Coney Island Barrel-Aged Human Blockhead - Shmaltz Brewing Company

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

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

22 ounce bottle - $10.99 at Olde Crabapple Bottle Shoppe in Alpharetta, Georgia. Batch No. 001, Cases 523. Bottling Date: 6/1/2011 (I wish other labels were so informative).

Appearance: Pours a deep, dark amber body with a very tall, lasting, light beige head despite a fairly gentle pour. Small smattering of lace on the way down.

Smell: Wood staves brushed with a caramel coating, moistened raisin bread, accents of vanilla and dried coconut with the Buffalo Trace bourbon being fairly prominent in the nose.

Taste: Sweet tastes of caramel and toffee overneath a vibrantly bready maltiness, then, a bit of vanilla, rum raisin, and a sprinkling of toasted coconut shavings before the soothing bourbon rolls in. A bit of spiciness darts in and out and amongst the various flavors. Malty, smooth, drying finish with a lingering bourbon element.

Mouthfeel: Medium-plus body. Medium carbonation.

Overall: While still sweet, the barrel treatment has most definitely curtailed the strong sweetness from the original brew. Now, to sit and enjoy this while my shepherd’s pie is finishing off in the oven.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2011 23:05:31 | More by ChainGangGuy

UCLABrewN84

California

2.85/5  rDev -29.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

I picked this up at a BevMo for $4.69 after it wouldn't scan. After seeing it at other stores for $10+ after the fact I guess I got a lucky deal in regards to price.

Batch # 1. Bottled 6/1/11.

Pours a slightly hazy iced tea color with a 2 inch puffy beige head. A nice latticework of lace clings to the side of the glass on the drink down. Smell is of toasted coconut, vanilla, wood, and some malt aromas. The barrel aging of this beer is definitely the dominant smell on the nose. Taste is again of the barrel aging with toasted coconut, vanilla, wood, caramel, malt, and a weird chemical flavor. The off-flavor is present on the finish and reminds me of paint thinner or acetone. Unfortunately, this pretty much completely ruins the flavor of the beer. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a smooth and creamy mouthfeel. Overall, this is an average beer that could have been great. The aroma is good but the taste is seriously compromised. I am glad I picked one of these up to try but I am glad that I only spent what I did considering how bad this beer tastes.

Serving type: bottle

09-17-2011 22:59:57 | More by UCLABrewN84

oberon

North Carolina

3.95/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a 1/2 liter stein a rich deep garnet color with a half finger off white head that held pretty well,love the richness and definition to the ccolor of this beer.Vanilla/caramel aromas are big along with toasty oak and a hint of anise,just warming and very appitizng.Big caramel sweetness and vanilla on the palate,it's a bit hot with more sweetness from the alcohol,it's a little sweet for my taste but for a beer this big and style it's not to much out of the ordinary.A rich full beer it has alot of top notch qualities about it,just sip it.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2012 16:14:11 | More by oberon

TMoney2591

Illinois

4.33/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served in a tumbler.

Looking to both drown my sorrows over a Purdue loss (to the Irish, no less...) and augment my enjoyment of this get-together. Barrel-aged bock it is! This stuff pours a clear sunset amber-sienna topped by a short finger of wan off-tan foam. The nose comprises sweet caramel, vanilla, light bourbon, brown sugar, and a touch of oloroso sherry. The taste really brings the focus to the barrel, with the mil bourbon, vanilla, caramel, and light oak taking precedence over the honey, sherry, and sweet biscuit notes of what I perceive to be the bock itself. The combination is damn tasty, I must say. The body is a flexible medium, with a very light moderate carbonation and a smooth feel. Overall, a highly enjoyable beer, though one that is meant to be sipped, enjoyed over a period of time. Get some!

