottle into mug

Appearance: Pours a clear copper color with a decent foamy head that provides minimal lacing.

Aroma: Bready with some herbal hops, metal (steel/copper).

Taste: Sweet toasted malt and mild caramel notes paired with citrus and herbal hops.

Texture: Smooth and dry with medium body and good carbonation.

Drinkability: Decent Lager to add to the rotation, but difficult to find here.

Serving type: bottle

08-12-2012 17:33:40 | More by MortarPestle

BeerDog

3.7/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

On-tap this beer has a distinct caramel (almost burnt caramel) taste that is delicious! I took home some of the bottled version and tasted a much different beer. The bottle had only a hint of caramel. Still enjoyable, but a point lower overall due to the loss of flavor compared to tap.

Serving type: on-tap

08-07-2012 17:46:44 | More by BeerDog

JackieTH

Minnesota

3.9/5  rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured amber-red with a light tan head. Fits of lace are left as the glass is drained.

Smell is earthy, grain, toffee.

Taste earthy spice, malt, light toffee, grain, light but pleasant bitterness.

Medium body, holds together well and presents the favors nicely being well carbonated.

This is a pleasantly crafted amber lager easy drinking but with enough flavor to keep it interesting.

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2012 03:29:53 | More by JackieTH

oberon

North Carolina

3.9/5  rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured a deep auburn into a 1/2 liter stein with a thick slightly off white crown that left multiple rings of lace as it settled into a frothy mass.Alot of yeast and bread dough aromas with mild caramel sweetness and even more mild leafy hops.Flavors are yeast driven with sweetish pizza dough,drunken fruit, and caramel notes with the hops being lighter than expected.This is a yeast assertive amber lager but it's pretty damn good.

Serving type: bottle

06-23-2012 22:16:28 | More by oberon

kylehay2004

Florida

3.4/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: single finger off white head on a clear copper body. 3.5

S: aroma is fairly light. What is there is mostly Czech hop spiciness and caramel malts. 3

T: malt presence moves toward a Dunkel or so with mostly caramel malts. Hops provide a spicey and bittering note. 3.5

M: medium body and moderate carbonation. 3.5

Overall: this one is hard to characterize. What I know is that it isn't memorable and the aroma is almost non existent. 3.5

Serving type: on-tap

06-14-2012 01:14:52 | More by kylehay2004

MatthewWilde

Massachusetts

3.55/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Sample: 1 bottle 2012

A: Dark burnt orange, pours a small white head, moderate internal carbonation, translucent

S: Very mild fragrance, very simple light citrus and lemon zest with traces of orange peel

T: Not incredibly fragrant, flavor is dominated by citrus and elements of tropical fruits and orange peel

M: Incredibly smooth and refreshing, light citrus aftertaste, not lingering or overpowering on the palate at all

O: An impressive lager, but that being said, not complex or intense in flavor or fragrance

Serving type: bottle

06-06-2012 03:25:17 | More by MatthewWilde

LampertLand

British Columbia (Canada)

3.88/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Coney Island's "Lager" american amber @ 5.5% my last single 330 ml bottle from a brkn variety pack
A-served cold into a stein poured a nice golden brown , decent off white head with very minimal lacing
S-how a euro lager should smell Czech hops & Munich malts , earthy
T-crisp and clean tasting , good amount of hops and malt's , a well balanced brew
MF-pleasant on the palate , decent carbonation , medium to full bodied
Ov-glad this was the last/best of "the Shmaltz tasting" I tried and would recommend it

Cheers LampertLand

Serving type: bottle

05-31-2012 21:00:06 | More by LampertLand

BillH200174

California

3.63/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours copper with thin, off-white head. Nose has sharp floral, slightly metallic hops, some butterscotch. Aroma is mild overall. Flavor is soft bread, very lightly sweet, mild buttery notes. Prominent bitter citrus-like hop background. Citrus and slightly floral resiny bitterness and a very mild tartness linger on the palate.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2012 16:07:11 | More by BillH200174

PhillyStyle

Georgia

4.23/5  rDev +14.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The beer poured a nice, clear dark amber color that produced a nice, thick, foamy off-white head that was retained nicely and settled into a thin spotty head.

The beer gave off a nice very malty aroma. I would have labeled it a German lager if I had gone into the beer blind, but it was robust with perhaps a slight hop to it.

The taste of the beer was really good and better than expected. Again, the taste was dominated by malts, Czech pils malts were the most dominate, with a nice, not too hoppy flavor thrown in, citrus perhaps. Toasty upfront with a nice dry finish.

