Coney Island Albino Python - Shmaltz Brewing Company

chinchill

South Carolina

3.79/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

shared 22 oz bottle.
Poured a nice golden-amber with a lot of visible carbonation. Good and durable white head.
The aroma is similar to some Belgian pales, light bready malt with a mix of spices.
The spices are more pronounced in tasting and mostly over-power the malts. Fortunately, the spice mix is appealing, and mixes well with the hops. Surprisingly tart, especially for a lager, with a solid lemon-lime component.

M: nice airy, light feel; good, lively carbonation.

O: a refreshing spicy lager that was better than expected. Recommended.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2013 00:11:06 | More by chinchill

JMad

Texas

4.39/5  rDev +24%
look: 5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

The beer pours a whitish yellow hue with a cloudy, foamy, thick white head. The bubbles in the bottom were constantly rising, it's very active.

It smells of fresh lemon and grass with some orange and wheat aroma. I tasted lots of citrus (mostly lemon) and a little spice followed by a smooth sweet malty flavor. It is medium bodied and silky with lots of soft bubbly carbonation and a crisp finish.

Wow, this brew is almost flawless, there is absolutely nothing negative to say about this beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2013 02:15:13 | More by JMad

jtierney89

New Jersey

4.65/5  rDev +31.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Clear faded orange glow billowy bright white head that fades quickly. Sweet and exotic spice upfront. Corrinder, Ginger snap on the sides of the tongue. Rich feeling in the mouth but light and fluffy. Sweet pears and apples on the tip of the tongue, tangerines, belgian like spice. Tastes vinous like a chardonnay. Finishes clean with a soft underlying bitterness that mellow the flavors out. Spice and ginger linger. A really unique brew. It really does taste like a belgian blonde was brewed with over the tope spices and lagered. Clean complex fun and delicious. I like it. (it actually smells like a Sauvigion Blanc no lie). Faint peppery finish. Unlike anything i've ever had and super unique.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2013 23:56:16 | More by jtierney89

LeRose

Massachusetts

2.68/5  rDev -24.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Bottled, no date I could find which may be an issue. I have had the bottle in cool dark for about two months.

Poured hazy golden color, quite a bit of frothy head that dissipated quickly to next to nothing. Aroma didn't give me anything. No spices, maybe a little beer like smell, but nothing much. Taste was similarly disappointing. Little hints of spice, but muddled and not able to identify. Somewhere mid sip, I get a strange flavor that reminds me of potpourri or almost like a lip gloss. Very odd. Not highly carbonated, slight tingle.

Not quite sure what to make of this. Reminds me of a witte but not getting the coriander and citrusy hops. Middle of the road is best I can do on this bottle, might try again to confirm the findings.

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2012 23:57:13 | More by LeRose

Beer-A-Lot

Virginia

3.75/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Nice-looking and smooth tasting beer. Not a tremendous amount of depth or complexity. Satisfying but light. Could use some more spiciness for the style. More like a witbier to me. Based on others, this seems to be a pretty decent brewery, albeit not necessarily the absolute elite.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2012 01:25:48 | More by Beer-A-Lot

waldoiverson

Texas

3.18/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

bomber into nonic

A: moderately clear, light amber color with a pile of white foam with moderate lacing

S: coriander, biscuit, maybe a hint of cinnamon

T: anise, coriander, white pepper, very dry. it's a laser of flavor. They are fine but they don't really expand across the palate

M. smooth, not overly carbonated but enough to clean up the tongue, drier than expected.

O: meh, it would be good on a hot day and I like the idea of a spiced lager. still, the flavor profile was so narrow that I cannot get excited about this beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2012 00:39:17 | More by waldoiverson

tjsdomer2

Illinois

3.73/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Flat carbonatin, but a lot of foam and lacing. Golden color.

Smell: Lots of fruit and yeast. Definitely some alcohol.

Taste/Mouthfeel: Same as smell. There's lots of coriander as well. Wine-like in the finish and as it warms. Very nice. Mouthfeel, on the other hand, is very watery and flat. Huge disappointment compared to rest of beer.

Overall Drinkability: Would be a very, very good beer, if not for the mouthfeel. Reminds me of a Belgian ale or a wit with more coriander.

Serving type: bottle

11-15-2012 22:16:06 | More by tjsdomer2

jmerloni

Massachusetts

4.03/5  rDev +13.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - A lovely, hazy orange amber color. Great sized bright white head that laces really evenly and nicely.

S - Bread, straw, coriander, citrus rind.

