He'Brew Messiah Nut Brown Ale - Shmaltz Brewing Company

MoreThanWine

Massachusetts

3.48/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured a 3" beige head with good lifespan. The body in masstone is really quite dark - a burnt umber brown. Held to the light it reveals a clear mahogany. Probably the darkest nut brown ale I've seen. It smells mildly of malt, cocoa, and coffee. The taste is very mild, even milder than the smell, and it's kind of like and ultralight porter. Medium long finish. A nice enough brown ale.

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2012 09:03:58 | More by MoreThanWine

brewskifan55

Mississippi

3.7/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a NOLA beer snifter following the outset of Hurricane Isaac. (Tired of the wind and rain--need beer.)

A: Very dark brown (I like other reviewers use of the word Mahogany). A non-lingering half finger tan head. Minimal lacing.

S: Heavy malts, leather, toffee, a small gathering of nuts.

T: Malts cascaded in with a sweet caramel base, dark chocolate, nuts and lingering low hop finish. Robust. Smooth. Some coffee in the mix.

M: Medium to heavy with creamy, chewy carbonation.

O: A decent brown ale. Glad I tried it. I'd rather have more malts than hops on the finish.

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2012 15:18:11 | More by brewskifan55

Mojo

Alabama

3.73/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This is one smooth beer. It pours a deep mahogany with not much head and no lacing. The smell is very subtle but I mainly pick up nuts. Mouthfeel is rather average. The taste is smooth. I really don't get a lot of overly sweet notes and the finish is a little bit of coffee. I'd drink this again.

Serving type: bottle

08-30-2012 03:12:23 | More by Mojo

deadonhisfeet

Kentucky

3.93/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a bottle into a Dogfish Head snifter. The beer pours out a clear, dark, and deep mahogany with a really tight head that has good retention. Really beautiful color when held up to the light. The nose is very faint, but has some roasted notes, nuts, and a spicy note.

The body is medium to full and the mouthfeel is slick and slightly creamy. The flavor is quite full and complex for an American Brown Ale. You get bittersweet roasted malt flavors in the front of the palate that develop to coffee. At the back of the palate, the hops dry things up and provide a nice, lingering finish with coffee, nuts, and some cola-like notes. The beer is quite smooth and easy to drink, but it does have a little hoppy bite to it, giving it an earthy, rustic kind of flavor.

Overall, I thought this was an outstanding brown ale. I wish it was just a little bit maltier, but still one to seek out if you enjoy this style.

Serving type: bottle

08-18-2012 16:26:44 | More by deadonhisfeet

joemcgrath27

Alberta (Canada)

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

A - clear deep brown, thumb of tan head dissipated to a thin covering with fairly consistent lacing
S - nutty and toffee malts, brown sugar and a somewhat artificial sweet aroma, subtle citrus
T - molasses and roasted nut malt, mild earthy and citrus hop notes, burnt sugars in the finish
M - slightly heavier than medium, pleasant carbonation, a little teeth coating sweetness
O - its a solid tasty brown ale, no real wow factor anywhere, but worth a try as usual with Shmaltz

Serving type: bottle

07-31-2012 02:55:37 | More by joemcgrath27

TheSixthRing

California

3.35/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appearance - Pours dark brown with reddish tinge when held to the light. An off-white/light tan head builds to less than finger width before dissipating quickly, leaving behind a sparse lace.

Smell - Subtle, but malt forward aromas; faint chocolate, caramel and the faintest whiff of coffee. It's very hard to pick up.

Taste - Lots of malt sweetness up front; sugary caramel and hints of chocolate. Slightly nutty. A touch of light coffee on the back end.

Mouthfeel - Medium bodied, with a fair amount of lively carbonation. The standout part of this beer.

Overall - A little too sweet and sugary for my tastes, but then again most browns are. Decent, but forgettable in the land of average browns.

Serving type: bottle

07-06-2012 04:21:53 | More by TheSixthRing

britzdog

Ohio

3.15/5  rDev -12.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

nice deep brown pou12 oz bottle poured into a pint glass. No freshness information.

A nice deep brown pour looking ruby in the light with decent lacing.

Has a slight nutty malt aroma with minimal hops. Not overpowering malt in the taste, actually weaker then I expected.

Not one of my favorites in this style. But definitely not the worst.

