Reunion Ale '12 - Shmaltz Brewing Company

TBoneJones

Texas

4.6/5  rDev +16.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours dark, robust brown/black with a great head. A dark reddish glows in there as i struggled to find bright enough light to hold this up to. Bubbles visible only as they crept up the concave sides of my Chimay chalice.
Smells chocolaty, cherries with some fig maybe. Walnut.
Wow I sip this and it's different now because I taste creamy vanilla that I couldn't smell in the glass. Is that the cinnamon that's coming off as almond/ walnut? The initial taste I really dig, the way the vanilla fills my mouth with a creamy burn. I never tried a beer like this. I'm glad this is for a good cause as well.  
With spices and a bitter but nice finish. Creamy, great carbonation. Slightly metallic, or something, on the back end.
I liked this very much, and as a brown ale I'd say easily the best I've tried. Next to the vanilla, I enjoyed most how the cinnamon translates in this brew. The linger in the aftertaste (cinnamon that turns metallic/ mineral-like) is the only thing that keeps me from having a higher overall liking of this beer. I'll also add that for being listed as 8% abv., it seems as if these guys had a lowball reading on the hydrometer.

Serving type: bottle

10-31-2012 03:07:50 | More by TBoneJones

Lawl3ss

Texas

4.39/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.25

Chilled 22 oz bomber into a 33 cl snifter. No visible bottling or best-by date.

Look- Deep chestnut with two fingers of frothy parchment-hued head that falls quickly. Very nice ropy lace.

Smell- Milk chocolate, golden raisin, treacle, warm autumn spice- nutmeg, mellow cinnamon, molasses cookies.

Taste- Similar to the aroma with a cold-brewed coffee twist. Warm, soft spice, ovaltine-like, decidedly malty but not unwelcomely so. Very chocolaty, but it works well - not too sweet and the spices aren't overdone and mesh well. Something slightly tannic - almost a woody character. Hops are in the background but present, black tea flavor rounds out the finish.

Mouthfeel- Full, soft feel suits it well. Low-medium carbonation, silky. Very mellow for 8% - booze is well under wraps. Very nice.

Overall- Not a beer to blow you away, but well integrated and flavorful. The spice and cocoa additions and balance are exceptional and play off the rich malty backbone quite well.. This is definitely a beer I'd revisit, too bad it's a one-off.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2013 21:58:33 | More by Lawl3ss

fredmugs

Indiana

4/5  rDev +1%

05-19-2013 21:29:31 | More by fredmugs

GaryMarkle84

Virginia

4.25/5  rDev +7.3%

05-17-2013 23:11:26 | More by GaryMarkle84

mooseisloose

Florida

3.46/5  rDev -12.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.25

Part of a BOTMC this one was cellared for about a year and a half, time to give it a whirl. Popping the top I get a very hearty waft of heavy malt and chocolate and spice. Pours to a barely translucent tannic acid river brown with a nice deep tan two finger head. Taste is very unique, a big hop belt with some black licorice and dark chocolate hitting up front then a smooth transition to mostly choclate and a slightly bitter finish. Very smooth and heavy in the mouthfeel. Taste is hearty but yet a little funky, maybe from the chili peppers? A good brew to try but not something I would seek out again.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2013 19:44:59 | More by mooseisloose

oakaged88

New York

4.25/5  rDev +7.3%

05-11-2013 00:48:10 | More by oakaged88

Kelp

New Hampshire

4/5  rDev +1%

05-04-2013 20:40:38 | More by Kelp

BigJim5021

Indiana

4.25/5  rDev +7.3%

05-04-2013 08:23:10 | More by BigJim5021

johnnyboy76

Oregon

3.75/5  rDev -5.3%

05-04-2013 03:58:57 | More by johnnyboy76

jbaker67

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +1%

05-03-2013 21:54:13 | More by jbaker67

blknikon

Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev -11.6%

04-30-2013 19:53:41 | More by blknikon

DrunkinYogi

Connecticut

3.75/5  rDev -5.3%

04-13-2013 16:45:56 | More by DrunkinYogi

nimrod979

Maryland

3.71/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Poured into a standard pint glass.

