Coney Island Lager - Shmaltz Brewing Company

NuclearDolphin

Minnesota

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

Poured into a 12oz Pilsner Glass

Appearance - Hazy dark amber color that has a clearer and more orange like look at the bottom on the glass. Pours a fluffy 3 finger width head that takes a while to deflate.

Smell - There's some grassy hops in here as well as some yeasty notes. I can also smell some caramel and sweet malty notes. It's got that slight grassy/earthy Pilsner smell, but not in an offensive sort of way.

Taste - True to it's word on the bottle description, it is truly a hybrid of sorts. Surprisingly sweet grassy and hoppy flavors, along with some rich Pilsner yeastiness.

Mouthfeel - It's pretty heavily bodied for an Amber ale, and there's a slight thickness as well. However, the carbonation is pretty mild and it feels very refreshing to drink.

Overall - This is one of the better Amber Ales I've had. It's a beer that is perfect for any occasion, thanks to it's easy drinkability and flavor. It's a well rounded beer that gets the job done.

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2011 00:33:34 | More by NuclearDolphin

elNopalero

Texas

4/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Step right up, step right up!

This pours a tan-amber color with a lot of foam. There’s a nice maltiness to it’s aroma followed by a mellow hop sting. The malt strikes at first sip, a lightly toasted biscuit, finishing with a bitter hoppy sting—contrasted by a honey sweetness to it. Yum! Is this their take on a pilsner? The pilsner yeast flavor contributes to it, in a way that makes this go down all too easily.

*Postscript: Apparently it's not a pilsner. Maybe it's the lagering but I definitely picked up on hints of a pilsner-like yeast flavor profile.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2011 01:15:54 | More by elNopalero

shand

Florida

3.68/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Poured from a 22oz bottle into a Sam Adams perfect pint.

This is really a tough one to review. It's solid in every way, shape, and form. It's a sweet red lager with a bit of hoppiness on the finish. It looks fine, laces fine, smells fine, and goes down easily. I'm not thrilled by it at all though. Especially considering the price it commands. I mean, it's alright, and is probably a solid choice on tap. Bottles though? I wouldn't bother.

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2011 00:49:13 | More by shand

BucannonXC5

California

3.8/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a bottle into a pilsner glass. Color was caramel amber. Maybe an inch of head. Nice amount of lacing on the top.
Lots of film on the sides of the glass.

Smelled of toasty malts. I want to say citrus hops in there, too, but that might have been wishful thinking.

Tasted of creamy roasty malts. Light caramel in there as well.

Medium-to-full body. Creamy texture. Lively (moderate) carbonation. Smooth finish. Filled me up a bit too much for my liking.

A pretty good beer all-around and I really tried to downgrade it for some reason. Give it a try.

Serving type: bottle

10-29-2011 05:52:54 | More by BucannonXC5

CrazyDavros

Australia

3.53/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours dark amber with a large head.
Nose shows toffee, caramel, bready malt and faint citrus.
Similarly malty flavours, more caramel, bready malt, cardboard and soft toffee. Some spicy and piny hops are also present. Finishes with a sharp, slightly metallic bitterness.
Carbonation could be a little lower.

Serving type: bottle

10-26-2011 07:40:38 | More by CrazyDavros

DrewSnyc667

Massachusetts

3.2/5  rDev -13%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Bottle Poured into a pilsener

A - Reddish, copper coloring, lightly brown, not much head or lacing

S - Sweet fruity esters, roasted caramel

T - Very sweet, the malts are also real sugary

M - Heavy and sticky, not really crisp or refreshing

O - I'll pass on this next time, really cool label though

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2011 22:00:14 | More by DrewSnyc667

Beaver13

Colorado

2.6/5  rDev -29.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

12oz bottle. Pours a slightly hazy light amber with a small off white head that leaves a little lacing.

The aroma is sweet toasted caramel and toffee malts.

