He'Brew Jewbelation Bar Mitzvah Thirteenth Anniversary Ale

Aroma: 5 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 9

13 malts and 13 hops? Oy Vey!! Pours nice, albeit small head, the color of oatmeal. Body is dark brownish/black with no light passing through it. Considering all the hops in there the aroma is very light. Just a little on the hops side of the spectrum. Full bodied. Well balanced. First the malt is noticeable, but there’s a very clear bitterness that evens it all out. No particular hop is sticking out like a sore thumb. Slight gingerbread flavor. Cereals and toast. Slight Alcoholic tones in the aftertaste. Wonder how they’ll top this for next year? La Chaim!!

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 10 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 9

HOLY SHIT! This is pure yum. It pours deep and dark with garnet edges and adequate dark tan head. The aroma is milk chocolate, caramel, roasty malts, a dash of burnt malts (13 malts, you know some of it is black patent), a touch of biscuit, a modest level of dark fruity esters and a touch of heat. The flavor is ushered in on a creamy and smooth carpet ride. The taste begins with chocolate and roasty malts and then heading toward burnt malts, caramel, dates, prunes and figs. The booze wells up about midway to join in and help move this to the finish. The roasty and burnt malts persist with light amounts of chocolate and caramel heading from the finish and into the after taste with a modest sense of booze. Seems better than 12 when it was fresh. YUM!

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 8

Bomber from Firely, at only $10 (!). 13 malts, 13 hops and 13% ABV. Really? Dark brown pour under a foamy ivory head. Strong elements for the nose, malt and alcohol, maybe dark fruit. Not unlike a barleywine. Flavour had a lot of malt, the alcohol without a burn, not much if any hop. Smooth mouthfeel, but a sweeter finish than I liked. Otherwise, very enjoyable and this helped alleviate my discomfort from a bout with shingles.

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

I don't share the same love for this beer that most people do. I've had it 3 or 4 times and I just can't truly appreciate it. High ABV beers are generally hit and miss and this one was a miss. In the end, it was too sweet for me.

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

Bottled@Oliver Twist, Stockholm. Hazy deep brown colour, small off-white to beige head. Aroma is caramel malts, some fruits, raisins, rye and mild toasted notes. Flavour is toffee, spices, mild raisins, plum and some mild alcohol. Also some slight wooden and mildly vanillaish notes.

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

Pours a dark brown color with a small, foamy eggshell colored head, leaving a thick, sugary film at the top of the glass. This beer is the real deal! It reeks of dark fruit, burnt sugar, sweet malt and booze. A kick ass beer, but more like a barleywine. A bit on the sweet side (sugar=alcohol), but it goes down like water. Strong and affirmative, yet not overpowering. A decidedly heavy malt presence makes this balanced brew a monster with consequences. Another example why Schmaltz Brewing shows that they have a firm grasp on the craft beer pulse, but needs to expand to a wider audience. Good stuff and certainly worth trying, IMHO.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 8

Thick brown body almost black complete with a thick creamy cap floating on top. Aroma’s are toffee, burnt coconut marshmallows, an almost soya sauce but not really, and some cheery. Man you could smell this stuff for hours and constantly pick up new stuff. Flavor wasn’t nearly as intense as I thought it would but it’s still pretty strong. Burnt sugar dominates with only a slight hint of the 13% but I’m sure the room will be spinning very soon. This beer is thick and chewy and has a slightly bitter coffee finish. Cherries plums and other flavours are all noticeable. Good beer, complex beer, but not a every day beer.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 8

This is definitely a sipping beer. My third sample of Hebrew Brew. I like this better than the fig beer, but maybe the 10th Anniversary was a little better than this. Had some last night, finishing off tonight. Reminds me an IPS, but stronger and not as heavy. There really is a LOT going on in the flavor, mostly malty...a little hops. I mean, 13 different malts and 13 variaties of hops...they did a decent job balancing it all. Super dark brown appearance with a hint of red. Not one of my favorite strong ales/barleywines but still very good.

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

Sampled on 11/27/2009. This American Strong Ale pours a dark black, dark brown color with some serious ruby highlights from a 22oz bottle. Medium sized white foamy head. The aroma is dark fruit, raisins and figs. A medium to full bodied American Strong Ale. The malts are brown sugar, figs, raisins and some alcohol. The hops are earthy and floral. Nice assault of flavors. Fairly smooth tasting, despite being 13% alcohol. Its still a little boozy, but some bottle aging should fix that. Excellent beer. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is clean and smooth. Aftertaste is slightly sweet.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 10 | Overall: 8

I’ve tried the He’Brew line before and not overly impressed. But this one, this one is a SERIOUS ale! I know I introduced this one to beer pal as an ale and then a strong ale. Everything about this beer says STOUT. This one poured a pitch blackness in my Ommegang goblet. Big tan frothy head. Settles quickly into a light lacing. A rich coffee rises to the nose. Alcohol is evident as well. The moderate is bold and and creamy. Finishes with an impressive dryness. The flavor is a complexity of caramel, coffee, roasted malt, cocoa and alcohol. This is a beer I want more of.