He'Brew Vertical Jewbelation Review
Tonight is the eighth, and last, night of Chanukah which means that this is the last beer in the Shmaltz He'Brew Vertical Jewbelation series. And we're finishing with... wait for it... He'Brew Vertical Jewbelation which is a blend of He'Brew Miraculous Jewbelation 8, He'Bew Jewbelation 9 5766, He'Brew Monumental Jewbelation 10, He'Brew Jewbelation 11, He'Brew Jewbelation 12, He'Brew Jewbelation 13 and He'Brew Jewbelation 14. Then, they age that blend in Sazerac 6 Year Rye Whiskey Barrels! Sound good? We think so! It's the last night of Chanukah and it's cold out in Boston, so enjoy your family and friends, pour yourself a glass of He'Brew Vertical Jewbelation and sit and savor this delicious brew! Now, on to the beer.
Appearance: Like pretty much the entire Jewbelation series, this beer pours dark, dark brown with a tan head. At 10.5% abv the head fades away quick, but leaves lacing down the side of glass. This beer just looks full, sticky and delicious!
Smell: This beer smells DELICIOUS! In many barrel aged beers the booze from the barrel overwhelms everything else, but Vertical Jewbelation was done well. You can smell the Sazerac 6 Year Rye Whiskey, but it blends perfectly with the brown ale-style malt of the beer. The aging, rather than increasing the alcohol smell from the barrel, actually mellowed this beer. There's a little bit of caramel and vanilla in the aroma... caramel probably from the whiskey and vanilla from the barrel. This one smells great, so it's time to drink!
Taste: And, yep! This beer looks good, it smells good and it tastes great! It's got a great, full mouth feel, smooth body and mild carbonation. This is just what we look for in a big barrel aged beer. Nutty, brown ale-style malt mixes with mild whiskey flavors, vanilla, caramel, a little honey 
and a great aftertaste. The beer finishes dry way in the back of your mouth, which actually makes you want to drink more of it to re-wet. This dryness is probably from tannins from the wood in the barrel; it's to be expected in barrel-aged beers and is actually nice in the right amounts, which this one is.
Well folks, that just about does it for DrinkCraftBeer's Craft Beer Chanukah. We hope you enjoyed all eight of Shmaltz's He'Brew Anniversary ales! Let us know in the comments below which were your favorites, or let us know on Twitter or on Facebook. Now finish your Vertical Jewbelation and, while you're at it, enter our Facebook DrinkCraftBeer Pint Glass Contest or our Twitter DrinkCraftBeer Pint Glass Contest!
Add a commentHe'Brew Jewbelation 14 Review
As we've mentioned in past evenings of this holiday, the beers in the Shmaltz He'Brew Vertical Jewbelation pack increase in alcohol corresponding with the anniversary each beer was brewed for. Tonight's is Fourteen, which means 14% abv. Luckily in Boston it's freezing the evening, so a bit of alcohol warmth is just what we need!
He'Brew Jewbelation 14
Appearance: Jewbelation 14 pours a dark, opaque brown in the middle with tinges of clearer brown around the edges. While this is the highest alcohol by volume for any of the Chanukah beers, it's definitely not the darkest. A 1/2 inch of tan head forms on top and quickly recedes, most likely from the high alcohol content of the brew.
Smell: The alcohol definitely shows in the nose of this one but, like the fine craft beer it is, it doesn't dominate. Prune and dark fruit pervades the smell, with some fig in there it seems. This is definitely not a hoppy beer, the toasted malts really show through in a great smooth aroma.
Taste: Again there's a prune-like, raisiny flavor in this brew. The alcohol, as mentioned before, definitely shows through... but at 14% abv, what can we expect? On a night as cold as this one the alcohol warmth is nice as long as it's not too strong, and this one isn't. The hops are really only here to prevent the beer from being cloying, which could easily occur with a beer this big. Some of the darker roasted malts give this brew a chocolate or cocoa like flavor, and the high alcohol really lends to a dry finish that doesn't have the chalkiness that some beers like this can have if they're not sweet. Overall, this is a tasty beer and a great one to split with family! 14% abv goes a long way, so make this a sharing beer.
This is Shmaltz's current anniversary beer and, given the alcohol, we're interested to see how 15 comes out next year. Will they keep increasing the alcohol every year? When does it stop? Only they know! Keep a look out for this whole series to come to a head tomorrow evening when we post our review of He'Brew Vertical Jewbelation, a blend of all seven beers we've reviewed so far aged in Rye Whiskey barrels. We can't wait! L'Chaim!
Add a commentHe’Brew Jewbelation 13 Bar Mitzvah Review
The 6th beer in the He’Brew Jewbelation series is their 13th anniversary beer which has been aptly and unsurprisingly named “Bar Mitzvah.” We approached this beer with a bit of trepidation, at 13% alcohol this is no joke. When you get to this level of alcohol the chance of things going wrong increases greatly. We’re happy to report though that all is well in the world with this beer.
He'Brew Jewbelation 13 Bar Mitzvah
Appearance: Just like the remainder of the series this very dark, the head disapaited quite rapidly.
Smell: Coffee and chocolate notes and vanilla. While the past beers have hidden the alcohol you can smell the alcohol here.
Taste: Having drank the 12th anniversary yesterday I wondered how this beer would compare. While the beers look alike the 13 is definitely a different experience. The roasted malt notes are much more dominant than some others in the series. Alcohol notes are much more prominent, though you’d expect that with a 13% abv beer. In addition to the chocolate, coffee and vanilla flavors found in the aroma there’s also subtle hints of caramel. This is a seriously big beer and we’d recommend splitting even the 12oz bottle between a few people. While delicious it’s heavy and we found ourselves satisfied by a 4-6 oz pour.
