He'Brew Jewbelation 5766 Ninth Anniversay Ale

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 7

For the look of this beer I will use my wife’s discretion, “Used dirty motor oil with frothy cappuccino foam floating on top. Raisin, plumb, alcohol are all in the aroma. Some slight nose burn on deep inhales with hints of coffee at the end. Wife says it smells like bitter. I just randomly smelled apple sauce. Aroma was yum and complex. Taste is also of a high yumminess. Burnt brown sugar and mild coffee, with prunes, cherry, and sweet earthy alcohol hanging out in the back ground. Taste does start to lean on the watery side but still good. last few sips that where very warm, probably an hour after pour where very ashy and dry. Good beer but forgettable.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

Poured a dark mahogany color with a medium sized, light tan head that left nice lacing on the glass. Oxidized aroma, some sherry, caramel, roasted malts, and dark fruits. Taste of more roasted malts, dried fruits, nuts, and some chocolate, with low bitterness, and no alcohol detected. Creamy mouthfeel.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

A very nice beer. Pours a very dark, almost stout appearance with a thick head. Great aroma of chocolate and coffee. Definetly can taste the 9% ABV. The flavor improves as the beer warms to room temperature. Would highly recommend.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

I tried to place the style and the best I could come up with is "Brown with lots of hops," but "Strong Ale" definitely works. Pours a dark brown with a very full head that left a very nice lace down the glass. Aroma is far more malt than hops, but it’s there. Dark fruits are present. Flavor is all malt/dark fruit with some hops in there. Chocolate and coffee are strong. They claim 9 hops, but if so, none are even the slightest bit distinctive; all I detect are bittering hops and none for flavor. Palate is crisp and bitter from the hops which is nice since this is quite sweet (I’m not usually a Brown fan). Overall it’s pretty nice and worth checking out. I Can’t think of anything else out there that’s a tight match to it so it’s definitely a bit different.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Dark ruby red colour, mediumsized white head. Bready, grassy, ,caramellish, a bit dull "old homes" aroma. Still very interesting. Flavour is roasted malts, alcohol, caramel and coffee. Fullbodied and very complex. Strong alcohol in finish.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

12.23.05 Bomber. Deep, dark, mahogany pour glows with ruby hues below a lasting though small beige head. I’ve been trying to dissect this beer for over 16oz now and I’m not having much luck. Despite boasting nine malts, nine hops, yada yada, I’m getting very simple (although very pleasing) aromas and flavors of caramel, chocolate, hazelnut, and floral undertones. It actually reminds quite a bit of the Rogue hazelnut beer, if I recall. Soft and sweet on the palate, the beer is quite full feeling and yet sports a finishing spritz. Nice roasting with a hint of smoke far in the distance. It’s also very doughy underneath the roast, not unlike a brownie, I think. The alcohol is not too present until late and nearly at room temp as I get a retronasal heat that’s more of a rum cake treat than an uncomfortable bite. Despite the full feel and creamy beginnings, the finish is quite thin, sharply bitter, and maybe even abrupt. Nevertheless, I like.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

This American Strong Ale pours an eclipse dark brown color from a 22oz bottle. Medium sized beige foamy head. Aroma is malt, chocolate, nutty and slightly sweet. A medium bodied American Strong Ale. Malts are caramel, fruity and sweet. Hops are earthy and citrusy. Kind of strange as there is NOT a lot of flavor in this beer, there is some bitterness at the finish but that’s about all. Like last years 8 malt/8hop version, this years 9 malt/9 hops version has a little bit of that train wreak quality to it. There are a lot of different flavors, but they are so muted that it seems to work. This beer has a lot of the flavor qualities of a Scotch Ale or a Baltic Porter. There is a touch of an alcohol bite at 9% ABV. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is clean and dry. Aftertaste is slightly bitter.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

For the first time in 46 years, Hanukkah and Christmas happen to fall on the same day. And while I'm not one iota more Jewish than I am Christian -- being an Atheist means I'm an Equal Opprotunity Sinner! ;^) -- I have basically an equal respect for most religions out there. And if this beer happens to celebrate the start of the Year 5766, then count me in for the party!

But seriously? This is a nice beer. A bigger-than-normal Brown Ale, but not necesarily jacked up in the ussual American "big beer" fashion. That is to say, yes, this does have some more alcohol than ussual. But the hop load seems rather restrained -- or, rather, more in line than what I normally find from "bigger than the average (American) beer"..., especially when it comes to limited run/one-shot/seasonal beers like this one. Not "balls to the wall". {Tks Accept!]

Gotta say that I dig the mouthfel on this one -- more so than the flavor profile, to be honest. Very smooth and almost *silky*, to be honest -- and no, I do not mean a certian RB'er than wanders drunkenly to all of the beer fests here in the Greater San Diego area! ;^)

A nice and "wam-ish" beer, that definately pleased me a lot more than the similarily-themed Stone Brewing Company 9th Anniversary Brew. While that particular beer is a bit of mish-mashed, neither-here-nor-there "Big-ass Wheat-ish Beer", this one is a very nice Big American Brown Ale ("BABA"?).

Kosher or not, this is a nice one, for sure!

Music: Death's "Symbolic".
//TB

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

This was a rather interesting beer for me. Somewhere between an export stout, a strong ale, an imperial porter, a barleywine and an ESB. The nine hop varieties used are rather indistinguisable from the very large, thick and slightly creamy malt presence. Not too lively on the palate, but still very smooth. Alcohol is hidden well, but other than balancing bitterness, the hops don't take much attention in the beer. Good and quite interesting, but not a compelling brew.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 6

Sampled from bottle. Pours dark ruby-brown with a creamy, tall tan head and nice lacing. Aroma is subtle, but sophisticated: prune, toffee and some spice. Flavor is slightly sweet and heavy with yeast character (dark fruit). Some spice, wood and alcohol as well. Full-bodied, moderately carbonated. Sticky sweet finish. A well-made beer.