He'Brew Jewbelation Fourteen - Shmaltz Brewing Company

Pahn

New York

4.1/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle into Duvel tulip.

Appearance: Free pour yields a two inch, frothy tan head that dissipates slowly leaving a thick ring of lacing. Pours solid black and leaves thick swatches and walls of lacing that are slowly carried away by the beer's giant legs.

Smell: From the bottle: all raisin and fig. In the glass: the same, but breadier. Some herbal hops with a hint of citrus show through early on. Gets even maltier with warmth, with some chocolate, cookie dough, and cake aromas. Eventually the smell gets powerfully boozy, but rather than masking the other aromas it somehow uplifts them, making them more potent and interesting. This "final form" of the aroma bumped the score up from 4.0 to 4.5, because it's very unique and enticing (it was already quite good at first).

Taste: Sweet and malty, like the nose, but immediately hotter with alcohol. The burning finish has a sweet grape and raisin character to it that caught me off guard. There's some chocolate and roasted flavors up front along with the sweet dark fruits. It kind of tastes like a so-called "Belgian Stout" minus the characteristic Belgian yeast (though plus even more fruity esters).

There's a decent amount going on here, and the fruity/roasted interplay is very nice. Not unexpectedly, I have a sneaking suspicion that this flavor is going to move into 5.0 territory after being aged for a couple years. It's a good thing this beer is so cheap, so buying a few extra bottles to age is no real hit to the wallet.

Mouthfeel: Smooth, fuller side of medium bodied. Moderate carbonation. Finishes slightly dry.

Drinkability: Tasty sipper. I have a weakness for beers like this, so no complaints here.

My closing paragraphs for He'brew (and Stone and Lagunitas) beers are a little predictable: they start with "Once again", and include phrases like, "another winner" and "amazing price". Jewbelation 14 is no exception. Fresh, it's not blowing me away the way Jewbelation 13 did, but at the same time I think this beer will age better (it will probably age the best of the Jewbelation series so far, actually). The flavors can only get better as the alcohol mellows and the balance and complexity of the myriad malty notes grow.

As a side note, I bought the Vertical Jewbelation Gift Pack containing this 12oz bottle of 14, the 6 other Jewbelations rebrewed and put in 12oz bottles, and a 12oz bottle of "Vertical Jewbelation" which is a blend of all 7 recipes aged in whiskey barrels (and is spectacular), for $15 (i've heard of it varying between $15~$30). For beer like this, that is an amazing deal. You simply won't find other beers of this quality and size (the ABV/amount of ingredients used) as cheap as the Jewbelation series. Only Stone Arrogant Bastard even really comes close in my mind, and it's not as big a beer (and costs a bit more usually).

Serving type: bottle

11-09-2010 00:47:29 | More by Pahn

nlmartin

Ohio

3.5/5  rDev -14%

06-07-2013 20:01:58 | More by nlmartin

Duff27

Illinois

4/5  rDev -1.7%

05-07-2013 15:37:29 | More by Duff27

egrace84

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -7.9%

05-06-2013 02:13:20 | More by egrace84

RuckusDu

Colorado

3.75/5  rDev -7.9%

03-11-2013 02:38:17 | More by RuckusDu

PopnLoads

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +10.6%

02-15-2013 04:16:05 | More by PopnLoads

PapiMagnum

New York

5/5  rDev +22.9%

02-13-2013 06:41:44 | More by PapiMagnum

calcnerd

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +4.4%

02-04-2013 02:53:08 | More by calcnerd

Boto

Connecticut

4.35/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

22oz. bomber: This one pours an inky, bark brown color. There was a bit of a brown head on it that leaves some lacing. Decent enough nose. Lots of malts to the nose. Chocolate, caramel, dark fruits are most prevalent. Also getting some citrus and pint hops. Also a bit of alcohol. The taste is pretty good. Some caramel and chocolate malt sweetness. Raisins, vanilla, molasses, hints of coffee. Lots going on here, but a pretty decent mix.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2013 21:27:37 | More by Boto

t0rin0

California

3.75/5  rDev -7.9%

01-05-2013 03:06:14 | More by t0rin0

smithj4

New York

4/5  rDev -1.7%

12-29-2012 03:20:11 | More by smithj4

dudecandle

New York

4.25/5  rDev +4.4%

12-19-2012 18:09:15 | More by dudecandle

JMBSH

Colorado

4.25/5  rDev +4.4%

12-08-2012 04:29:02 | More by JMBSH

Harvey98

Arizona

4/5  rDev -1.7%

12-02-2012 21:30:51 | More by Harvey98

martyl1000

Wisconsin

4.5/5  rDev +10.6%

12-02-2012 02:24:22 | More by martyl1000

Grant35

California

4.25/5  rDev +4.4%

11-29-2012 17:59:36 | More by Grant35

theminutemen

Missouri

4/5  rDev -1.7%

11-29-2012 17:10:55 | More by theminutemen

Vancoubeer

Washington

4/5  rDev -1.7%

11-22-2012 02:39:00 | More by Vancoubeer

shagal

Alberta (Canada)

2/5  rDev -50.9%

11-12-2012 05:27:22 | More by shagal

sendbeer

Georgia

3/5  rDev -26.3%

10-22-2012 16:43:59 | More by sendbeer

sweemzander

Illinois

3/5  rDev -26.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12oz. bottle from the 2011 Holiday Pack

(A)- Pours a very very dark brown color with some reddish highlights. Some tan froth too.

(S)- A deep malty and rich profile. Bits of booze and raisin.

(T)- Similar to the smell. a deep/rich malt profile overall with noticeable raisin.

(M)- A mellow carbonation level. A good balance even though it is quite hefty in the malt department; almost a bit too much actually.

(D)- Overall, it is solid, but easily the booziest of the lineup.

Serving type: bottle

09-26-2012 14:04:33 | More by sweemzander

jsulko

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle poured into a snifter glass

Been saving this one. The 15 is next.

Pours a dark black with hints of brown. Slight off-white/brownish head.

Smell is carmel and sweetness with strong dark fruit notes.

Taste is heavy on the dark fruit with little of the sweetness ifrom the malt. Finish reminds you a bit of the high alcohol content.

A very excellent beer in a category I am not always a fan of. Bought the 15 without ever having this off of a recommendation and am glad I finally cracked this one.

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2012 03:11:46 | More by jsulko

jmdrpi

Pennsylvania

4.18/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle from the reissue 2010 Box set

appears a dark mahogany color, 1/4" khaki color head. great head retention.

awesome aroma of tobacco, black cherry, spiced rum. taste is similar. bold flavors- a bit boozy, caramel, toffee, figs. nice thick smooth sticky body. drinks appropriate for the style, and great for the taste.

overall - the series continues and gets better it seems as the years go on

Serving type: bottle

09-11-2012 02:21:23 | More by jmdrpi

liamt07

Ontario (Canada)

3.95/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Bottle from wordemupg, 12oz bottle into a tulip.

Pretty much black in colour with a finger or so of light brown head. Huge lacing, and quite nice retention. Lots of chocolate in the nose and fruity, dark malts. Some molasses and licorice, and a touch of alcohol. Taste has more chocolate, dark breads and fruity dark malts that evoke some Fruit Loops grape flavour. Syrupy and some molasses. Dense body, some alcohol but doesn't suggest 14% by any stretch. Low carbonation and thick. A good beer, but I wasn't blow away.

Serving type: bottle

09-10-2012 03:45:55 | More by liamt07

dominic4beer

California

4.5/5  rDev +10.6%

09-05-2012 07:00:44 | More by dominic4beer