Coney Island Albino Python (NY)

Some craft breweries don't even bother with lagers. Shmaltz has a whole specialty line of them. Albino Python (with its slightly salacious label art) is a singular beer: a "white lager brewed with spices," a witbier brewed with lager yeast. Who else brews one of those?

The lager yeast is bound to make a difference, but on top of that, Shmaltz uses an atypical blend of spices: ginger, crushed fennel and orange peel. No coriander? And how many other beers use fennel? (Although fennel is licoricey like anise, which isn't completely unusual in beer.) To me, the spices definitely dominate any citrus fruit elements, and I'll definitely believe it's ginger and fennel. There isn't much malty backbone here, and the hops aren't bitter, but instead appear to add a somewhat rough and dry finish. It's crisp, and would work well with grilled chicken or fish or something like that.

Albino Python is, first and foremost, different. It's also pretty good, better than most lagers. But I don't like it quite as much as a well-made white ale.

He'brew Origin Pomegranate Ale (NY)

Do a search at ratebeer and you'll find only a handful of pomegranate beers, and just four with at least 100 ratings. Most fruit beers use a wheat beer base, but this is an "imperial amber ale" with pomegranate juice added. Why pomegranate? It fits in with the brewery's Old Testament theme ("In some parts of the world, it's believed that Eve tempted Adam with a pomegranate," says the website).

This pours a very hazy copper/amber color with only a thin head, although the foam that's there lasted for me. Medium bodied, tight fizz. It has a pretty solid malt backbone. The pomegranate is added with a light touch. Fruit juice comes through, but I wouldn't necessarily have guessed the source if I didn't know (cherries? berries?). Any fruitiness is out manned by the hops, however: definite West Coast accent, with citrus/pine and a somewhat bitter grapefruit aftertaste. The alcohol -- 8% -- isn't obvious.

I'm not sure if it meshes completely, the hops and the pomegranate, but Origin is still a tasty beer from a brewery that has tried to do something different.

He'Brew Jewbelation Eleven (NY)

So The Session decides to focus on anniversaries just as I reach my one year blogging anniversary. If ever there's an anniversary to celebrate with a beer, it's this. I pity the beer blogger who decided to shoe-horn his wedding anniversary into a beer blog post. "Honey, guess what I have planned for Friday..."

For the most part, I celebrate special occasions (e.g., Christmas, New Year's Eve) with wine or champagne rather than beer. It isn't always my choice, but I drink enough beer that it takes another beverage for it to feel like a special occasion. Also, one thing I like about beer, is you don't have to save up to afford the pricier ones. Really, there shouldn't be any 'special occasion' beers.

BarleyBlog asks:

Why is it a beer you may only drink once a year? Why is that brewery’s annual release the one you selected?

Well, this isn't a beer I drink once a year. I've never had it before. I chose it because I'm currently running through much of He'Brew's product line. Also, when at the beer store, I couldn't tell whether Victory 12 was an anniversary beer or not, so I passed on that.

Jewbelation Eleven is made with 11 malts and 11 hops and clocks in at 11% ABV to mark the brewery's 11th anniversary. How long can they keep this up? Until 13 or 14? On top of this, they actually use the same malts/hops as last year, but add one each per year (Spelt and Amarillo in this case). I haven't tried any previous He'Brew anniversary ales, but I'm guessing they don't simply keep the same recipe and add to it; instead they re-work it. Possibly the 11 count is a bit of a put on: some malts and hops may appear as much for the tally as for the taste.

This monster pours very dark brown. I didn't get a full head, but I'll take the blame for that. Eleven is more malt than hops, tasting primarily of roasted chocolate and then of dark fruits and maybe some spice. It's vaguely reminiscent to me of the reverse of a strong Belgian, which I think of as dark fruits first (plums, prunes, figs...) with chocolate cake underneath. But Belgians also lack the moderately bitter hop finish of Jewbelation Eleven. This pulls it back dry. As it warms, the hops become more prominent. Maybe some alcohol warmth comes through then as well. Jewb11 is full-bodied and low fizzed (as I like it), and is hard to do anything but share and/or sip.

I mentioned above that the 11 counts may be merely for show. If that's the case, then it's a good thing, as it doesn't come across as a haphazard blend of too many ingredients. Still, you have to get into the spirit of American big beers to enjoy Jebwelation Eleven. I'm not a size snob, but I will say that this is one of the top beers I've reviewed so far. It's a decent bargain too at just over $5 a bomber. Happy Anniversary to me!

Coney Island Lager (NY)

Creepiest. Label. Ever.

This is from the the same guys who make He'brew beers. The Coney Island lagers (there are several) have spun off onto their own web page. This isn't a huge lager in terms of ABV (5.5%) but it is one that tries to do a lot, boasting of eight malt and six hop varieties. With hops, it plays both German (Tettnang, Hallerauer) and Czech (Saaz) sides of the fence, plus adds Amarillo, Warrior and the inevitable Cascade. The ultimate result is, I think, something a bit ale-ish.

It's coppery-brown and a bit hazy, looking thick for a lager. The aroma does hint at citrus hops. A lot of flavor for a lager: caramel malt (but not like the Vienna lager that ratebeer places it as), grassy and citrus hops. Overall, it isn't bitter, but well-balanced, and not in the sense of boring. The price of this is that it isn't as clean and crisp as many lagers, although it does bring a lager-like carbonation that tells you it isn't an ale.

Coney island Lager isn't as far outside the stylistic boundaries as Flying Dog's Old Scratch. I like it about as much as I like Brooklyn Lager, which also tosses in Northwest hops. If you want a purely traditional take on lager, you might be disappointed. If you're an ale supremacist, give this a try.

He'Brew Genesis Ale/Messiah Bold (NY)

Conceived in San Francisco, brewed in New York. Shmaltz Brewing Company takes a decidedly shticky, Borscht Belt inspired approach to marketing that is quintessentially American. The marketing pitch has grabbed the attention of the Jerusalem Post. The brewery's website features a photo of Lewis Black. The beer is kosher, although I'm guessing almost all beer would be if anyone bothered to pursue certification. At some point, the Old Testament puns become tiresome, but by then you've already tried the beer, which is all they are asking.

Genesis Ale and Messiah Bold are described as Light Brown and Dark Brown ales, respectively, on their labels. The former is in fact a pale ale.

Genesis Ale: Hazy, coppery-orange with a fading head. It's made with Centennial and Cascade hops, as well as Warrior, Fuggles and Willamette. It definitely has a west coast APA aspect to it, although it hasn't the biggest hop kick you'll find. I'd rank it somewhere in the middle between bitter grapefruit/pine excess and the English style. The body is a bit light, but that's okay. "Smooth and distinctive," claims the label, but I'd say the former is more true than the latter. Good APA for those who accept the American style but aren't competitive about IBUs.

Messiah Bold: This too seems to have a bit of a Northwest hop aroma (Cascade is still there). It's opaque, probably more thanks to turbidity than to dark color. The malts are roasty and chocolatey, but the hops are still there. I'm not sure it melds together completely, though. The body is still on the light side, and it isn't as "rich and robust" as promised by the label. Still, this is a pretty good brown ale.

These are both intended to be everyday brews, so you shouldn't expect them to blow you away. Which one I'd prefer probably comes down to style. Right now, I'd take another Genesis Ale. He'Brew also makes some big ones (including a pomegranate ale @ 8%) which may provide a better test of the brewery.