.

Serving type: bottle

07-04-2012 18:33:15 | More by britzdog

lacqueredmouse

Australia

3.48/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Purchased at Berkeley Bowl West in Berkeley, CA.

Pours a mild brown colour, with good clarity, but almost no head—what forms is a fine ring of flimsy suds. Very light body, no lacing. Overall, it looks pretty insipid, to be perfectly honest.

Nose is mild and pleasantly grainy, with an organic, musty wholesomeness to it, but very little else. No, I lie, there is a hint of something hoppy to it, giving it a mild sweet lemon character. But this is hidden under the malt, which while dominant, is not particularly strong.

Taste is mild and grainy, with a crispness on the back that seems to come more from the carbonation than from hops. Wet malt sits on the back, cloying slightly, and giving a mustiness to the aftertaste. Feel is suitable—pretty light, but with a slickness that speaks to the malt.

Overall, it's a bit dull, but not bad. It's light, obviously designed not to overwhelm the palate. It succeeds there, at least, but there are much better beers that do the same thing.

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2012 21:45:14 | More by lacqueredmouse

obywan59

Virginia

3.73/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a dark brown with a 1 1/2 finger head that leaves very light lacing.

Nutty aroma of toasted malt

More toasted malt in the taste, but here it's got more depth. Some faint coffee and a definate biterness from burnt malt.

Medium bodied with light carbonation. Slightly sticky.

A decent brew. A bit more roasted than some other brown ales I've tasted, but it doesn't disappoint.

Serving type: bottle

06-06-2012 04:19:25 | More by obywan59

shand

Florida

3.9/5  rDev +8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a nonic.

Pours out a very deep brown (for the style, at least), with a finger of fluffy head. The aroma is malty, nutty, and a bit watery smelling. The taste is much better, providing a nice rounded roasty maltiness along with a nice nut flavor. Bitter and delicious. The mouthfeel is very smooth and medium-bodied, and the drinkability is good. Another solid brew from Shmaltz. I'm really finding that a lot of their smaller beers are really overlooked, the Coney Island line has some real stunners in it as well as long as you can find them fresh.

Serving type: bottle

05-30-2012 02:47:20 | More by shand

UCLABrewN84

California

3.45/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a clear but super dark brown with a 1/2 inch foamy khaki head that settles to an oily film on top of the beer. Small streaks of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of toasted malt and some nutty aromas. Not too much going on in the smell department unfortunately. Taste is of toasted and almost burnt malt, toasted nuts, and slight caramel flavors. There is a mild roasty bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good brown ale with some nice toasty and roasty flavors.

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2012 21:20:44 | More by UCLABrewN84

Blargimus

Colorado

3.68/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle poured into a pint glass. No freshness information.

Pours a deep brown that turns a deep ruby when held up to light. A finger or so of tan head. Nice lacing.

Nutty malt smell, perfect to style. A hint of bitter hops.

Certainly a malt-forward brown ale. The nutty character definitely comes through strongly. Not much bitterness, but it combines with the nuttiness to cut the sweetness well.

Mouthfeel is surprisingly thin. I'm not looking for an RIS, but I could use a little more to chew on. Carbonation is good.

Another solid brew from a "novelty" brewery that appears to be not-so-novelty after all.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2012 02:40:15 | More by Blargimus

jar2574

Missouri

2.55/5  rDev -29.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

Dark brown beer, ruby red at the edges when held up to light. Some lacing on the way down but not that much head after my pour. Smell is pretty faint, smells like malts and mollases. Tastes slightly sweet like maple syrup. Nutty. No hops to speak of. A thin mouthfeel with a dry finish and slightly chalky residue on the tongue. A below-average beer. Not hard to drink but not exceptional in any way, and I'm not a fan of the mouthfeel.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2012 01:39:29 | More by jar2574

BB1313

Ohio

2.88/5  rDev -20.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

12oz bottle poured into a snifter. Pours a very dark brown with deep ruby hues. There's an off-white head which fades pretty quickly, decent lacing and retention. The aromas are so faint and subtle. It doesn't smell bad, but it barely smells like anything. Tons of malt along with a touch of chocolate and caramel. The flavors are a little more bold, but nothing too impressive. There's a touch of maple. Subtle oak/wood flavors. More chocolate and caramel, but those flavors get lost in the big picture. There's a bitterness that lingers. Finishes dry. Mouthfeel is fine, maybe too much carbonation, but it's the least of my worries. It's still relatively smooth. But where's the nuttiness? You should really let this one warm up for the flavors and aromas to come to life.

