He’Brew Jewbelation Fourteen by Shmaltz Brewing Co. $5.99 per 22-ounce bottle
The eight nights of Hannukah begin tonight, and the folks at Shmaltz Brewing are out with their 14th-anniversary ale, a kosher barleywine brewed with 14 malts, 14 hops and 14 percent alcohol by volume. Resembling an imperial stout in pour and body, it’s an opaque, dark-brown, heavy liquid with a tight, light-brown head. It smells of figs, prunes and alcohol, and is, while rich, a surprisingly easy drinker. Its high alcohol demands that it be sipped, and a slow approach helps bring out the deep and complex flavors imparted by the many ingredients. It has the sweetness of dark fruit and molasses rather than anything bready or malty, as the malts are well-balanced by the hops. The alcohol is present but not at all overpowering. This is a fine holiday drinker, and it makes you wonder how far Shmaltz can push the formula of adding to the hops, malt and booze with each passing year. So far, so good. Shipyard Brewing Co., Portland, Maine; . Marcus Chamberland; mchamberland@denverpost.com
