Reunion Ale '12 - Shmaltz Brewing Company

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

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

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

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

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

hackmann

Michigan

3.76/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Appearance: black body with a half finger tan head

Aroma: their inspiration to make this beer was a dessert and it smells like a tasty one at that. To me I am thinking – cheese cake with some vanilla, chocolate and cinnamon on top – oh, maybe tiramisu. Whichever it smells very good.

Flavors: just as tasty as the nose, nice chocolate with a touch of coffee, roasted vanilla bean, dusty cinnamon, lightly toasted malts, a hint of hops on the back of the tongue – light spice

Mouthfeel: low carbonation, almost creamy, sweet but not in your face sweet, lingering cinnamon and light bitterness

To the Point: very interesting, liquid dessert beer style, I could not handle the Sweet 16 but this I would buy again because it is unique.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2013 04:06:54 | More by hackmann

babaracas

Florida

3.11/5  rDev -21.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours an orange tinted dark brown, clear, with thin fizzy khaki-colored head. Smell: toast, sugary, a big blast of vanilla, plum, pie spice. Taste: sweet upfront with caramel and a little fig, then gritty cinnamon with cocoa powder... add a lot of vanilla to this and I get more of a cheap boozy spiced rum flavor that overwhelms from midsip to the finish. Slick feel. Not very good, liked some of the past years' much better.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2013 02:28:49 | More by babaracas

drpimento

Wisconsin

4.48/5  rDev +13.1%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Super beer! Poured at a good temperature with a collassal, foamy, frothy, fluffy, light tan head that settled very slowly and lots of lace. Color is a dark mahoganey with some tiny bubble trails. Aroma is great - vanilla, roast, malt, hint of cinnamon. Flavor's like nose and has very good balance all the way around, sweet, carbonic tang, and bitter. The rich flavors are tamed just right. Body & carbonation are just right. Finish is like flavor although there's a medicinal component that detracts. Finish is also long. I had a piece of habanero jack cheese and it messed up my mouth, so this review is provisional.

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2013 07:21:17 | More by drpimento

Fatehunter

Oregon

3.88/5  rDev -2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

A finger of head on a black body.
The aroma is roasted malt and milk, pretty nice.
The taste is great. Chocolate, spice, roasted malt; lots of borderline sweetness but maintains a good balance.
The texture is smooth with moderate carbonation.
Pretty good.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2013 04:26:13 | More by Fatehunter

ummswimmin

New Jersey

3.55/5  rDev -10.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

I poured this beer into a tulip style glass. It is very dark. If you hold the Reunion up to the light, you can barely see some red and brown in there.

This beer smells really unusual. You get coffee and some berries in there. I also smell the chocolate and cinnamon in there. It is a lot of different smells, but they don't work off of each other really well. The flavor is equally oddly imbalanced. I really don't understand what is going on in this one. This is really unusual.

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2013 20:24:18 | More by ummswimmin

1759Girl

California

3.66/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 3.25 | smell: 5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Appearance> Much darker than I anticipated. Almost black. The head is a creamy pale brown, but dissipates quickly. Hard to judge the livliness. Not very lacy. Looks rather average apart from the deep dark color.

Smell> A lovely almost heady vanilla. The cocoa really comes through strongly. I feel like I'm about to drink a homemade chocolate cake.

Taste> I didn't expect so much cinnamon to come through. A lovely warm chocolate middle, but really the beer is overpowered with heat from the cinnamon.

Mouf> Pretty great for the style.

Drinkability> I could probably only have one or two of these, but if I could make this into a scented candle and have it all over my house.=)

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2013 23:46:21 | More by 1759Girl

ksimons

New York

4.04/5  rDev +2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A-chestnut with slight ruby highlights and almost a fingers worth of cream head

S-getting lots of vanilla, milk chocolate, malt, and some spicy cinnamon

T-getting a lot more of the cinnamon in the taste than I did in the smell, sweet vanilla and chocolate, and light roasted malt

M-medium body, moderate carbonation, getting kind of a dry spicy aftertaste

Overall, this is kind of a different beer. I appreciate the flavors, the cinnamon might be a bit too strong in the taste, but it's still pretty good and a nice change from beers I typically drink.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2013 22:38:22 | More by ksimons

joemcgrath27

Alberta (Canada)