I'm not too impressed with this one. I've always liked brown ales and I'm a sucker for "Nut Brown Ales", but this one just didn't do anything for me.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2012 20:27:37 | More by BB1313

DrDemento456

Pennsylvania

3.45/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Wow not many reviews on this one. Picked up at my local place for about 3 bucks.

A - Looks to be a great brown ale, a touch dark but clear dark wood in color with a 1/4 inch of mocha colored head that turns into a thick lace.

S - Very little actual nut or brown malt smell in the nose. Mild hops and sweet malts. Weird.

T - I want to say it's balanced but really nothing sticks out in this one. You get brown malts, mild peanut taste at best and some blended hop bitterness in the finish with again mild brown malts. Not bad overall just nothing that screams "nut brown ale"

M - Light to medium it drinks quite nice.

Overall with it's "limited" release and availability it's really not going to be in my fridge again any time soon. Hopefully the dry hopped session ale will be better.

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2012 23:53:03 | More by DrDemento456

avalon07

South Carolina

3.15/5  rDev -12.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

A: Poured from a bottle to a pint glass. Had a brownish color, with ruby tints and a slightly hazy consistency. There was an inch of creamy, fairly long-lasting, off white head. Good lacing.

S: An underwhelming aroma of malt and the typically brown ale, nutty quality.

T: Tasted of malt, a little chocolate, light hops, and that aforementioned nuttiness. Not an awful flavor, but certainly very average, and a bit thin.

M: A good amount of carbonation with a smooth, dry finish. Medium-bodied.

O: This beer has some good attributes, but never rises above the average.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2012 12:11:21 | More by avalon07

scootny

New York

3.88/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A towering head with nice lacing. Dark off white. Brew itself is clear and a dark cola. Smell sweet malt with a nice healthy breadiness. A good nutty character to the nose. Flavor has a nutty malt core with lots of roasted grains and a light sweetness, mostly Caramunich malt. Flavors of faint chocolate and coffee. The finish is dry and mostly earthy with a light leafy hop and oil lingering. A touch of bread and earthy hops as it fades. Feel is medium weight and a crisp tingly carbonation. A really good nut brown/American brown ale.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2012 03:00:11 | More by scootny

IronLover

Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Dark chestnut in color with an amber hue and good clarity. Poured with a rich, light being foam that slowly dissipated. Sweet dark and toasted malt aromas with hints of brown sugar, molasses and dark fruit. Medium bodied with rich, aggressive carbonation. Caramel and toasted malt flavors up front followed by ripe fruit and molasses. Malt and fruit flavors fade in the middle giving way to a brief nuttiness that immediately transitions to lightly bitter floral hoppiness that carries through to the end. Finishes semi-dry with a dark molasses and light bitter hop aftertaste. Overall this has nice character and was on the sweet side.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2012 18:17:25 | More by IronLover

thagr81us

South Carolina

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

Served from tap into a sampler shaker. Poured a reddish brown with a half finger khaki colored head that subsided to a minimal amount slowly. There was no lacing evident throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, grape, and fruit. The flavor was of sweet malt, grape, fruit, and apple. It had a light feel on the palate with mild carbonation. Overall this was a decent brew. I have to be honest that I was quite hesitant on this one as I have not found a Hebrew beer that I like yet. So I was a little afraid to try this one. However, this one wasn’t too bad. I think they made a good move making this one so simple as I think that’s where they lose me on their other brews I’ve had. This one was easy to drink, which was a nice change. Worth trying if you get the opportunity.

Serving type: on-tap

04-06-2012 15:35:06 | More by thagr81us

Cyberkedi

Georgia

3.7/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Malty aroma has caramel and fruity notes and a hint of molasses. It pours a dark, slightly hazy cola brown with a fairly thick, fine-bubbled, pale beige head. Mouth-filling flavor has a malty core and caramel, nutty and apple tones plus a hint of - cola? Rather tasty and enjoyable. Smooth texture has average fizz and body. Worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2012 01:40:05 | More by Cyberkedi