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2012 15:08:01 | More by TMoney2591

metter98

New York

3.98/5  rDev -2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: The beer is hazy brownish amber in color and poured with a bit of wispy lacing on the surface that completely faded away. There are no signs of visible carbonation.
S: There are light to moderate aromas of whiskey in the nose; the smell becomes a bit stronger as the beer warms up.
T: The taste has flavors of raisins intermixed with notes of alcohol and whiskey, the latter of which contributes some hints of vanilla in the finish. There is also a bit of sweetness.
M: It feels medium- to full-bodied on the palate and has a low amount of carbonation. A moderate amount of warming from the alcohol is noticeably present.
O: The barrel aging definitely makes this beer more interesting compared to the regular Blockhead. The whiskey doesn’t overpower the taste and still allows the raisin flavors to shine through. This is a good beer to sip and it really grows on you.

Serving type: on-tap

06-15-2011 02:40:03 | More by metter98

rhoadsrage

Illinois

4.53/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

(Served in a snifter)
Batch/Case 001/523
A- The dense clear brown body glows an auburn-garnet color at the base with lots of tiny bubbles quickly trail up the glass. There is a bubbly light tan head that sits on top for a good bit.
S- The aroma of wet oak barrel and lagered toffee malts support a maple syrup quality from the barrel. There is a fusel alcohol note in the finish that takes on an ether quality as the beer opens.
T- The slightly sweet toffee and dark caramel flavors are supported by oak and vanilla with a touch of butter flavors and there are some green raisin characteristics that start to come through aswell. There is a paper drinking straw flavor and some new barrel notes that linger a bit after each sip. M- The medium mouthfeel has a cleaning fizz and a soft alcohol heat that grows to a prick in the finish.
O- The great balance of barrel flavors and bock malts really grow with depth and character as the beer opens. The oak notes start to dominate but they are delicious so it works well.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2011 20:58:26 | More by rhoadsrage

mdfb79

New York

3.58/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

From 10/22/11 notes. Had on tap at FireWorks in Arlington, VA, served in a snifter.

a - Pours a dark reddish brown color with one inch of off white head and moderate carbonation evident.

s - Smells of bourbon, wood, vanilla, caramel malts, and alcohol. Alcohol is pretty strong and overpowering. Some very nice notes in the nose, and with a little less alcohol it could be great.

t - Tastes of wood, vanilla, caramel malts, raisins and dark fruits, bourbon, alcohol, and bready malts. Again, very nice but alcohol is overpowering, so docks its score a bit.

m - Medium body and moderate carbonation.

o - Overall a good beer but the strong alcohol in the nose and mouth hurts it a bit. I feel like with some time on it this beer could be really great. Would be interested in getting a bottle and putting it in the cellar for a bit but for now, would pass again on tap.

Serving type: on-tap

10-23-2011 21:21:18 | More by mdfb79

jlindros

Massachusetts

3.78/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Not sure if I've ever had a barrel aged lager before, but here goes nothin.

Pours a larger fizzy and bubbly 2 finger head that fades fairly quickly over very clear amber toasty brown sienna maroon colored beer, no lacing.

Nose explodes with bourbon and oak, vanilla, sweet oak, the bourbon barrel aroma just overpowers anything else, sweet buttery bourbon oak, a light brown sugar, and hint of medium toasted malts under there somewhere.

Taste comes on strong again, loaded with more bourbon and oak, buttery oak and sweet molasses bourbon, light barrel flavors but more buttery oak. However, at least this time some of the beer comes through, some medium toasty malt flavors and some reddish malts, sweet molasses and brown sugar, hints of almost maple like. Pretty much no lager flavors no, the bourbon and sweet malts overpower it by far, which is why I was surprised they actually bourbon aged a lager. There is a bit of bitterness and some earthy hops coming through later as the bourbon starts to subside, but doesn't get far when the booze starts to kick in. Some warming and light tingly booze typical of a 10% beer start to dominate the finish. It also finishes with a light sticky and syrupy feel, as well as tingly booze that leaves the mouth hot and cold feeling, and some lingering bourbon and oak.

Mouth is a bit heavier bodied, a bit syrupy, boozy, and decent carbonation.

