Day 17 of the Advent-ure Calendar
Day 17: Shmaltz Brewing Hannukkah, Chanukah Pass The Beer
Whoa, something very new to this holiday advent-ure, a Chanukah (or is it Hanukkah) beer! We’ve had a few beers from Shmaltz before but we don’t get them all here in Cleveland. From what we’ve tried, we’ve been pleased. We have not seen this specific beer before and from the website, it looks like it’s new. “The aroma and flavors lean toward a robust winter warmer, though brewed without any spices. Just all malt and hop goodness. Light caramel and toasty muttiness as well as a hint of sweeter chocolate…. “
REFLECTIONS
Beard & Broad
Beard: I can’t really give a decent review of this because it was oxidized to all holiday hell. Beer lesson: once a beer is finished fermenting it should be in contact with as little oxygen as possible. So any transfer from a fermentation tank to a conditioning tank to a keg/bottle to extended time on a shelf, under lights, while oxygen is able to seep into the bottle is terrible for beer. The most common flavor associated with oxidation is sherry, or a wet cardboard taste, which is exactly what this tastes like to me. It’s not necessarily the brewer’s fault, as it happens overtime to all beer. So this may actually be quite nice and holiday awesome, instead it is holiday terrible.
Broad: Well I’ve liked all the Shmaltz beers I’ve tried so far so this should be good. I was a bit worried when I read the description and it said “robust winter warmer but brewed without spices.” What does that mean? This initially smelled sweet and malty. The first taste was rough and so was the second and third. I honestly feel like my taste buds may be off tonight because I pretty much only tasted like cough syrup. I don’t have much to say other than that.
Adam & Alex
Adam: This beer was awful. I got cherry and malt but mainly it was just really bad. Syrupy and bitter.
Alex: Gross, not worth finishing.
Mez & Sam
Mez: I probably liked this the most of the group, but I don’t really enjoy it so it is still pretty bad. The flavor is mediocre at best and that’s what you hope for after each swig but end up disappointed more times than not.
Sam: When I first took a drink I thought i would like it due to the malt smell, but the after taste ruins it.
