Chanukah, Hanukkah: Pass the Beer (2016-2017)
Shmaltz Brewing Company in Troy, New York, United States 🇺🇸
Golden / Blonde Ale Regular|
Score
7.11
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Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8
Bottle. I found this one in the back of the fridge. Light brown with hints to gold and a small head. Had hints of the coaco nibs. Taste was vanilla with a cacao nib aftertaste. Really tasty.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
12 ounce bottle into tulip glass, bottled on 10/26/2017. Pours lightly hazy deep golden amber/light orange color with a 1 finger fairly dense off white head with good retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of lemon, orange, grapefruit, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, red apple, melon, citrus peel/zest, peppercorn, clove, pine, cocoa, cracker, white bread dough, toasted biscuit, light honey, herbal, floral, grass, and yeast earthiness. Nice and pleasant aromas with good balance and complexity of citrus/earthy hops, fruity/spicy yeast, cocoa, and bready malt notes; with solid strength. Taste of big lemon, orange, grapefruit, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, red apple, melon, citrus peel/zest, peppercorn, clove, pine, cocoa, cracker, white bread dough, toasted biscuit, light honey, herbal, floral, grass, and yeast earthiness. Light-moderate pine, citrus peel/rind, herbal, floral, grassy bitterness; and peppery yeast spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of lemon, orange, grapefruit, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, red apple, melon, citrus peel/rind, peppercorn, clove, pine, cocoa, cracker, white bread dough, toasted biscuit, herbal, floral, grass, and yeast earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Very nice complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/earthy hops, fruity/spicy yeast, cocoa, and bready malt flavors; with a nice malt/bitter/spiciness balance, and minimal lingering hop astringency after the finish. Light-moderate increasing dryness from bitter/spiciness. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, moderately bready/grainy/sticky, and fairly crisp balanced mouthfeel that is nice. Minimal warming alcohol for 8%. Overall this is a very good hoppy Belgian blonde ale. All around nice complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/earthy hops, fruity/spicy yeast, cocoa, and bready malt flavors; very smooth, crisp, and easy to drink for the ABV, with the modestly bitter/spicy/drying finish. Not overly bitter/spicy. Malts have a slight stale character going on. Very well balanced between hops, yeast, malts, and cocoa nib character. Minimal residual sweetness from lingering dryness. A very enjoyable, unique, and well made style example.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 6.5
bottle. interesting notes and spices - definitely a holiday style beer. not too bad
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
2017 Fourth Edition: Deep copper coloured body with a thin, two centimetre tall tan head. Aroma of crisp malt, light sugars from fruit and caster sugar and a little note of mellow hops and some stronger alcohol scents around. Medium-bodied; Strong rich malts around the edges with a nice floral and grassy hop bite, but not strong at all and a little bit of alcohol, but some light fruit notes showing apricot and peaches towards the end. Aftertaste shows a very mellow and subdued malty flavour with a good medium-bodied bite along with some subtle alcohol and a nice smooth grain finish makes this go down quite easily. Overall, a nice rich beer that shows mostly like a Golden Ale or American Strong (sort of on the lighter end of the spectrum), but the chocolate isn't noticeable at all, yet this shows a nice character in which the best attribute is how mellow it is throughout. I sampled this twelve ounce bottle purchased from Liqour Outlet in Boonton, New Jersey on 09-March-2018 for US$2,69 sampled at home in Monroe, Connecticut with my brother & sister-in-law.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
Bottle from Total Wine in Folsom, CA. Pours clear copper? with a slight, transient white head. Aroma is unusual. Sort of grape/chocolate? Med minus body. Flavor is (for me) sort of Concord grape and chocolate. There's other stuff, but my mind is bushwhacked on this one. More and more I'm thinking of the ancient Grapette Soda. Haven't had the Walmart follow on. Strange stuff, reminding me of my childhood meals at the "Junky Inn" - so called by my family - gosh knows what the real name was. But when you live in the middle of nowhere, you enjoy what ya got. Trust me.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
A golden ale with a thin lacing off white head. In aroma, nice caramel malt with light coriander, myrrh, orange peel, very nice. In mouth, a nice sweet caramel malt with light vinous notes, treacle, light curacao, myrrh, alcohol warmth. On tap at Flashback Lounge.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
12 ounce bottle. Pours amber orange with a small creamy beige head. Faint malty nose has a hint of cocoa. Flavor is zesty malt with more cocoa. Slightly earthy and nutty with a touch of cardamom and mushrooms. Spicy citrusy hops In finish are subtle. Some vanilla notes and warming alcohol as well. Quite nice.