Overall not bad, nice bourbon characters as long as you like bourbon and oak, but it just way overpowers the beer and it's almost like there wasn't a beer to begin with, just bourbon cut down to 10% abv. Being a big bourbon fan I like the taste a lot, but I gotta knock it down a bit since I also like lagers and there was no lager at all and very little beer. Now if they did this with a bigger beer like big brown ale, porter, or imperial red, maybe it would have had better results.

Serving type: bottle

08-14-2011 01:07:59 | More by jlindros

glid02

Georgia

3.78/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap at the Brick Store.

Pours a somewhat hazy amber-brown color with a half-finger off-white head. The head recedes into a thin layer on top leaving decent lacing.

Smells of thin caramel with hints of overr-ripened fruits and hints of vanilla. I really don't get a whole lot of whiskey/bourbon out of this.

Tastes similar to how it smells. Caramel malt flavors segue into good amounts of bruised apples and hints of light raisins. Near the end of the sip a decent amount of vanilla flavors enter into the fray before a mildly bitter ending.

Mouthfeel is good. It has a solid thickness with moderate carbonation.

Drinkability is good. I finished my glass without any problems and could have another.

Overall this beer gained a bit from the barrel aging and I'm not sure it would have benefitted a whole lot if there had been more whiskey influences. Like the non-barrel-aged version it's missing something but it's still a good beer.

Serving type: on-tap

09-02-2009 01:17:07 | More by glid02

HopHead84

California

4.15/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

12/3/2011

Bottle shared by Vince at Strong Ale 2011, thanks!

A: Hazy dark red with a small beige head.

S: Bourbonic caramel with vanilla and light coconut. There's a lot of toffee, as well as oak and baked bread. This smells very good.

T: Lots of caramel with notes of bourbon and oak. I get a little toffee with accompanying bread and a light nuttiness. The beer is lightly bitter with a touch of alcohol in the finish.

M: Upper medium in body with matching carbonation.

Overall: I had no expectations going in but this impressed me.

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2011 18:13:29 | More by HopHead84

mactrail

California

4.18/5  rDev +3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I've always liked the regular Blockhead, so I was eager to try this. "Wow," is the general response. Hugely flavorful, hot, and driving nails into the brain, as the label suggests, gives you the general idea.

Clear coppery brown in the Orval chalice. Finely carbonated on the tongue, though. Lots of vanilla in the first sip. A whoppin' bourbon barrel flavor. Extroverted is the style. Nutty and rich. Crazy aroma of expensive hooch and leather sports car seats.

Chocolate and fruitcake might stand up to this stuff. Otherwise, it's you, the big leather chair, and swirling your snifter. From the 22 oz bottle from the Grapevine in Denver.

Serving type: bottle

07-22-2012 05:23:25 | More by mactrail

thagr81us

South Carolina

3.73/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served from bottle into a Boulevard tulip. Poured a yellow brown with a half finger off-white head that subsided to a minimal amount quickly. Maintained excellent lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, milk chocolate, wood, and vanilla. The flavor was of sweet malt, roasted malt, dark chocolate, wood, subtle sweet alcohol, and vanilla. It had a medium feel on the palate with medium carbonation. Overall this was a pretty decent brew. If I am honest here, I never really have gone into any brews from this brewery with much confidence. This one was no exception… However, as far as the flavor goes on this one I was pleasantly surprised with what I found as it was quite complex and very nice. The barrel definitely imparted a very nice complexity to this brew that made it quite enjoyable on the flavor. Wish the aroma would have brought it’s a-game as it felt a little subdued in comparison. Worth trying for the flavor alone if you have not done so already.

Serving type: bottle

07-06-2012 10:52:20 | More by thagr81us

OWSLEY069

Pennsylvania

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

Pours a deep amber color with a light tan head. In the aroma, bourbon, vanilla, and alcohol notes. In the taste, very oaky and lots of bourbon flavor. A smooth and medium bodied mouthfeel, with a semi dry bourbon like aftertaste. Huge bourbon flavor, a sipper for sure.