4.1/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - dark swampy red-brown, some light getting through along the edges, two solid fingers of creamy tan head, very nice retention
S - big smack of cinnamon right away, followed by some boozy sweetness, rich caramel and candied fruit, light but building aroma of cocoa
T - big cocoa and coffee flavours start it off, brown sugar and cinnamon much lighter than the nose, mild cherry and booze for a bit of a brandy background, a little disjointed but still tasty
M - on the bigger side of medium, fairly creamy, little bit of dusty cocoa feel meets with alcohol to produce a sweet and drying finish
O - big on flavours all around, and while I don't think it quite comes together in harmony as it should, it is still very tasty and enjoyable treat worth a purchase

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2012 04:07:43 | More by joemcgrath27

GPHarris

Alabama

3.63/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

a - poured a one finger thick tan head into a snifter that left a thin ring which was gone halfway through the beer. the body was a bright mahogany color.
s - burnt chocolate and vanilla.
t - chocolate, cinnamon, vanilla, and some spice.
m - click and slightly on the thinner side.
o - had high hopes for this beer but was a little disappointed. it had some good features but overall fell short of a really good brown ale.

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2012 15:41:40 | More by GPHarris

DenverLogan

Colorado

4.15/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Aroma of chestnuts, caramel and chocolate cake. Light mahogany color...small lingering bubbles. Taste is of cocoa, roasted malts, burnt roasted malts, cinnamon. Initial reaction is to the sweetness, which is dominant. With time it opens up the malts...like a malted milk ball! Would work well with food pairing...certainly desserts, but also Mexican pollo con mole or BBQ. Similar in some ways to Sam Adams Chocolate Bock, or their Chili Bock, or similar to the first batches of Copper Kettle's GABF winning Mexican Chocolate. Anyway, a tasty beer but I might prefer to share a 22 oz with someone as one of the later beers of the evening or with food.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2012 04:11:38 | More by DenverLogan

JohnnyP3

Alaska

4.1/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz bottle. Pours a cola brown with a red hue on the edges. Three fingers of pillow-like sand-colored head. Very respectable lacing remains on the glass as the head lowers to a nice crown on the beer.

The nose consists of rich desert flavors: cinnamon, vanilla, fudge, chocolate, caramel. Hot fudge Sunday in a glass or a coke float.

Taste is more of the above, although the sweetness is somewhat tempered by some hop bitterness. Nice dose of vanilla with some bittersweet chocolate. Some cinnamon and sweet malt flavors linger on the tongue. Very little, if any, alcohol in the taste.

Mouthfeel is creamy and smooth with enough carbonation to make this easy drinking.

Overall, a delicious desert beer. Would love to try with slice of cake, etc. Flavors meld together successfully.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2012 06:24:53 | More by JohnnyP3

IrishHockey

Indiana

4.1/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from 22oz bomber into my Founders snifter

The pour of this one is a dark brown almost black liquid with a nice off white foam 2 finger head that sticks around for a minute or two

Smell.... Damn. It's a bouquet of dessert smells. Chocolate, vanilla, cinnemmon, maybe some coffee in there too

Taste: I get a lot of chocolate then a cinnemmon kick at the end. No vanilla in the taste.

Mouthfeel: thick and creamy. I think this is the best part of the beer, hands down

Overall: I like this brew. It's not an everyday beer, but as a dessert beer it's pretty damn good. I'd buy it again. Very well done

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2012 02:48:21 | More by IrishHockey

pkalix

California

4.63/5  rDev +16.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

beautiful foamy, frothy, malty head. dark brown.
the smell is divine. cocoa, vanilla, pure nectar. sure, i'm buzzed already, but my standards get higher when i am....
taste.... is cocoa. guess they put some cocoa in this, eh? they mention other things they put in on the bottle, but this is what i'm getting dominantly. at 8%, i think they're doing a fine job.
it's a bit heavier than others, but that would be expected for a brew like this.
excellent head retention, excellent lacing. overall, this is a great brew. it's beautiful to look at and behold. and it's a very nice tatsing product. at 8%, this is a labor of love. someone turned this into a candy bar, almost. i love the way it looks; i love the way it smells. the overall score was torn as i dont want to give a 5 too freely, so a 4.5 it is. but it's a beautiful brew and it smells delightful. this one really surprised me. i like all the he'brew products i have tried so far.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2012 01:03:34 | More by pkalix

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

4.05/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

22oz bomber. I had the '11 when I was in Detroit this time last year, so nice to see it make it a bit further northward now.

This beer pours a clear, very dark reddish amber hue, with a teeming amount of slick rocky beige head, which leaves some broad mushroom cloud instances of lace around the glass as it slowly yet surely abates.

It smells of medium-dark, powdery cocoa, sweet, somewhat biscuity caramel/toffee malt, sugary vanilla wafer, and some earthy cinnamon spiciness. The taste is much tamer that the aroma let on - a sharp, thin cinnamon note right up front, soft pale grainy, kind of black bready malt, a lessened, but still sturdy blend of corner-store chocolate and lightly boozy natural vanilla, with a subtle earthiness that one might actually be forgiven for mistaking as hops.