T - Mm. Very effervescent flavors. Spices are up front and continue through the swallow. Sage, coriander, nutmeg. Sour apple tartness. Mild honey malts. A lot of straw and bread flavor. Very good tasting beer.

M - Very bubbly, good carbonation. Pretty dry. Medium bodied.

D - Very solid beer. I would get this again. First I've had from Coney Island. I'll be delving them further in the near future.

Serving type: bottle

08-24-2012 23:33:14 | More by jmerloni

scootny

New York

4.1/5  rDev +15.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This is a real winner here. Cloudy golden liquid with a very big white head and a good slow fade that leaves quite a bit of lace and a thick covering on top. Active carbonation. Smell is full of spices and a great doughy malt. Some zesty orange and light mellon like sweetness along with a ginger and corriander. This is a great tasting beer that combines the crispness of a lager with the broader palate of an ale, Belgian Wit to be specific. It somehow maintains some of the hallmark lager cleanness while delivering a bouquet of citrus and spice along with a dry chalky quinine bitterness. Finish is dry and orangey with spices flavoring a light malt that lingers. Feel is wonderful with a velvety carbonation and light medium weight. Crisp and quenching this beer makes for a perfect beer to slake the spring/summer thirst. It is supremely drinkable and while a bit on the higher side in abv it sessions well. This is one heck of brew that has its feet well planted in two worlds and I'm loving it!

Serving type: bottle

07-31-2012 02:20:44 | More by scootny

bensbeers

Maryland

3.35/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a bomber into a pint glass.

Not sure what I liked more - the beer or the bottle!

Poured a nice golden color, with more haziness as I got down toward the yeast in the bottom. Somewhat creamy head that didn't last for too long.

Smell was predominantly spices - cinnamon, coriander, nutmeg, other earthy spices. Also noticed some citrusy notes.

Taste was delightful. A clean but full-flavored wheat beer with malty sweetness, hints of zesty citrus and of course, the spices. Can't forget the spices.

Mouthfeel was average. Smooth like most wheat beers, but has the right amount of carbonation.

Overall an enjoyable brew. I didn't think it was anything special, but I would absolutely give it another try. Highlight for me was the flavor full of spice and citrus. Give it a try

Serving type: bottle

07-13-2012 03:20:05 | More by bensbeers

BryanCarey

Texas

3.8/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Cloudy and yellowish in color, this beer pours quickly to form a small head of foam that dissipates quickly and leaves little or no lace. The nose on this beer is one of spices like ginger, coriander, and even fennel- a spice you don’t often find in any type of beer. Some citrus and grain round out the aroma, but the sense of smell keeps going back to the spices, which are easy to detect and quite enticing.

The taste of this beer features the interesting mix of spice, as expected, but the overall flavor is a little different. There is some wheat and light caramel, but the spices rule the day, with flavors of ginger, fennel, and a certain medicinal character coming through the light body. Hop character is minimal, but it doesn’t really matter much since the taste continues to go back to the added spices, which serve almost as a substitute for the hops.

Shmaltz Brewing makes some interesting products and this one continues the tradition of weirdness with a combination of spices and other flavors not usually found in white lager or any other style. I was a little uncertain about this beer upon first sip and I thought the spices were perhaps overdone. But I continued to appreciate the oddities of Albino Python the more I consumed. Ginger isn’t uncommon in beer, but when was the last time you tasted a beer brewed with fennel? The spicy character is certainly memorable and it brings life to the otherwise light lager body.

Albino Python isn’t necessarily the white lager it claims to be, but like with other Shmaltz Brewing products, it really doesn’t matter. The flavor is interesting, the label features some cool artwork, and the taste is one all its own. It is definitely a beer worth trying again and again, just to enjoy the intriguing combinations of spices and malts.

Serving type: bottle

07-08-2012 02:50:52 | More by BryanCarey

KajII

North Carolina

3.23/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

[Best served in a Lager glass]

The pour was a clear light golden amber with a large (2-3 finger) white rocky head that dissipated quickly leaving behind a thin layer of residue with a medium collar, which did create some fair streaky lacing.

The aroma was of a cereal malt, floral hops and a sweet yeast with notes of caramel, coriander, ginger and citrus (orange).

The taste was light and malty sweet and had a hint of caramel early on, with the finish being about the same but with a sweet orangey taste and a hint of spice at the end. The flavor was short in duration with a slightly spicy citrus taste left behind.

Mouthfeel was light in body and watery in texture with a medium carbonation.

Overall a pretty damn tasty White Lager that had a nice sweet citrus presence, making it quite refreshing and giving it a great drinkability...