Appearance: Brown in color with amber hues. Thick foamy, off-white head. Very nice retention and lacing.

Aroma: Cocoa, vanilla,cinnamon, hazelnut, pumpkin pie. Very nice.

Taste: Dark cocoa hits up front, cinnamon kicks in through the middle with the vanilla flavor holding up the backend. Man that cinnamon and vanilla really sticks with you well after the finish.

Mouthfeel: Chewy, medium thick mouthfeel. Carbonation is soft and smooth. Once again, lingering finish of cinnamon and vanilla. Not bad and rather interesting big bad brown ale.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2013 15:00:36 | More by nimrod979

SocalKicks

California

4/5  rDev +1%

04-12-2013 07:04:17 | More by SocalKicks

Wowcoolman

California

4/5  rDev +1%

04-06-2013 01:19:58 | More by Wowcoolman

bacasnax

Florida

4.5/5  rDev +13.6%

04-01-2013 23:44:59 | More by bacasnax

drgonzo2k2

California

4/5  rDev +1%

03-31-2013 00:49:57 | More by drgonzo2k2

Paul68

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +1%

03-30-2013 04:16:20 | More by Paul68

CommanderOfAwesome

California

3.75/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.75

12 oz bottle poured into a snifter.

A: Pours nice rich chocolately brown with a huge 3 finger hazelnut fluffy head.

S: Big chocolate aroma. Bitter coco, vanilla, cookie bready-ness. Sweet chocolatey smelling beer.

T: Follows the aroma, chocoately on the palate. Has a slight coffee undertone and is a nice tasting beer.

M: Nice and velvety, though lacks in the body. Its a bit thin for what I'd want. Its the body of a porter in a stout looking beer. The lack of body really detracts from the beer and makes me wishing it were thicker. Could have been an excellent beer, but just ends up being decent.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2013 03:34:01 | More by CommanderOfAwesome

SSEngelbrecht

Louisiana

3.5/5  rDev -11.6%

03-28-2013 21:40:05 | More by SSEngelbrecht

marlinsfan4

Maryland

4/5  rDev +1%

03-25-2013 23:25:55 | More by marlinsfan4

Sparky44

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -5.3%

03-24-2013 19:35:51 | More by Sparky44

Abe_Froman

Texas

3.75/5  rDev -5.3%

03-24-2013 04:58:52 | More by Abe_Froman

Pegasus

Texas

3.95/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: A moderate, very dense cream-colored head surmounts a clear, dark amber body. The lacing is utterly glass-coating, with quite good head retention.

Aroma: Fairly intense aroma of brown sugar and bitter cocoa., vanilla, toasted malt, and oak. The high ABV does not manifest itself in the aroma.

Taste: Opens with an abundance of moderately bitter cocoa and vanilla. As the taste progresses, dark bread notes, cinnamon, cold coffee, and warming alcohol appear. There is also a persistent wood note, which is reminiscent of French oak. The finish consists of a long, lingering note of bitter cocoa and vanilla, with a moderate herbal hop presence.

Mouth feel: Smooth, soft, and full, with a bit of champagne-like carbonation.

Drinkability/notes: Quite nice and very drinkable, would pair well with chocolate-based desserts. Also a pleasing winter-style ale.

Presentation: Packaged in a standard twenty-two ounce brown glass bomber bottle, with a pry-off crown served in a standard New Belgium brewing chalice.

Sourcing: Purchased at Spec's in Texas for $6.99 on 03/22/2013.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2013 02:10:15 | More by Pegasus

vcoggins

Texas

4.25/5  rDev +7.3%

03-14-2013 02:52:31 | More by vcoggins