Hop Manna - Shmaltz Brewing Company

plaid75

New York

4.18/5  rDev +10%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured a deep copper hue with a two finger frothy white head. There was very good retention and lacing.

The smell featured peppery and grassy hops atop an earthy caramel.

The taste offered an initial wave of pine and pepper that wound down toa pleasant herbalness. The malt, although secondary, did well to support the balmy hops.

The mouthfeel was toward the fuller side of the style.

Overall a tasty hop forward IPA.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2013 02:31:05 | More by plaid75

TBoneJones

Texas

4.39/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.5

Deep darker copper pour, looks effervescent. Head fades.
Nice fruit bouquet. Some apricot that is fused with a juicy hop aroma, all of which leads to a nutty biscuity aroma.
Tastes EXACTLY like the smell upon first taste..more so with this beer than any other I can recall. The resinous hops are bitter but the malt balances it well. After a few sips the fruit profile moves more toward orange zest than the apricot that hit my nose initially. Orange dominates, and grapefruit lay there too. This tastes nice. In fact I'm reminded of another great IPA as far as the taste goes- Big Eye by Ballast Point. Something about the way the sweet citrus plays forward with the malts at play. Sticky, medium carbonation, body leans toward the thin side. Im glad i snagged a "Hanukkah" variety box of this brewery's offerings(several of which are not so easy to find), as apparently Lenny's RIPA is not the only fine brew from Schmaltz.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2013 00:37:31 | More by TBoneJones

FondueVoodoo

British Columbia (Canada)

3.84/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

A: Copper and clear chalked full of lumps of sediment - for the untrained eye that might appear unseemly - for a BA those chunks old promise of something good to come.
A giant off white soaping head form craters and valleys, and when settled, leave delicate lacing around the glass.

S: Even balance of grapefruit and pines with a base note of floral musky. A smoothness of pale malts and pale caramel round out the hops nicely.

T: Up front pale malts wash through, followed quickly with grapefruit pith and a subtle muskiness and carmalized malts. Rounding out the finish more grapefruit bitter that linger briefly, juicy and hoppy.

M: Medium visocity with a thin syrup feel. Pin pricks and tingles on the front of the tongue and plenty of head still left in the glass to the last sip.

O: A solid IPA that offers a intermediate level of hops for those working their way up to a West coast style IPA. Enjoyable to sip and enjoy as a stand alone drink.

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2013 01:03:37 | More by FondueVoodoo

JMad

Texas

4.04/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

It pours a cloudy light copper color with a soapy off white head that left a lot of lacing down the glass.

Smells of fresh grapefruit and tangerine with a hint of pine and caramel. Big juicy hops on the palate at first sip, I tasted loads of grapefruit rind with more pine, slightly sweet with bread on the finish. It's medium bodied with lots of soft carbonation and a dry finish. This is a well made IPA, it just doesn't really stand out from the rest.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2013 00:49:28 | More by JMad

Bauzen

New York

3.74/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

At first pour, the head is fluffy and stacks generously over a mirky reddish-copper colored ale. The aroma gives off promising vibes, but moments later, the scent dissolves entirely. So does the flavor. All those malts seem to keep the bitters from remaining at the forfront of your pallet as you sip it. My initial impressions were notes of grape fruit, a little toffee, but it lacks the punch and body to really bring those flavors home. Perhaps Hop Manna lacks the potency I expected with a 6.8% ABV, or perhaps this beer is meant to be enjoyed from a keg... But this beer underwhelms in a lot of ways.

I suppose it's worth a try if you're a fan of Shmaltz, but Lagunitas IPA kicks this beer's ass every which way, so do numerous offerings from Founders, Firestone, and Dogfish.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2013 02:17:34 | More by Bauzen

StJamesGate

New York

3.95/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Cherry amber with clingy trailing white froth.
Tangelo, papaya and tropical fruit over toffee shortbread.
Orange, strawberry and mango then orange sorbet and pine sap hops.
Grapefruit pit finish and cleanly bitter linger.
Medium, chewy, salty, smooth, oily and crisp.