Serving type: bottle

07-07-2011 14:23:09 | More by OWSLEY069

kylehay2004

Florida

3.83/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Single finger thick off white head with tons lacing, very thick, on a jet black body. Aroma is very sour and peppery with licorice and bourbon notes. Also a vinegar like aroma which dominates. Flavor is sweeter with more dark fruit appreciated than it was in the aroma initially however still fairly sour. Medium body and moderate carbonation. Overall fairly drinkable. Both sweet and sour, and not at all true to the style but good.

Serving type: on-tap

03-08-2012 02:03:34 | More by kylehay2004

nickfl

Florida

3.78/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bal aged human blockhead

A - two finger head of white foam on a dark brown body with no light showing through. The had recedes slowly and leaves thick lace.

S - dark malt, sour black cherries, and some red apple.

T - sour cherries and sweet malt with a touch of caramel. More sour chery in the middle with red apple and a malty, sweet finish.

M - medium thick body, moderate carbonation, and a slightly sweet finish.

D - this isn't advertised as a sour beer, but that is unquestionably what it is. I'm forced to assume that this is a result of a barrel aging mistake. They being said it is a pretty enjoyable beer, reminiscent of a flemish red. A good beer overall, probably better than what they intended to make.

Serving type: on-tap

03-08-2012 02:16:51 | More by nickfl

woosterbill

Connecticut

3.95/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On-tap at Prime 16.

A: Clear dark amber body with an inch of creamy, super-fine tan head. Strong retention, ok lace. Nice.

S: Sweet, oaky bourbon and vanilla. A bit of spicy maltiness, perhaps a touch of earthiness and some dark fruits. Nice.

T: Bourbon right up front, with some figs and other dark fruits following close behind. A bit of caramel malt and vanilla toward the end, and some spicy booze on the finish. Tasty.

M: Frothy medium body; a bit thin, but ok.

O: I honestly didn't remember that this was a Doppelbock when I ordered it ("Barrel Aged" was enough to make me take a chance), but it makes perfect sense. Well-done brew.

Cheers!

Serving type: on-tap

07-26-2012 00:22:46 | More by woosterbill

tdm168

North Carolina

4.08/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours a dark, hazy amber with a mountain of brownish, off white head that is dense and foamy. The cascades down to meet the liquid as the beer pours. The head has amazing retention and leaves a lot of lacing on the glass. The nose is bready, sweet, and caramelly with some notes of dark fruit and alcohol esters. The taste is very malty up front with bready, caramel notes followed by a fruitiness characterized by baked appples, raisins, and dates. The finish is warm with alcohol phenols. The mouthfeel is medium to full bodied, warm, smooth, and well carbonated.

This is a solid beer. I've had the original version and I can't pinpoint exactly what if anything the bourbon barrels added to the flavor. Nonetheless, this is flavorful, balanced, smooth, drinkable, enjoyable. I really enjoyed it.

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2012 02:06:18 | More by tdm168

ngeunit1

California

4.33/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Pours a murky brown with a bit of orange around the edges and a finger of frothy khaki-tan head atop. The head fades down fairly slowly leaving behind some nice lacing.

S - Aroma is a mix of vanilla, oak, and bourbon with some roasted bready malts, dark fruit, brown sugar, molasses, and some booze.

T - Starts off with a mix of sweet bready malts with some vanilla and brown sugar. Through the middle, the oak and Bourbon comes through with some roasted malts and molasses. The finish is a mix of sweet bready malts with some oak, vanilla, Bourbon, brown sugar, and booze.

M - Medium-full bodied with moderate carbonation. Feels smooth with a warming and sweet finish.

D - Very drinkable. Good Bourbon flavors comes through on top of a nice malty doppelbock.

Serving type: bottle

08-29-2012 02:29:54 | More by ngeunit1

emmasdad

Colorado

3.53/5  rDev -13.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a ruby red color with a thick, foamy tan head. Nice malty aroma here, oak, caramel, brown sugar and maybe raisin. On the palate, a little bit of alcohol dryness, but mostly sweet biscuity malt, bourbon, caramel/toffee and a smattering of dark fruits. A nice strong lager, maybe a cross between a doppelbock and a barleywine. Nice.

