Westvleteren 12

I secured a bottle of Westvleteren 12 in a beer trade with Lee from Hoptopia and I decided to share it with my buddy Ed who brought over a bottle of Westvleteren 8 to share with me. The beer pours a dark brown color with hints of amber and a frothy tan head that laces nicely on the glass. The aroma consists of sweet Belgian yeast, malts, pear, and grapes. The taste is smooth and creamy with a light bubbly mouth feel. There are bits of raisin, Belgian yeast, sweet malts, pear, grapes, a light toasted malt accent, caramel, and a good breadiness that keeps the beer on the tongue. The finish is smooth yet warming with a light alcohol bite and an earthy hop accent. The alcohol content is 10.2% ABV. Not all beers live up to the hype that is attached to them, but the Westvleteren 12 certainly does. It hides the alcohol content well while letting you know that it is there, it provides a sweet treat with a well balanced earthy hop finish.

Stillwater Artisanal Ales Cellar Door

My girlfriend ordered a glass of Stillwater Artisanal Ales Cellar Door while we were at Max's Taphouse in Baltimore. The Cellar Door is a saison/farmhouse ale brewed with sage. The beer pours a golden color with a frothy white head. The aroma is big on sage with wheat and lemongrass. The taste is sweet and has a big lemon profile with earthy tones and wheat. There is a drying and bubbly sage finish. The alcohol content is 6.5% ABV. The Cellar Door was a perfect example of the farmhouse style, and the sage accents really pushed the beer over the top.

Westvleteren 8

My buddy Ed brought over a bottle of Westvleteren 8 to share with me. The beer pours a brown-amber color with floating flakes of yeast and a frothy tan head. The aroma consists of grape juice, bread, and Belgian yeast. The taste is smooth and sweet with a lot of breadiness on the tongue, some raisin, and the grape juice flavor that was in the aroma. The finish has a nice hop bite on the sides of the mouth that leaves earthy flavors lingering. The after taste is quite warming on the back of the throat. The alcohol content is 8.0% ABV. The Westvleteren 8 was a wonderful drinking beer that provide a wide range of flavors ranging from the sweet malts and yeast to the dry earthy hops.

Jay's Pumpkin Ale

My girlfriend's boss Jay gave her a bottle of his home brewed pumpkin ale for me to try. The beer pours a brown color with a frothy tan head. The aroma consists of lots of cinnamon and nutmeg with a background of pumpkin. The taste is dry and malty with a healthy dose of cinnamon that dries out the tongue. The finish kicks in with some pumpkin and caramel and the after taste dries out again with nutmeg. No alcohol content is available but I would assume it to be around 7.0% ABV. This was a very good pumpkin beer that focused on the spices with the pumpkin accenting the rest of the beer.

Shmaltz He'brew Vertical Jewbelation

The final beer in the Shmaltz Brewing He'brew Jewbelation pack was the Vertical Jewbelation. This beer is a blend of all seven Jewbelation beers (8,9,10,11,12,13, and 14) and then aged in Sazerac 6 Year Rye Whiskey Barrels. The beer pours a black color with an extremely lofty tan head, much more so than any of the other beers in the series. The aroma consists of sweet chocolate, both dark and milk, with some rye, toasted malts, and coffee. The taste is sweet and smooth with a large helping of chocolate, bits of coffee, molasses, and licorice before some alcohol and rye kick in. The after taste is a little dry but some chocolate manages to linger and mixes in a light whiskey flavor. The alcohol content is 10.5%. The entire time drinking this beer I thought what a wonderful blend Shmaltz has created. There is a great mix of dark and milk chocolate with some alcohol and rye mixed in there, leaving a sweet and dry flavor.

Shmaltz He'brew Jewbelation 14 (14th Anniversary Ale)

The final anniversary beer (but not the final beer) of the He'brew Jewbelation pack from Shmaltz Brewing was the He'brew Jewbelation 14 (14th Anniversary Ale). This beer has 14 malts and 14 hops in it in celebration of the 14th Anniversary. The beer pours a thick black color with a frothy tan head. The aroma consists of lots of chocolate and an alcohol tingle on the nose. The taste is big and malty with tons of silky smooth chocolate, a toasted malts flavor, and a light hop bite. The finish is chocolaty as well, but brings in an accent of coffee with a milk cream finish. The alcohol content is 14.0% ABV, matching the anniversary number. I really enjoyed the amount of chocolate in this beer which was relatively sweet but not overpoweringly so. The alcohol is present on the tongue, but doesn't not overwhelm any of the flavors.

Shmaltz He'brew Jewbelation 13 (Bar Mitzvah)

Continuing my celebration of Hanukkah, I opened a bottle Shmaltz Brewing He'brew Jewbelation 13 (Bar Mitzvah). The beer pours a black color with a thin filmy tan head. The aroma consists of milk chocolate, coffee, toasted malts, and a light alcohol bite. The taste is smooth with a lot of milk chocolate up front, in comparison to the dark chocolate flavors of the other Jewbelation beers. The toasted malts peek through on the finish before the alcohol bite kicks in to attack the tongue. The after taste allows the chocolate to linger and then the coffee flavors dries out the mouth. The alcohol content is 13.0% ABV that matches the number of the beer in the series. The Jewbelation 13 (Bar Mitzvah) had a wonderful milk chocolate flavor that was well balanced with the alcohol content, and at 13 percent, this beer is sure to get the party started for Hanukkah.

Shmaltz He'brew Jewbelation 12

The Shmaltz He'brew Jewbelation pack led me to the Jewbelation 12. The beer pours a black color with a filmy tan head. The aroma consists of toasted malts, chocolate, molasses, and coffee. The taste is big on chocolate just before the alcohol kicks in and really packs a punch. Following the alcohol, some molasses, coffee, and toasted malts peek through. The after taste keeps the dry coffee and brings back the chocolate. The alcohol content matches the number in the series at 12.0% ABV. Wow, this beer was the perfect beer that was somewhat balanced in flavors but not afraid to kick in the teeth with some alcohol. I enjoyed the chocolaty goodness with the touch of coffee that is both sweet and dry.