Citra sure brings the tropical fruit. Punchy for an almost-APA strength (6.9%). Some of that 5 AM Saint crystal and lots of Centennial citrus. Extra malts make this bigger than expected.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2013 01:30:32 | More by StJamesGate

PrivateEquity

Kansas

4.31/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.25

A - Amber colored IPA. Leaves behind nice lacing.

S - Strong citrus nose.

T - Solid hop base with citrusy. Grapefruit notes. Hop bitterness lasts a little too long.

M - Just above average mouth feel. A little light.

O - Solid hoppy IPA. Decently balanced.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2013 00:38:55 | More by PrivateEquity

hackmann

Michigan

3.98/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: hazy amber with light caramel highlights; finger and a half off white head that leaves plenty of lacing on the glass.

Aroma: light nose; citrus spice

Flavors: solid citrus notes with grapefruit salad coming to mind – white grapefruit leading the way with a little pink and red grapefruit in the mix, spicy citrus-pepper and pine, nice hoppy bitterness, dry dust earthy tone, very light on the sweet, malts must be doing their job to keep the bitterness in check for it is not overly bitter.

Mouthfeel: medium citrus bitterness, moderate carbonation, medium body, sticky oily hops, lingering citrus twang

To the Point: a nice dry hopped ale, if you like citrus/pine this is for you, I would buy this again.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2013 03:24:22 | More by hackmann

AgentMunky

Alabama

4.01/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 22 ounce glass into a DFH IPA glass.

A: Four fingers of head with great retention and sticky lace.

S: Enticingly spicy, with bitter, hoppy undercurrents.

T: Mmm! Light, spicy-bitter, heavy citrus, with a clean, sweetish finish.

M: Very nice. Engaging and spritely.

O: Recommended IPA. Would have again.

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2013 06:17:47 | More by AgentMunky

twiggamortis420

Texas

3.83/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

22 oz bomber pours a hazed orange with a billowing white head that sticks around forever and leaves great lacing.

The Centennial hops are pretty strong in the aroma, I was hoping for more citra presence. Hops are dank and resinous, lemon pith even. Malt manages to hold its own with lots of honeyed grain and toffee.

Pretty well balanced actually...biscuity, toasty malt provide plenty of backbone for a piney-citrus hop flavor on the front end. The backside is plenty bitter and lingers for quite some time. The sweetness from the nose is not really evident in the flavor, as it is pretty dry all the way through. It does what many East Coast IPAs have trouble doing; it is hop-flavor forward (as opposed to just overly bitter) while still providing plenty of malt body.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2013 21:10:48 | More by twiggamortis420

Braz

Washington

4.11/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Bought at Bev Mo in Tacoma. Pours a copper bronze with a nice pure white head. Beautiful fragrance. Floral notes, citrus zest and peel. Slightly sweet taste, great balance and hop flavor. Nice carbonation and very velvety. Great offering and I enjoyed this alot.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2013 23:51:49 | More by Braz

Fatehunter

Oregon

3.59/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Poured a finger of head on a hazy, straw colored body.
The aroma is nice with pine and grapefruit. Bold and upfront.
The taste has a solid grapefruit bitterness with some malt sweetness in the background. A good balance going on.
The texture is crisp with moderate carbonation.
It's a good IPA.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2013 05:04:09 | More by Fatehunter

Durge

Connecticut

4.04/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Found this one at Pies & Pints in Middlebury, CT. This brew is a somewhat hazy amber color with a nice white head and very good lacing. The aroma is a beautiful, vanilla malt blended perfectly with sweet pine/hemp. Very edible and armomatic. The flavor brings intense, though not highly bitter, pine-evergreen hop goodness. It has just enough edge but delivers so much flavor. There's a touch of grass and sweet bread. It has good constitution, medium bodied but with a substantial feel. Carbonation is moderate but more than adequate. A fine hop brew!

Serving type: on-tap

02-11-2013 02:41:04 | More by Durge

katan

Colorado

4.2/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

22oz into a pint

A - Pours light golden color. White head formation, lots of lacing. Very fluffy! Lacing strong too. Lightly bubbling, not overly carbonated.