Serving type: bottle

09-29-2011 04:23:31 | More by emmasdad

LiquidAmber

Washington

4.68/5  rDev +15.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a Gulden Draak tulip. Pours a dark, cloudy garnet red amber with a massive two finger fine tan head and lacing. Nice aroma of dark fruit, malt, bourbon and a bit of oak. Delicious! Big bourbon, dark dried fruit, vanilla, caramel, finishes with wood, bourbon and pine hops. I wish I could drink this quickly for the flavor, but the ABV is just too high. Medium bodied with some creaminess. A bit boozy, but delicious. Hope I can get a few more bottles.

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2012 04:45:14 | More by LiquidAmber

Pencible

Virginia

4.1/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Batch 001/523, Bottled 6/1/11, Reviewed 1/8/12

A: This poured a nearly opaque mahogany with thick tan head.
S: It smelled like strong bourbon and oak and toasted coconut, with some earthy caramel and vanilla and a bit of copper.
T: It tasted like oak and toasted coconut and bourbon, with some earthy caramel and copper, and a bit of vanilla and citrus. It had a mostly clean and sweet aftertaste with some alcohol warming.
M: It was fairly thick with some carbonation. Slick and fully body.
D: If you don't like bourbon, stay away from this brew. But if you do like bourbon, this is a great drink. There wasn't much beer character to it, but it had a nice scent and taste and body nevertheless. It was fairly hot, so it must be sipped. Not sure how it would age, but I really liked it fresh.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2012 16:33:05 | More by Pencible

harrymel

Washington

4.08/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Batch 2, bottled 25MAY12
ABV: 10.83%

Pours a lovely crimson with a touch of mahogany, nice tan sheet atop this one. Smells, mmm, good. Caramel, nougat, some crystal malts, some hints of toffee, a little vanilla and Jordan almonds - lovely nose. Taste is candied walnut, a hint of alcohol, some nougat, some bread (hawaiian rolls), a little touch of oak and bitterness. Medium bodied with light carb and a numbing after affect. This is a real surprise. At $7/bomber - hard to pass up now that I've seen it... Might go buy the rest of 'em.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2012 08:19:43 | More by harrymel

EgadBananas

Louisiana

3.43/5  rDev -15.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a dark mahogany color, with a slight off-white head. Big whiskey notes on the aroma along with some rich malts. Similar in the taste with the barrel notes with a nice sweetness with tinges of alcohol. The feel is a bit prickly. Not bad, but over the course of the bottle, a bit harsh. Light-medium bodied.

Nice barrel notes, but doesn't really expand much on that ideal. Still though, it's fairly nice and worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2012 02:50:49 | More by EgadBananas

nrbw23

Ohio

4.18/5  rDev +3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A- Pours a murky brownish color with a really nice foamy tan head. Head has pretty solid retention and leaves some really nice layered lacing.

S- Smell is quite a bit of bourbon, oak and vanilla. A lot of sweet malts also are jumping out at me. I'm really enjoying the aroma this brew procduces.

T- Quite a bit of a bourbon taste here and I really like it. A good amount of wood, vanilla and spicey hops round things out. If your a fan of a heavy bourbon taste you'll like this brew for sure.

M- Fuller side of medium and lower in carbonation.

O- I really enjoyed this brew. I hope I'm able to come across another some day. If not a big thanks to the wife for picking this one up for me.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2011 08:28:29 | More by nrbw23

aasher

Indiana

3.58/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

An Imperial American Bock aged in Buffalo Trace barrels. That's enough to draw me in.

This one pours a moderately cloudy mahogany in color with a one finger beige colored head. It smells of Buffalo Trace, vanilla, and oak. It doesn't have great complexity but I dig it. The beer is very sweet. It's dominated by vanilla and oak and has a light bourbon finish that stays with the aftertaste. It's ok, but too much sugar. It drinks well for the content. The booze is lost behind the bourbon notes. It has pretty nice flavor and I must say I'm a fan. This is a beer that I enjoy but doesn't grade particularly well. I'd like to see more bourbon barrel aged lighter beers.

Serving type: bottle

08-16-2011 01:31:37 | More by aasher