Serving type: bottle

06-04-2012 15:11:41 | More by KajII

LampertLand

British Columbia (Canada)

3.6/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Coney Island's "Albino Python" Spiced White Lager @ 6.0% single 330 ml bottle from a brkn variety pack
A-pours a soft cloudy yellow , smallish head with small amount of lacing , careful pouring this beer as it is un-filtered
S-corriander , ginger , fennel upfront followed by a lot of sweet citrus
T-a lot going on here , too much spice(but it is a "spiced white beer")which is a miss for me as a beer I wanna taste
MF-medicinal , thin texture , average carbonation
Ov-when a funky smell is the best thing about a beer , thats not a winner for me , maybe try it

cheers LampertLand

Serving type: bottle

05-31-2012 18:33:41 | More by LampertLand

Phelps

Arizona

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

Bottle into a tulip.

Bright pumpkin-orange. Very hazy, packed with suspended yeast. The head is filmy, a half-finger layer of off-white bubbles that crackle away quickly, leaving behind a thin ring.

Very aromatic; I can pick up notes from more than a foot away. The aromas strike like a snakebite before you even raise the glass to the nose. A strange, savory mix, almost like soup. Ginger, fennel, coriander, chicken stock.

Less intense but better put-together in the flavor. Bright coriander and wheat lead, followed by much lighter touches of fennel and ginger. Some sweet orange in the front as well. Spices, mostly fennel, settle in ear the back. Bitterness is fairly large, nestling into the sides of the tongue between sips. Lager-clean. The finish is very crisp.

Moderate massaging carbonation with a fair amount of fizz. The medium-light body is smooth until it breaks apart in bubbles.

Best enjoyed quickly. Don’t sit with the beer in the mouth, trying to pick apart the flavors within, but rather swallow tiny sips quickly, enjoying it as a whole, which is how it works best. A unique, freakish, sexy beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-31-2012 04:37:38 | More by Phelps

Mora2000

Texas

3.1/5  rDev -12.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

The beer pours a hazy golden-orange color with a white head. The aroma is very heavy on the coriander with some orange and wheat notes thrown in. I also get some mint notes, but I am not sure where they are coming from. The flavor is pretty much what you expect in a Belgian White. I get some coriander and wheat, as well as some very light fruit and floral notes. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2012 01:51:27 | More by Mora2000

WoodBrew

Illinois

4/5  rDev +13%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Smells like an herb garden. Ginger and lemon cut through immediately, but followed by something like cloves or cardamom. Pours a great yellow with very little head and almost no lacing. I don't find it overcarbonated, but rather, really refreshing and crisp. The ginger flavor is welcome, especially when paring this beer with food. Gives some interesting results. After the beer warms a bit i think the flavors are even more pronounced and delicious.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2012 14:23:38 | More by WoodBrew

Immortale25

Florida

4.64/5  rDev +31.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.75

Poured into a Southern Tier tulip style glass.

A- Pours a hazy whiteish amber color with a full inch of white head that does an OK job of retaining before becoming an 1/8 inch ring around the edge of the glass. Substantial surface foam and there are also lots of specs of sediment at the bottom of the glass. Average lacing.

S- Cinnamon and rice pudding. For real. Awesome.

T- Savory and rich, yet light and refined since it's a lager. Notes of rosemary and maybe some clove. Very little bitterness but has enough of a malt base to not just be a spice bomb. The spices are also mellow enough to sustain balance.

M- Clean body, medium-low carbonation.

O- I had this one back before I knew anything about beer and I still like it. There's something to be said for that.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2012 02:49:01 | More by Immortale25

WastingFreetime

Wisconsin

3.93/5  rDev +11%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Reviewed from notes.

Semi-hazy pale yellow in color, just like the pale yellow coloration of an actual albino python. Short fizzy white head, mild lacing, not a lot of retention time. Aroma is of a semi-sour lemonade spiced with a mild sort of coriander, clove + allspice dusting. The flavor brings to mind wheat bread with lemon peels (including some pith), gingery hotness, and a weird faintly vegetal accent in the finish. (Endive???) Body is quite a bit heftier than a typical lager or a typical wheat, although carbonation is certainly spot-on.

All in all, comes across as a bizarre lemon / ginger / Belgian-styled spicing with the heavier body and texture of a German hefeweizen, but is actually a heavily-spiced "white lager." I like it, but than again I've always been drawn to unusual beers...YMMV. My nitpicks are that the vegetal element in the finish doesn't really fit in all that well, and the nose led me to believe that I would be receiving something akin to a Berliner Weiss which didn't actually happen.

