He'Brew Jewbelation 11 - Shmaltz Brewing Company

Vancer

Illinois

4.22/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

This bad boy pours an opaque and murky dark oak brown, tan head pops up and hangs tough.

Plenty of malt, dark fruit, coffee, toffee and chocolate in the aroma and the quaff. Big kick of spice in the finish to round out a sweet start. Thick and rich as molassis (may be some of that in there too). Small hints of ginger and root beer. Tasty brew without any noticeable hint of the 11% ass this one processes.

Another fine drinking beer from He'Brew - they have not let me down once with their beverages. And at a good price, too. Nice.

Serving type: bottle

08-30-2009 17:51:02 | More by Vancer

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +1%

05-16-2013 22:41:49 | More by Slatetank

Duff27

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -11.6%

05-07-2013 15:36:08 | More by Duff27

egrace84

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -11.6%

05-06-2013 01:44:42 | More by egrace84

yamar68

Minnesota

3.86/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

As dark as the devil's dick... pitch black with a finger of khaki brown head. Loads of sexy lace, looks boozy.

Chocolate, licorice, butterscotch, peanut butter, sweet booze, caramel, sweet and smooth. So far so good.

Dry with a papery tobacco sweetness. Faint brown sugar and a detectable alcohol presence. Bitter booze and black malts. Some peat, some maple... not overly exciting but interesting nonetheless.

I definitely prefer this to Fifteen, but would opt for Sixteen any day.

I'm nervous to see what next year's brew will look like...

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2013 02:40:06 | More by yamar68

Mitchster

Michigan

4.43/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

$4.99 for a 220z bottle @ Oryana food co-op. Brewed with specialty 2-row, dark crystal, chocolate, victory, munich, and carapils malts, wheat, oatmeal, 'rye ale', crystal rye, and spelt. Hopped with warrior, northern brewer, mt.hood, centennial, cascade, vangaurd, tettnang, czech saaz, willamette, simcoe and amarillo hops in 11 additions. This year, they added the spelt and amarillo from the prior recipe. 11% ABV. If you want, you can go to their website and download the recipe note-for-note.

I thought that this bottle was flat when I poured it. It's not, it's just that the beer is so thick that it takes a while for it to achieve a head. Pours out to a thick nearly black, forming a dense whipped medium tan head with very good retention and sticky sheets of lacing. Carbonation is mild to moderate. The aroma is great, with a huge malt bill up front reminscent of sticky raisins and prune juice, carob, cocao, black walnut, beef bouillon, soy sauce and then a dark underbelly of earthy and pine-laden hops. The body is dense, but the mouthfeel is actually very smooth and soft...liquid velvet. The taste of the beer is a recap of the aroma. There is a huge opening of sorghum molasses, followed by that dark pine sap hop bite. The bitterness is moderate in comparison to the hefty malt body. I would have actually preferred it a little less hop intense, because these malts taste so good. As is, they are a little buried. Finished with a pronounced chalkiness as it warms, and a lingering aftertaste of green oily hops and deeply roasted malts.

I think this may be my first He'Brew beer. I've got 2 other bombers in my fridge and after this, I'm looking forward to them. Well brewed and worth a try.

Re-review 2/15/13-Compared to my original review, the hop bite I mention isn't quite there, although this is an aged 120z bottle from the gift set. The chalkiness isn't there either. Nose of dark fruit and toasted bread crust malt with earthy, herbal and spicy hops and dried fruit esters. Good head with excellent retention, medium carb, ~2.5. Flavor is a recap of the aroma: Lots of carob, molasses, prune juice, herbal hops and a touch of spiciness. Warming mouthfeel and full bodied, not very astringent. No fusels or oxidation. Outstanding.

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2013 06:26:00 | More by Mitchster

DmanGTR

New York

3.75/5  rDev -5.3%

01-30-2013 13:13:37 | More by DmanGTR

Sludgeman

District of Columbia

3.75/5  rDev -5.3%

01-19-2013 15:15:02 | More by Sludgeman

jaminjohnson

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -5.3%

12-26-2012 04:04:39 | More by jaminjohnson

cliff1066

Virginia

3.75/5  rDev -5.3%

12-24-2012 22:29:31 | More by cliff1066

JayKay412

Pennsylvania

3.25/5  rDev -17.9%

12-17-2012 01:59:25 | More by JayKay412

sweemzander

Illinois

2.93/5  rDev -26%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12oz. bottle from the 2011 Holiday pack

(A)- Pours a near black color. Some tan froth & lace.

(S)- A dense and rich malt profile. Otherwise its quite muted and subdued.

(T)- Plenty of roasted grains & raisin

(M)- A good carbonation level with an ok balance to it. A bit heavy in the grains to almost make it a touch abrasive.