The bubbles are a tad frothy, which plays well enough with the guest ingredients, I suppose, the body medium-light in weight, and generally smooth, the flintiness of the spice marring things a bit. It finishes off-dry, the lingering chocolate-vanilla sweetness still co-opting the biscuit malt backbone, and the cinnamon thankfully tailing off on its own. No real sign of the 8% ABV as of yet, so kudos on that.

A decent grown-up brown ale, nicely augmented with the coffeehouse favourites, and the spice maybe a wee bit mishandled, but overall, I enjoyed this, especially considering the deft booze integration - barely an iota of heat to be found. An appropriately well-made memorial.

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2012 02:59:20 | More by biboergosum

Suds

Pennsylvania

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

Dark brown, clear, with a full, thick, lightly-tan head. The aroma is of nutty, brown malt and grain. At first I didn't get the vanilla that is claimed to be in this beer (on the label). However, it pokes out very faintly after half a glass. The taste is brown and a little sugary...brown sugar...with some chocolate and a little underlying spice. Full in body with a little herbal hops in the background. Wonderful.

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2012 03:12:56 | More by Suds

srhoadsy

Florida

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

Served slightly chilled in a pint glass.

Pours a deep deep brown. With a thick inch+ head that slowly fades and continues to cling to the glass.

Smells of vanilla, caramel, chocolate and spice, mainly cinnamon.

Taste is very sweet and spicy, reflecting the aroma. I also detected a very slight peppery flavor in the background.

Has a fairly sweet and heavy body. Medium carbonation. Very mild alcohol burn.

Overall a very nice collaboration. Surprised it came out when it did. Much more appropriate as holiday warmer. Will cellar some for that very purpose.

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2012 01:20:14 | More by srhoadsy

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

Philousa

California

4/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Pours a dark brown, nearly black, cranberry red against the light on the edges. Cinnamon and sugar dominate the aroma while dark cocoa and slight vanilla round things out. Malt is mostly absent besides an oaty presence that is common in oatmeal stouts. Feel is what I notice first from this beer: creamy and slightly watery. It's nice. Semi sweet chocolate lingers through to the cinnamon flavor and beyond. The hops are somewhat aggressive and earthy, barkish. Flavor is somewhat fleeting, making you want another sip. Also of note is the lack of alcohol flavor; ABV is well hidden.

I balked at the cinnamon and as a result it sat in my fridge for over a month before I thought to open it. The feel is a dream and they didn't overdo the cinnamon. The sweet flavors are done with some delicacy, do it doesn't overpower. It's more like a battle for flavor dominance, considering how many flavors are packed into this beer. Surprisingly good.

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2012 22:39:19 | More by Philousa

alpinebryant

Connecticut

3.7/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: This pours a great brown ale color with a massive head, some lacing and heavy head retention.

S: Aroma is of a heavy dosing of cinnamon, some nutmeg and vanilla as well as a medium brown malt backbone.

T: This is a nice brown ale base with a heavy dash of a few spices. Perhaps a little too much, but I still can enjoy it. The Cinnamon might be a bit overbearing while the vanilla is welcome while a bit weak and the cocoa is clearly present and slightly reminiscent of Swiss Miss cocoa mix. The cinnamon, like most beers with a lot of cinnamon is slightly warming. There is also a bit of toffee in the back.

M: Mouthfeel is slightly light for a brown ale, and a bit dry, with a mild to high carbonation. While it poured rather rigorously, it does not taste overcarbonated or sting my tastebuds.

O: I think this was a success and as with a lot of Shmaltz's beers, is reasonably priced - Imagine that!! I still wish more breweries would get on the same page as Shmaltz. I am completely over paying 12-15$ for a bomber and have basically stopped doing so when it is not a beer that is phenomenal.

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2012 00:57:40 | More by alpinebryant

womencantsail

California

4.15/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On-tap at Beachwood Brewing

Pours a dark brown color with a finger of khaki head. Lots of cocoa, vanilla, and milk chocolate in the nose. There’s a slight chili pepper aroma and heat along with a touch of raisins. Just a mild earthy note on the nose, too. Maybe a hint of roast and coffee. The flavor is full of sweet molasses, marshmallow, cocoa, and fudge. There’s a touch of raisin fruitiness, a light pepper/spice note, and a touch of vanilla. The mouthfeel is really nice and creamy, too.

Serving type: on-tap

10-24-2012 19:48:02 | More by womencantsail