$5.98 per 22-ounce bottle
It’s a big year for the crazies at Shmaltz, and they’re marking their 13th as you might expect — with their biggest Jewbelation yet. This is a hard beer to categorize, closest to a stout or a brown ale but with barleywine-strength alcohol of 13 percent by volume. Triskaidekaphobes might avoid this one, with its 13 malts (including two rye variations) and 13 barleys. The pour is high-viscosity, an opaque dark brown, with a slight, light-brown head. Whiffing it yields molasses, rye, coffee, some alcohol and a light sweetness. In the mouth, it’s rich and heavy, complex, sweet and a bit earthy, with a bitter hop finish, some warmth and a bourbonlike aftertaste. The price makes this one a real bargain. L’Chaim!
Shmaltz Brewing Co., San Francisco;
Marcus Chamberland; mchamberland@denverpost.com