The beer had a lighter feel to it and it was crisp and refreshing. This could be a lager that I keep in the beer fridge more often for regular consumption. Overall, this is a very good lager.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2012 17:54:29 | More by PhillyStyle

mactrail

California

3.55/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Tastes stronger than it is. Seems impossibly malty given the modest ABV. Tastes like a stew of malt flavors with a couple of hop varieties fighting it out. Does have a little murkiness in the flavor profile, which I am not so crazy about. The mouthfeel, however, is really big and rich. Hops are kind of earthy. Nice nose of fruit, like pomegranate and apples.

An interesting beer, like most of the Shmaltz offerings. It's definitely an off-center beer, whatever style you call this. Quite drinkable and pleasant. It does take the prize for one of the wackiest labels ever, the scary Coney Island freak face.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2012 06:47:01 | More by mactrail

WastingFreetime

Wisconsin

3.28/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Reviewed from notes.

Poured out a standard transparent amber color with one finger of white foam that sticks around for about a minute, texturally medium bodied and gently carbonated. Smells of Czech-hopping spiciness + earth tones over a cracker / light biscuit malt, flavor presents hop forward as well. I get a hit of the Czech spice on toast that bleeds into orange peels and a nice extended resinous finish. Pretty good, but not as memorable as most of Shmaltz's other products IMO.

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2012 19:53:42 | More by WastingFreetime

lacqueredmouse

Australia

3.03/5  rDev -17.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Bottle thanks to @LaitueGonflable, purchased in Australia.

Pours a slightly hazed, but not particularly cloudy amber hue, with a fine, but certainly filmy and insubstantial head of white. Light, fluid body, but fine carbonation, where it exists. it actually looks a little flat and dead. But the colour is nice enough.

Considering the fanfare they give to the number and variety of hops used in the beer, the nose is exceedingly generic. It has the broad strokes of grainy malt and moderated bitter hoppiness, but no really exciting flavours that jump out individually. The malt is more forward, and tends toward generic, multigrain bread characters, leaving it a bit flat and unexciting overall.

Taste is also pretty generic. Thin body is noticeable from the start, which would work reasonably well with a touch of bright, fresh hop character, but instead we get that flat, grainy malt, a touch of sweet lemon on the back, and a dry empty finish that makes the palate feel like it's petering out to nothingness.

Pretty disappointing brew, to be honest. I've found the Coney Island branding to be genuinely substandard to the He'Brew branded beers, and this is no exception. Worst of all, while this could be a reasonable session brew, the 5.5% ABV puts it slightly out of that range. It's a shame.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2012 06:30:05 | More by lacqueredmouse

FosterJM

California

3.08/5  rDev -16.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

1013th Review on BA
Bottle to Lager glass
22oz

No bottle date

Purchased for $3.00 at El Cerrito Liquor

App- Very similar to the dunkelweiss from Kuhnhenn I reviewed last night with a nice creamy 1 finger fast receding head. A nice bit of open cling and stick.

Smell- Smells a bit like a American Strong Ale with the malt bill and boldness. Add into this a bit more Pilsner yeast and some lemon.

Taste- A bit of a really weird mish mash. I get a large amount of sweetness and a little bit of dish soap. Moving along I get a bit of lemon and peanut. Just doesnt really work for me.

Mouth- A lighter medium body with a medium carbonation level. A residual dish soap, lemon, caramel flavor. Works with the thickness but not overall flavor.

Drink- I will outwardly admit. I drank this a few years ago, never reviewed it and am only drinking this for the style tick. I can say with the yeast and pils and malts. Not really a good combo for me.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2011 03:31:47 | More by FosterJM

HighballurRollby

California

3.6/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

After trying the octoberfest one, I opted to try out their lager. Always looked cool on the shelf with its fun labeling of sorts. I enjoyed the other beer from them alot, so I was looking very forward to this one.

I liked the look of the orangish amber color this gave off in the glass. It seemed to lighten up toward the top with a decent head that retained quite a bit. The beer has some hoppy character to it, I can smell it all over the nose. its very aromatic imo. The taste was mirror to the smell and I felt a rush of hops about halfway and up to the finish. Also I get some toasty bread in the their up front and continues in the background of the mouthful. I feel like I'm drinking a pale ale, which obviously this is an amber ale. I'd give the hop character similar or a little stronger to that of a sierra nevada. It definetly stays on my pallet for a while. This isn't to take away from the beer, although I think I prefer the hops taste to take a more conservative role in a beer. All in all, this beer is decent, I'd drink it again, but I think I'd stick to just a pint or so and move on to something else.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2011 03:54:01 | More by HighballurRollby