The time left to enter the giveaway announced on Monday is running out quickly. If new entries trickle in before midnight I will throw them in the lottery, but that will be the cut off. My dogs (or at least one of them) will be picking the two winners tomorrow morning, which should make for a very interesting video addition to the post announcing the lucky two.
The second of The Wife’s randomly selected reviews for this week is another from Shmaltz Brewing Co. I was certainly not disappointed that I would be able to revisit another of their very good brews. This one is from their HE’BREW line of beers that are, perhaps, slightly more traditional than their Coney Island counterparts. As I have said before the labels and the names will get you to try the first one, but the product inside the bottle will keep you coming back.
Brewery: Shmaltz Brewing Co. (Saratoga Springs, NY – based in San Francisco, CA)
Name: Rejewvenator Harvest to Harvest Ale – Year of the Date (uses date concentrate)
Style: Half Doppelbock and half Belgian Dubbel
ABV: 7.8%
Tasting Notes: Stored in the fridge and served in a pilsner glass. $4.99 for 1pt. 6oz.
Aroma: Deep maltiness with no real hop aroma. Dark fruit noticeable (I would have guessed fig or something similar). Somewhat brown sugar-like character.
Appearance: Dark (deep) amber color with some ruby. Four plus finger, light caramel color head that is very creamy and persistent. Legs and trail are left on glass. Clear with bubble visible along glass.
Flavor: Rich maltiness with some toasty/roasted flavor. Fruit flavor (date concentrate) is not really noticeable. Finishes somewhat dry. Balance is heavy to malt with a hint of estery hop flavor in back.
Mouthfeel: Medium-full body. Very smooth and somewhat creamy. Some warmth noticeable. Medium carbonation (providing a very slight sharpness) that lessens as it sits.
Overall Impressions: Quite enjoyable overall. Strong flavors, but they seems to work well together. Warmth is well balanced into the mix.
Grade: A-
Rejewvenator - Year of the Date
Hi Lucas-
Your wife seems to have a knack for picking reviews! Thanks for your write-up of Rejewvenator. It’s an evolving series for us, the 2008 version actually was made with figs, 2009 was date, 2010 yet to be revealed. In the next month or so, we’ll be releasing our extreme Hanukkah beer, Jewbelation Bar Mitzvah (for our 13th anniversary). It’ll be our biggest yet at 13 malts, 13 hops, and 13% ABV. Definitely will be worth checking out.
L’chaim!
Melissa
I guess she had a good shot to pick out a Shmaltz beer since there are a good number of them in the binder! I will be keeping an eye out for the Jewbelation Bar Mitzvah for sure . . . from what you describe it sounds very promising. Does this mean a 14 malt, 14 hops, and 14% ABV will be in the works for next year?
Hey Lucas. This is Zak from Shmaltz Brewing. Glad to see that Melissa popped by. You mentioned that you couldn’t identify the date in the overall flavor. I was the same way until I went back and tried last year’s version: basically the same, but brewed with fig concentrate instead of date. The fig version comes across MUCH sweeter than this year’s, which I found to be pretty dry. My conclusion: The date… Anyhow, thanks again for all of the support. L’Chaim!!
I just looked back in my notes and I do have Year of the Fig evaluated as well. Apparently I was able to identify the fig in that one, but maybe that just because I read it on the bottle and it was in my mind? I believe part of the issue for me is that I don’t eat enough figs or dates to really be able to distinguish the two. At least I know now that I like them both in beer! I guess since Shmaltz does not have a brewery to visit I will have to be sure to start tasting future beers side by side here at home.