(O)- Overall, an oak beer. A bit grainy in taste and feel.

Serving type: bottle

09-26-2012 14:16:55 | More by sweemzander

thegrifter

Florida

4.25/5  rDev +7.3%

08-28-2012 00:02:46 | More by thegrifter

shagal

Alberta (Canada)

4/5  rDev +1%

08-21-2012 03:44:30 | More by shagal

jmdrpi

Pennsylvania

4.08/5  rDev +3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle, from the vertical Jewbelation 2010 gift pack

appears almost black, with off-white thin head. just a thin collar sticks around. aroma is very nice - a little booze, tobacco, spice.

taste is dark malt, raisin, plum, earthiness. well balanced, smooth blended flavors. medium to thick body. mild carbonation level, drinks well.

overall - similar to the other Jewbelations, very tasty.

Serving type: bottle

08-16-2012 03:54:53 | More by jmdrpi

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -11.6%

06-04-2012 00:08:24 | More by TMoney2591

claytong

Vermont

3.25/5  rDev -17.9%

05-27-2012 00:44:13 | More by claytong

TimH

3/5  rDev -24.2%

05-19-2012 18:05:03 | More by TimH

Mora2000

Texas

4/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The beer pours a dark brown color with an off-white head. The aroma is very similar to several other Jewbelation beers: a lot of roasted malt and chocolate, and fairly straightforward. The flavor is similar. There is quite a bit of chocolate, as well as quite a bit of booziness from the alcohol. There is also quite a bit of sweetness and some molasses-like notes. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2012 20:31:55 | More by Mora2000

LiquidAmber

Washington

4.2/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Review from 1/2011 notes. Bottle from the 2011 Holiday Gift Pack. Poured into a Nostradamus flute glass. Pours a dark red brown. Thin light tan head and nice lacing. Aroma of faint dark and roasty malts, dark fruits, alcohol. Taste is nice, malts up front with a subtle change to dark fruits finishing with a bit of hops and booze. This is my favorite Jewbelation so far. The balance and depth are excellent.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2012 03:19:37 | More by LiquidAmber

aanakinskywalker

Ohio

4.25/5  rDev +7.3%

03-29-2012 23:47:29 | More by aanakinskywalker

rudy0908

Missouri

2/5  rDev -49.5%

03-09-2012 00:54:23 | More by rudy0908

OneDropSoup

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Grabbed this from one of the gift packs they released this year.

Poured into a snifter: Black body with purple-ish-red highlights under a thin, clumpy coating.

Sweet, malty smell with some cocoa, some graham cracker, a little prune. There's a milky smell in there - not sour or anything, but more like fresh milk, that's interesting.

Cocoa & fruit are a little more prominent in the taste, a little nutty, with a pronounced dryness & heat from booze that's not overboard. Smooth wrap-up in the finish with a slightly roasty aftertaste, some maple, mmm.

Medium-full-bodied, a little sharp booze character in the finish. Considering the ABV, this is relatively smooth & light, something I've found common in the Jewbelations.

Tasty number here. I can't help but compare it to the 15: very similar profile, lighter, still remarkably easy for the ABV.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2012 17:50:16 | More by OneDropSoup

alpinebryant

Connecticut

3.9/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Pours a dark brown with a large tan head, large bubbles intermixed with small dusty powdering.

S: Aroma of brown roasted malts, molasses and caramelized sugars

T: A nice strong ale / with robust brown ale malt flavors. There is a rich creamy roasted sugar presence with the caramel , toffee

, molasses all fighting for attention. Slightly dry at the end. This has been aging for a year, but I suspect it was similar at

the time of bottling with a slightly dry cloying bite at the end.

M: Medium body for an old ale, slightly dry finish. High carbonation.

O: I like this a lot. Seemingly the entire lineup from this anniversary series is very good. I would prefer the 13 , 14 and 15 over

this however this is less sweet and many people will like that, screaming that they will not get diabetes along the way drinking a

handful of these.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2012 00:18:05 | More by alpinebryant

DrDemento456

Pennsylvania

3.53/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12oz bottle

A - Damn a full 1 1/2 inch deep mocha head! Beer is a fairly deep black with only slight amber hue at the base.

S - Mild coffee grounds, figs, sweet malts, but more noted no noticeable ABV.

T - Dark fruits and cherry flavors make way for slight roast and coffee flavors. Finish is kind of porter like and a bit drying. Toffee and caramel sweetness. Not bad.

M - Medium bodied like the 15 it hides the ABV well.

Overall once it goes beyond 10 they seem to all taste the same and this is only slightly more porter like similar to the 8. A good brew but not worth the 4 dollar price tag.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2012 04:11:30 | More by DrDemento456