S - Strong hop nose, lots of citrus and pine. More on the earthy than the fruit side. Super dominant.

T - Starts off immediately dropping in the earthy nature of the hops, lots of pine and resin. Dark and dank. Mid-stream gets balanced but also more citrus. Finishes clean with a light hop oil flavor and some tongue grabbing bitterness.

M - Moderate body, moderate carbonation. Comes off fairly light. Not overly thick, not stinging. No alcohol warmth detected.

O/D - A very enjoyable IPA if you are the ilk the prefers the darker hops. I for one am in favor of that style. Not overly filling, not much on the abv (for the style). Highly recommended for me when I'm in the hop bomb mode.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2013 21:07:56 | More by katan

wvsabbath

West Virginia

3.78/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Serving Type - 22oz bottle

Appearance - Light golden yellow/orange, monster 4 inch foamy head and tons of sticky white lacing.

Smell - Very fruity, lots of lemon, orange, grapes, mango, kiwi, pineapple, grapefruit. All these fruits is all i can get out of this, dont pick up any malts.

Taste - At first sip i can tell this beer is old (er). Has that classic cardboard, dank faiding hop flavor, yet its still plenty hoppy, lots of fruits, and yes i get some malts, caramel and toffee. Some spices add a little pepper like flavor.

Mouthfeel - Hops coat the tounge well, then the malts come in and add the caramel bold flavor. Some bitterness in the finish.

Overall - Classic case of why there should be bottled dates on beers. This was still a decent beer, and fine enough to drink but id love to have it fresh to see what it really has to offer. Ill revisted this again with a fresh bottle one day....

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2013 00:23:33 | More by wvsabbath

canucklehead

British Columbia (Canada)

4.34/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Agree with most reviewers in that the nose is great , all big hops and a brewery smell. This is a big rounded IPA that uses lots of malt to balance the hops. I feel my bottle was pretty fresh so I got the nuance of the hops on the palate. I really liked the finish as it was long and worked with the thicker mouthfeel of the beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2013 19:56:48 | More by canucklehead

lordofstarside

Nevada

2.98/5  rDev -21.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Bomber to a snifter, no clear freshness date. The bottle does say "new for 2012" for the label, so if that's any indication this is probably been on the shelf for a while

Pours a deep gold with a hue leaning more towards an orange. I poured it a bit aggressively on purpose, really didn't expect to get two and a half fingers of foam. After a few minutes it dies down to a finger and a half, little carbonation and good even lacing

Aroma of spicy hops, a very robust malty backbone, some pine and citrus. A lot more malt than most ipas, I wonder how this would smell fresh

Taste of a handful of hops and strong malt. This beer is way past it's prime

Feel is sticky and dry. Drink easy, hides it alcohol well

Overall this beer wasn't great. I'll give shmaltz the benefit of the doubt and be sure to rereview once I get a fresher bottle. Gotta say though, having the word 'malt' in their name isn't helping their case

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2013 01:53:41 | More by lordofstarside

Auraan

Arizona

4.11/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured a cloudy amber with a slight hint of a white head. The scent was mostly malt, with undercurrents of pine and grapefruit. The flavor was typical for the style. Pine flavors, grapefruit and grapefruit pith predominate, with a malt backbone present throughout each sip. The hops are definitely more noticeable and leave a bitter aftertaste. Mouthfeel is again, typical for an IPA. Moderate carbonation and a smooth character allow it to go down easy. A good IPA, well worth trying, but it lacks the complexity of something like Sculpin.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2013 04:16:30 | More by Auraan

ummswimmin

New Jersey

3.68/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

I poured this bottle into my tulip glass. This looks like a good example of an IPA (darker orange). There was about two and a half fingers of head. I like the lacing that this foam left behind.

There was a plentiful amount of hopping coming off the top of this one. I really enjoy the citrus off of the Hop Manna.

I wish this one tasted as good as it smells. The hopping is better in the nose and there should have been more malt present. The bitterness comes through a little too strongly.

