BLC Says:
He’Brew Funky Jewbelation is beer which is contracted out by Shmaltz Brewing Company to Olde Saratoga Brewing in Saratoga Springs NY. Olde Saratoga Brewing is itself a subsidiary of another company Mendocino Brewing Company. So this melange of several beers was put together through a funky melange of several contract breweries. We have some thoughts on contract brewing and have had successful brews crafted through this method but that is a tangled web we will revisit in the future. For now we want to discuss the barrel aged, wacky beer that is Funky Jewbelation.
The beer pours a dark brown/burgundy color with a medium caramel, bubbly head that stays up for awhile and leaves a foamy lacing when it falls, eventually settling into a thin cap and ring. The scent is strong a bit lactic and sour with sweet malts coming through pretty aggressively. There is also some fruitiness and a slight bit of hop and spice, but overall the scent is funky. If you really inhale deeply, you are hit with predominant alcohol flavors. A mild carbonation is present in the body, which is fairly thick and syrupy. From the first sip you are hit with a barrage of tastes including fruit (one of the beers included, Origin, is a pomegranate ale), hot spice, a great deal of sweetness and a hint of the barrels themselves. Overall we would classify this as a sweet, spicy and fruity brew. Perhaps this was an attempt to transform the always popular holiday fruit cake to a spiked, liquid treat. Whatever the reason this was a bold and of course funky brew. If you like lots of different flavors and lean toward sweeter maltier brews grab a bottle and give it a shot.
What Alicia Thinks:
I would say that they tried to do a little too much with this beer and it never fully came together. There are a bit too many flavors clashing for my taste and it was difficult at times to even pinpoint what I was tasting. Also, I would say the sweetness really overpowers many of the other ingredients, though I do detect a slight sour, bitterness in the finish. Despite the sweet quality of the beer I would say it leaves a dry, almost hoppy taste in your mouth which is unexpected. This one was fun to try but is probably not something I would repeat in the future.
What Kevin Thinks:
This brew was a bit of a let down. I was hoping that this was going to be an off centered beer with harmonious flavors but it delivered something that was kind of mixed and muddled. Shmaltz truly has “delicious schtick” and the labeling was so boastful they just really sucked me in. “La Chaim Sucka” indeed. I did enjoy aspects of the aroma and flavor profile and I really liked how the spicy heat came in through the finish. I think the beer had some interesting things happening and some of the brews blended here mingled well together but it just did not all sync up. If you want to try something that is ambitious and a sweeter brew grab a bottle. For me this was a 6.5/10.
ABV: 9.8% IBU: 40 Color: Jet Black Year: 2012 Brewery: Shmaltz Brewing Company
The Brewery Says:
(Taken from the bottle) Shmaltz Barrel Aged Release #6. A blend of 6 ales aged in 73% rye whiskey barrels and 27% bourbon barrels. The blend consists of of 3-month Jewbelation 15, 9-month Vintage Jewbelation, 1-month Bittersweet Lenny’s RIPA, 14-month Origin, 7-month Reunion Ale ’11, and 14-month Messiah.