The flavor is sweet toffee and caramel malts with a grassy bitter finish. The mouthfeel is medium to full bodied with smooth carbonation and a syrupy sweet texture.

Overall, I didn't care for it too much. Reminded me of an amped up Dos Equis.

Serving type: bottle

10-03-2011 04:20:14 | More by Beaver13

Justin23060

Virginia

3.88/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a rich amber color. Stiff off white head that sits around for a bit. Lots of sweet barley taste with enough hop to dry it out some. Not the biggest lager fan... but this is great stuff. Didn't have high hopes after trying their "Sword Swallower", but this offering has redeemed them a bit. I'd definitely get this again if it was a single and I didn't have to get the whole mixed 12 pack. Try it if you get the chance.

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2011 22:01:50 | More by Justin23060

MattyG85

Minnesota

4.47/5  rDev +21.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from 22 oz. bottle into He'Brew pint glass.

Appearance: Bright amber orange with a moderate amount of bubbles. Decent two fingers of off white head fades into a thin layer. Decent amount of lacing.

Smell: Lots of malts with plenty of caramel. Some of the malts smell lightly toasted. Big presence of Pilsner yeast. Hints of nuts and maybe a little rye. Also some grassy hops. Fairly complex and full aroma.

Taste: Like the smell, pretty complex and bold for a American lager. Big carnival of malts with lots of caramel, toffee, and toasty bread. Strong presence of Pilsner yeast. Has some nutty characteristics and a little hint of spice. Also some grassy and herbal hops lingering in the background. Tastes great.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with a moderate amount of carbonation. Crisp, smooth, and slightly chewy.

Overall: A nicely complex and very tasty lager. Very bold flavor and nicely balanced. On of the better American lagers out there.

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2011 04:24:31 | More by MattyG85

ADZA

Australia

3.73/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a red amber hue which leaves a rather frothy two finger bubble laden head,the smell is creaming soda,sweet malts and caramel,the mouthfeel is light bodied and sessionable with tastes of caramel candy,toffee,ripe berries and at the finish i get this weird but nice mix of the flowery hops along with the czech pilsner yeast and overall its a very different Amber/Red but easy enough to knock back cheers.

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2011 04:02:11 | More by ADZA

BeerNutz324

Minnesota

3.58/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

This is my first ever beer review so bear with me if it isn't the greatest. I'll get better and will enjoy the practice!

Ap- nice amber color, pretty clear, 1/2 finger head dissapears quickly and almost vanishes to nothing. Good carbonation. Looks inviting.

Ar- Sweet and malty. Nutty, roasty.

T- malty and nutty. Kind of reminds me of an Oktoberfest with all the maltiness going on. Sweet in flavor.

M- well carbonated, crisp, pretty light/thin on the tongue.

O- Ok beer, not in love with it but I would drink another. Not really my style of beer but one of the better lagers I have had.

Serving type: bottle

09-22-2011 02:27:44 | More by BeerNutz324

FrankyGee3

Kentucky

4.65/5  rDev +26.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This beer has gotten plenty of reviews, so I'll skip any in-depth analysis and explain why this is a favorite. It starts with the nose - delightfully roasty and nutty. One reviewer called it a carnival of flavors, and I agree. Yes, some clash a tiny bit with others, but the sheer complexity is a great sipping puzzle. Rolling it around thoughtfully on the tongue yields an ever-changing list of tastes. It's squarely in my Top 20 list if only because it is over the top in comparison to some other great beers that lack this complexity.

Serving type: bottle

09-20-2011 21:48:44 | More by FrankyGee3

peensteen

Ontario (Canada)

3.53/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Nice medium amber/copper colour, one finger white head, good retention, some lace. Smell is malty, grassy hops, earthy with floral notes, graham cracker like quality. Taste is malty with some biscuit, lightly earthy, floral and grassy, not an overly complex beer but quite nice. Light-med carb, full feel, medium body. Good stuff, not great but it is enjoyable, straight forward and inoffensive.

