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!