Shmaltz He'brew Jewbelation 11

The next beer in the Shmaltz He'brew Jewbelation series was Jewbelation 11. The beer pours a black color with a frothy tan head that sticks around for a while. The aroma consists of a faint chocolate with some carbonation on the nose. The taste is not quite as sweet as the previous beers in the series but has some hot chocolate like flavor with an underlying of toasted malts and a nice alcohol bite. The alcohol content is 11% ABV, which matches the anniversary number. I really like the Jewbelation series, but I feel that the Jewbelation 11 did not live up to the standards of the others. While it was smooth with plenty of chocolate flavors, it missed some balance with alcohol and hops.

Shmaltz He'brew Jewbelation 10 (Monumental)

Continuing with the box set of Shmaltz He'brew Jewbelation beer and celebrating Hanukkah, I moved on to the Jewbelation 10 (Monumental). The beer pours a black color with a frothy white head. The aroma consists of a good helping of chocolate with some toasted malts, raisins, and light hops. The taste is smooth and creamy (surprisingly) with plenty of coffee and dark and dry chocolate and a good hop balance that quickly dissolves into an alcohol bite that doesn't overwhelm the tongue. The toasted malts linger on the tongue in the after taste. Matching the alcohol content to the number, the alcohol content is 10.0% ABV. I think this beer one-upped the 8 and 9 by providing a much smoother drinking beer despite the alcohol content and has a wonderful dry and dark chocolate finish that dances on the tongue.

Shmaltz Brewing He'brew Jewbelation 9 (5766)

As part of the Shmaltz Brewing He'brew Jewbelation collection, I continued to celebrate Hanukkah by drinking the Jewbelation 9 (5766). The beer pours a really deep brown color with a bubbly tan head. The aroma consists of chocolate, raisin, and molasses. The taste is big on malts and chocolate, specifically dark dry chocolate, with a nice smooth molasses and coffee finish. The after taste allows the light hop accent to hit with the alcohol bite. The alcohol content is 9.0% ABV. One percent up in the alcohol content and one percent better for this version of the Jewbelation. This beer is surprisingly smooth despite the alcohol content and has a great chocolate flavor.

Shmaltz He'brew Jewbilation 8 (Miraculous)

While I was at Honeygo Wines outside of Baltimore, I noticed they has the Shmaltz Brewing He'brew Jewbelation collection of 8 beers (for 8 crazy nights!) and I decided to do a review for each day of Hanukkah. The first beer in the series is Jewbelation 8 (Miraculous). The beer pours a dark brown color that is near black with a frothy tan head. The aroma consists of sweet malts, raisin, molasses, and a bit of caramel. The taste is smooth and sweet, big on toasted malts with a bit of an alcohol bite. There are bits of caramel, molasses, and dark chocolate hidden in there and the beer finishes with a dry coffee flavor. The alcohol content is 8.0% ABV. The alcohol content is well balanced and hidden in this beer with the chocolate, molasses, and raisin flavors. This beer was a good start to the Hanukkah holiday.

Brew Dog Sink the Bismarck!

I was lucky to pick up, in addition to Tactical Nuclear Penguin, a bottle of Brew Dog Sink the Bismarck! (at $108 a bottle) from Honeygo Wines outside of Baltimore, and I contacted some friends to share the beer. The beer pours an amber color with a bubbly tan head that fizzles out like a soda. The aroma consists of orange, lemon, grapefruit, and pine (similar to Lysol with the alcohol). The taste is big and bold with lots of citrus including grapefruit, orange, tangerine, and lemon. There is an amazing caramel base before the pine hop kicks in and bitters the mouth somewhat. The finish is warming and welcoming and really lingers on the tongue. The alcohol content is 41% ABV. This beer, to me, is like Pliny the Elder on steroids or could be referred to liquid gold. The citrus flavors and big and prevalent without letting down the tongue and the hop accent isn't overpowering, but just perfect.

Brew Dog Tactical Nuclear Penguin

I was lucky enough to secure a bottle of Brew Dog Tactical Nuclear Penguin (by luck I mean spend $80 for a bottle) from Honeygo Wines outside of Baltimore and share it with three friends. The beer pours a dark brown color with a bubbly tan head the quickly dissipates similar to a soda. The aroma consists of a lot of whiskey with a background of raisin and chocolate. The taste hit big with an alcohol taste at first but the alcohol bite is reserved for the finish and is really warming. My face was lighting up after a couple of sips. Remnants of chocolate, coffee, molasses, and raisin find their way through, but are overpowered by the alcohol. The alcohol content is 32% ABV. This beer, despite being whiskey aged, was not as overwhelming with the smoke and whiskey as the Mikkeller Black Hole series and was quite enjoyable. The smoke lingered and was pleasant in mixing with the sweet flavors that are in the background of the beer.

Mother Earth Brewing Silent Night

The final beer I tried at the Mother Earth Brewing Farm to Table tasting event at Blind Tiger in New York City was the Silent Night. The beer pours a bubbly black color with a tan frothy head. The aroma consists of chocolate, coffee, and molasses. The taste is smooth and chocolaty with good accents of toasted malts, molasses, and coffee. I noticed a light cardboard flavor on the transition from sweet chocolate to the alcohol bite, but it was very forgivable. The alcohol content is not available online, but I would guess it to be around 9.0% ABV. Overall, the Silent Night was a good beer with a wonderful collection of sweet flavors, all balanced with a tremendous alcohol bite.