Serving type: bottle

09-20-2011 18:49:09 | More by peensteen

bluHatter

Michigan

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

A: Orangeish deep brown. A little head which disappears quickly, leaving just a little foam and lacing.

S: Yeast, scone, malt

T: Bitter, orange, amber malty sweet and a distinctly mellow and bitter finish like a lemon or grapefruit.

M: Gurgly carbonation that sticks to the throat. Nice carbonation in the mouth.

O: An easier-to-drink Coney Island. Very nice amber, with a bitter sweet tingle. I'd have it again, if only for the purely evil cheshire grin on the bottle.

Serving type: bottle

09-12-2011 02:39:18 | More by bluHatter

tdm168

North Carolina

3.38/5  rDev -8.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a pale amber with two fingers of head with good retention. Pilsner yeast and grassy hops are evident in the nose. Flavor profile here is quite mild; 8 types of malt but none stand out, 6 types of hops but mostly grassy, earthy notes. This beer drinks similar to a pilsner with some added malt character. The yeast is prevalent here. Mouthfeel is rather light and smooth, very drinkable.

Lager drinkers this one's for you. Ale drinkers you'll probably want to avoid. Not a bad beer, but rather one dimensional and not really memorable.

Serving type: bottle

09-11-2011 03:00:40 | More by tdm168

BigCheese

Massachusetts

3.2/5  rDev -13%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A deep copper red, big white head. Smell was lots of malts, molasses.

Taste pretty sweet up front, with some caramel/molasses notes, this beer allegedly a variety of hops added but I got little hop character or bitterness, perhaps this bottle is a bit old. I found it a bit to sweet/malty/unbalanced. DOes have a nice mouthfeel/carbonation to it, a good beer to have with a meal as it is not too filling on its own. A nice beer but nothing special, you can get equally/better beers in cheaper 6packs.

Serving type: bottle

07-25-2011 01:20:25 | More by BigCheese

angusdegraosta

New York

3.73/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I had fun with this beer, which I had on tap at Dorian Gray's in lower Manhattan. At first I thought the waiter got the order wrong - with the excellent head, a slighty carmel citrus nose, and the fairly deep red amber hue, it certainly didn't look like lager material. And it tasted more like a pale ale or IPA. When I looked at the list of ingredients online, I understood better - they've thrown a wild variety of malts and yeast into this one. Here's yet another beer where the artwork let's you know what you're in for - a flavor carnival. Classic? Maybe not - perhaps there's a little too much going on here, but the mix of full body, moderate sweetness, and the hopped-up finish makes it enjoyable. I'd have another.

Serving type: on-tap

07-19-2011 21:41:08 | More by angusdegraosta

GDBEERMAN

Colorado

3/5  rDev -18.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12oz bottle into He'Brew tasting glass.

A: Pours an amber hue, with a white head that holds on very well. Carbonation levels are much lower than that of the other Coney lagers in the mix pack.

S: The aroma shows notes of biscuit and bready malts, not too much in the way of hoppy flavor.

T/M: The body is very much of an amber, roasted character is quite nice. The carbonation is a bit low, projecting a more creamy texture to the mouthfeel. Hop flavor is very subtle, but an underlining bitterness is enjoyed.

O: Overall there is a taste in this brew that does not match up, a very sweet character that sends the balance off. Roasted note is warm, but a bit too powerful

Serving type: bottle

07-18-2011 16:36:39 | More by GDBEERMAN

OWSLEY069

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -18.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a orange-ish to yellow color with an off white head. In the aroma, small caramel and standard lager like smells. In the taste, small sweet roast with a note of caramel and a saaz like hop. A small hop bite and medium to lighter bodied mouthfeel, with a small pils like hop in the aftertaste. Nice but average, somewhat Yuengling like.

Serving type: bottle

07-11-2011 14:14:03 | More by OWSLEY069

justintcoons

Pennsylvania

3.65/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a crystal clear amber with 2 fingers of bubbly head that dissipates slowly.