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2013 20:04:10 | More by ummswimmin

pcguitarwzrd

Florida

3.75/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Poured from a bomber into a 9-oz snifter.

A: Beautiful golden-orange, relatively clear. Off-white head. Looks like an IPA should.

S: Lots of hops, grapefruit, pineapple. Could sit here and smell this all day.

T: Nuclear hops!!! They hit early and hard. Moves on to citrus, mango/pineapple and just a hint of bready malt at the end (you really have to look for it).

M: Relatively light, the carbonation feels smooth and foamy and almost lager-y.

O: Pretty good IPA, definitely one all hopheads should try. Could use a little more flavor balance--the taste doesn't quite follow through on what the aroma promises.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2013 18:15:11 | More by pcguitarwzrd

LittleDon

Texas

3.48/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Huge off-white head with lots of lace. Hazy light copper. Very understated aroma, earthy, spicy. Grapefruit bitterness balanced with malt sweetness, subdued like the aroma. Medium but long lived bitter finish. Medium body and carbonation. Might have been consumed a bit past its prime.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2013 23:07:33 | More by LittleDon

KajII

North Carolina

3.43/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

[Suggested Glassware: Tulip Glass]

The pour was a medium copper orange with an average (1-2 finger) almost white rocky head that receded slowly, down to a large puddle and large collar with excellent full sheets of lacing.

The aroma was of a grain malt, floral and grassy hops and a soapy yeast with notes of caramel, citrus (grapefruit) and a mild fruity ester (pineapple I believe).

The taste was lightly sweet and a tad bitter with a touch of caramel and a light fruitiness pretty much throughout, with the finish being much more on the bitter hoppy side with pronounced bitter citrus peel ending. The flavor lasted a long duration following the swallow, with a lingering grapefruit bitterness left behind.

Mouthfeel was just past light in body and mildly dry in texture with a somewhat mild carbonation.

Overall this was a smooth and tasty IPA, with a good balance between the hops and the mild caramel sweetness, which definitely allowed for a very enjoyable drinking experience...

http://www.facebook.com/KAJIIsBeerReviews

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2013 20:10:14 | More by KajII

CharlatanSin

Connecticut

3.53/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

From a bottle into a tulip. The beer looks the part of an IPA, as it pours a hazy tan orange. Not much head to speak of; what's there collapses into a persistent ring that leaves some lacing. The aroma is surprisingly malty. Not at all what I'd expect from the style. A little bit of piney hops. This is dry hopped?

The taste is a bit better, but still not super hoppy. Decently bitter. Sweet malt, honey, and earthy pine hops. A little medicinal on the finish. Medium cabronation, and the body's pretty thick, oily and pleasantly sticky. Overall, though, this one ended up a bit of a disappointment. It really seemed more like an amber than an IPA.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2013 02:36:45 | More by CharlatanSin

AlCaponeJunior

Texas

4/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Clear and orange-tan with fine rising bubbles, a two finger head that lasted, and good lace.

Aroma is piney, citrus, lemon peel and grapefruit, herbal, and floral. Definitely noticed the dry hopping!

Flavor is really nice, and as complex as the smell. There's a nice bitterness, balanced but forward, accented with pine, hop resin, floral, citrus, and grassy notes. The malt sweetness balances it out nicely.

Body is full yet drinkable, with ample carbonation and a nice sweet malt/bitter hop finish.

As with most everything from this brewery, I like this beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2012 00:06:14 | More by AlCaponeJunior

GPHarris

Alabama

4/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

1st night of Hanukkah 2012...

a - poured a one finger thick eggshell-colored head into a snifter that left good lacing and sheeting throughout. the head billowed nicely as well. the body was a bright amber color.
s - piney hops with a hint of citrus and maybe some floral hops as well.
t - big, lip-smacking citrus hops with a nice caramel backbone.
m - medium.
o - solid AIPA from an underrated brewery. the hanukkah gift pack is off to a nice start.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2012 17:10:45 | More by GPHarris