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2012 19:32:03 | More by WastingFreetime

mactrail

California

3.48/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Appealing blonde color with plenty of carbonation. Spice seems to be the main event. Could there be licorice in a pale beer? Or sasparilla? Some kind of root beer thing going on. Overtones of Dr. Brown's Celery Tonic. Medicinal but not intensely so. A fair amount of bitterness, though I won't commit to what causes it. Snake venom, possibly. It's weird but quite drinkable. Light bodied, pleasant spritzy mouthfeel.

A 22 oz bottle from back of the cooler at Boulevard Liquors in San Diego. Crazy stuff.

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2012 07:11:52 | More by mactrail

Kwatt99

Louisiana

3.65/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appearance- Darker Gold with 1/4" head that dissipates quickly , medium amount of carbonation bubbling up here.

Smell- I was surprised here. It has a small, nice sweet smell.
Missing something though. Has a beerish smell in the background if that means anything.

Taste- Definitely an interesting taste. Nice light caramel and light spice to it. Very light bodied IMO.

Mouthfeel: Light in the mouth and going down. Very easy to drink.

Overall: Easy beer to drink for a lager. I like this one. Won't be on my list of beers to buy since I usually search more for IPA's and Stouts but if you like lagers definitely find this one, you will not be disappointing. I was expecting a lot less. Although this isn't an amazing beer it is definitely worth the purchase.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2012 21:28:13 | More by Kwatt99

elNopalero

Texas

4.22/5  rDev +19.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This poured a hazy golden straw with a nice amount of foam. Some sweet, gently pleasing hop aromas come through. Tastes light and refreshing with a nice spiciness on the finish. The surprise treat is the ginger that comes through as it warms—barely noticeable at first after the better part of an hour it goes from background player to center stage. Delicious!

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2011 20:57:49 | More by elNopalero

jbphoto88

Texas

3.83/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A hazed golden blonde brew with a simple off white fizzed head. The head is lacking in longevity but the beer looks appetizing for the style.

The nose reminds me of a Belgian wit, with a spiced scent combined with a yeasty and malt breadiness. Very nice.

Taste starts very smooth and slick and has notes of the spice present in the nose. Again very much like a Belgian wit with hints of coriander and orange peel, along with a mild breaded grain flavor. Tasty!

Mild carbonation and the smooth malty flavor make this beer feel creamy and slightly thick. The taste is very fresh and clean making this a vey drinkable beer. Excellent brew, I'm glad to have tried this and would buy it again in a heartbeat!

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2011 04:13:29 | More by jbphoto88

JMWEB2

New Jersey

3.73/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Darker yellow almost golden color, an very thin outer rim of head.

S: Sweet citrus malts, but also smelled some spice in there, very pleasing.

T: Lot of flavors here, very grassy hops. Some spice and citrus, but I'm not crazy about it, very different.

M: Love the finish, easy drinking and very refreshing.

O: Alright, I was excited about this beer, and I feel let down, the smell and flavors are there, but its lacking something.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2011 23:36:02 | More by JMWEB2

Justin23060

Virginia

2.58/5  rDev -27.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

A - Hazy golden nice white head that clung well.

S - Smells awesome citrusy and hoppy.

T - This is were it goes wrong. Has a kind of floor cleaner or furniture polish citrus taste that I can't get past. Linger reminds me of public restroom liquid soap.

M - Mouth feel is status quo.

O - Can't think of anything constructive to say about this beer. I won't be getting it again.

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2011 23:30:50 | More by Justin23060

TheDeuce

New York

2.95/5  rDev -16.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Coney Island Albino Python……on tap at Resto in NYC

Appearance-pours a vibrant gold with a large off white head that settles nicely into the Stella Artois glass given to me.

Smell-coriander, other spices, similar to a hefeweizen or wit smell, lager smells are overpowered

Taste/Mouthfeel- mixed flavors, spices hang around in the background while at first you get a rush of grain and alcohol, then the coriander comes back in and carries the taste through till the end. Medium mouthfeel and not great smoothness, lacks the arid cloudyness of a wit to balance the spice, on the blank canvas of the lager it is too pronounced. I can tell they are going for the crispness of a lager and the depth of a wit but it doesn’t quite work.

Overall-I like the idea, but it just didn’t do it for me, lots of flavor packed in here but maybe they could balance some of this out.

Serving type: on-tap

10-30-2011 02:47:47 | More by TheDeuce