N: Caramel malts, clean citrus, sweet bread and notes of floral.

T: Clean caramel and citrus forefront followed by grassy hops, bread with some very light bubblegum notes. Finishes with some light floral and spicy notes.

M: Medium bodied, crisp, clean, smooth and dry.

O: Incredibly refreshing and clean lager. Very balanced and quite tasty. Great for summer!

Serving type: bottle

07-09-2011 18:08:21 | More by justintcoons

lawlerj

Nebraska

4.22/5  rDev +14.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a bomber into a tulip glass.

A - pours a redish amber w/ an offwhite head. Three finger head with an agressive pour. Doesn't appear overly carbonated, moderate lacing, small collar of foam.

S - big malt on the nose; not much in the way of hop character. Smells nice and rich.

T - malt is upfront, not a whole lot in the middle, followed by a nice burst of citrusy/fruity hops on the backend. The finish is what really seals this for me. Very nice.

M - medium bodied, nothing groundbreaking here, but very solid. The body improves, along with the flavor, as the beer warms.

O - overall, this is a very interesting beer. The finish in particular was very enjoyable and gave a lot of life to this beer. I will definitely be coming back to this.

Serving type: bottle

07-09-2011 00:08:05 | More by lawlerj

ckollias

Maryland

3.15/5  rDev -14.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Enjoyed this 12oz bottle out of a large snifter glass. Probably one of the best labels I’ve ever seen.

A: Copper in color with mild blonde highlights. Big frothy white head after a violent pour that trails down the glass and leaves a nice wispy lace.

S: Blended malty hoppy aroma. Hard to pinpoint the exact smell since this lager is brewed with 6 hops varieties and 8 malt varieties. It is decent but forgettable.

T: Hops hit me at first and then die off quickly. Has a light caramel and a pale maltiness with a slight sweetness. There is a hint of orange followed by a floral, fruity finish with a lingering bitterness..

M: Medium body and carbonation

O: Pilsner – really? The best part of this beer was probably the label. The beer itself was interesting but nothing I would have on hand all the time.

Serving type: bottle

06-23-2011 01:16:11 | More by ckollias

PoorArtist

New York

3.8/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: the label is my favorite thing about this beer, as Coney island is a place very near and dear to my heart. But the beer is pretty too. Clear amber. Tawny-colored head. Weak lacing. Lively carbonation.

S: Indefinite. Fresh rain on the morning boardwalk. Vague semblance of malt, hop, yeast. Generally a fresh and blended aroma. But not assertive or memorable. The bouquet of this one is the weak point.

T: An immediate blast of hops. The first gulp is wonderful. Then a slight diminishing of flavor as I reached the bottom. Not a beer for nursing. Drink it briskly.

M: A pleasantly cleansing, bitter finish. Light on the palette, with more than expected warmth. Seemed stronger than 5.5.

O:The color, texture, taste and the finish of Coney Island are so similar to Brooklyn Lager that I wonder if there isn't an Adirondack beer mafia selling the same brew with different labels. Coney Island seems less assertive and long-lived than Brooklyn. But it's a very enjoyable beer. I'll stick with Brooklyn as a go-to beer because it's less expensive!

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2011 19:20:17 | More by PoorArtist

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

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

Bottle: Poured a deep amber color lager with a nice foamy head with good retention and some good lacing. Aroma of lightly caramelized malt is quite enjoyable. Taste of biscuit malt is very refreshing with limited complexity. Body is quite full for style with good carbonation as well. Well brewed and easily drinkable which I bet was the goal of this one.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2011 19:44:48 | More by Phyl21ca

Mora2000

Texas

3.58/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to my brother for sharing this bottle.

The beer pours a hazy brown/orange color with a white head. The aroma is heavy on the toffee and caramel malts with some grass notes mixed in. The beer also smells a little bit like iced tea. The flavor is tea, earth, grass and biscuit malts. Very easy to drink and the alcohol is completely hidden. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2011 01:25:36 | More by Mora2000