He'Brew Hanukkah, Chanukah: Pass The Beer
Shmaltz Brewing Company

He'Brew Hanukkah, Chanukah: Pass The BeerHe'Brew Hanukkah, Chanukah: Pass The Beer
Beer Geek Stats | Print Shelf Talker
From:
Shmaltz Brewing Company
 
New York, United States
Style:
Winter Warmer
ABV:
8%
Score:
82
Avg:
3.6 | pDev: 10.28%
Reviews:
48
Ratings:
174
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jul 31, 2021
Added:
Nov 10, 2014
Wants:
  4
Gots:
  38
Chanukah Beer pours a rich crystal clear chestnut to ruby color with a light creamy head. 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 nuttiness as well as a hint of sweeter chocolate are rounded out by a healthy dose of European Noble and classic American new school hops. With 8 malts, 8 hops and 8% alcohol, this beer is real wonder with so many elements blending to create balanced and yet still distinct flavors. Hanukkah Beer is brewed as a celebration offering and sure to light up your holiday season. L'Chaim!
View: More Beers
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by MattyG85:
Photo of MattyG85
Reviewed by MattyG85 from Minnesota

3.82/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a chalice. 2014 First Edition.

Appearance: Pours a dark brownish amber with a moderate amount of bubbles. About one finger of light tan head which settles into a thin creamy layer.

Smell: A toasty and nutty malt forward aroma with hints of caramel and chocolate. Roasted barley malt with hints of toast, biscuit, grains, chocolate, caramel, nuts, and yeast. Sweet hints of brown sugar. Subtle earthy hop hints. A pretty laid back aroma overall.

Taste: Like it smells, a laid back malt forward taste with some notes of caramel and chocolate. Roasted barley malt with some notes of biscuit, toast, grains, caramel, chocolate, nuts, and yeast. Some hop bitterness comes through towards the finish. Some sweet notes of brown sugar. A light but decent taste.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with a moderate amount of carbonation. Feels kind of thin for an 8% brew. Finishes dry.

Overall: An ok but pretty underwhelming beer for what it’s intended to be. Very subtle flavors for an 8% Winter Warmer. Its decent if you think of it as a Brown Ale.
Dec 17, 2014
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.58 by VashonGuy from Washington

Jul 31, 2021
 
Rated: 3 by RiceOwls27 from Texas

Apr 07, 2020
Photo of chitoryu12
Reviewed by chitoryu12 from Florida

4.12/5  rDev +14.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Look: Extremely dark brown. One fat finger of thick tan head with excellent retention.

Smell: Strong piney hops and a touch of alcohol. Slight sweetness.

Taste: Balanced between a sweet, slightly roasted malt and a mild hop bitterness flavor. Simple but flavorful.

Mouthfeel: Creamy, heavy body with good carbonation.

Overall: Not a complex flavor, but sometimes you don’t have to be. Bold and balanced is good enough for the season.
Dec 07, 2019
Photo of Versipellis
Rated by Versipellis from Massachusetts

3.9/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Very chocolatey finish
Feb 24, 2019
Photo of stevoj
Reviewed by stevoj from Idaho

4/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
2018 release. 12 oz can from Brewers Haven. Slick, thick black pour, capped by a creamy beige head. Aroma is chocolatey, very chocolatey. Taste is more sweet chocolate, a touch of roasty malt bitterness and creamy milk sugar. Thick and creamy, starts sweet, finishes bitter.
Feb 15, 2019
 
Rated: 3.85 by FrancisM12 from New Jersey

Feb 03, 2019
 
Rated: 3.72 by Taphouse_Traveler from Florida

Nov 04, 2018
Photo of BlackBeerPirate
Reviewed by BlackBeerPirate from Illinois

3.79/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Taste: nice vanilla, cocoa, malty, coconut notes. Sweet malty and cocoa nose. Dark amber hue, clear, with a delicate lace in taster cup. Medium body. A dessert ale that kinda taste like German chocolate cake.
Sep 26, 2018
Photo of tigerinatrance
Reviewed by tigerinatrance from New York

4.08/5  rDev +13.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Just scored two bottles of this for 25¢ each at a local beverage center who couldn’t sell it and man, am I glad I did. Subjectively, this beer is nostalgic and reminiscent of something non-alcoholic or even beer related that I can’t quite put my finger on. It’s sweet, carb-loaded desserts, wood paneling and funk tapes with my morphine sedated maternal grandpa on the holidays as much as it is a pipe-smoking end-of-the-night gentleman’s sort of brew. It feels lively on the mouth, Dead center between dense and watery. A roasted nuttiness precedes a chocolatey minus the sweet sort of dessert flavor. There’s a woody, sweaty thing reminding me of when I like the smell of my own filthy socks, but my girlfriend does not. Definitely not sessionable, this semi-dark ruby/amber beer is indeed appealing to whatever it is I love about trying new beer. This is what it’s all about- freedom, nostalgia, flavor, and a quite adequate 8% alcohol in one deeee-licious bottle. Thanks, Shmaltz Brewing Co., and keep ‘em comin’.

Note: this beer was best by, like, a year ago. Actually, the day before my birthday which is 10/22. No shit. Cool.
Sep 10, 2018
Photo of StevenTowne
Reviewed by StevenTowne from New York

4.25/5  rDev +18.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Picked up a case of this for $20 at Schmaltz post season on a blow out deal. This is a great beer. Very smooth, drinkable, faint cocoa taste and effervescence. I am lucky being close to the brewery but this is a great beer.
Feb 12, 2018
 
Rated: 3.46 by chicagoish from Pennsylvania

Feb 02, 2018
 
Rated: 3.25 by Octoberist from Pennsylvania

Jan 24, 2018
 
Rated: 2.5 by 1971bernat from Virginia

Jan 03, 2018
 
Rated: 3.82 by dbrauneis from North Carolina

Dec 24, 2017
Photo of HoppingMadMonk
Reviewed by HoppingMadMonk from New Jersey

4.1/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Gold orange color,medium body and carbonation. Aroma is unusual but pleasant,kind of an earthy smell with malt,malt candy,and just a bit of chocolate. Taste is similar but more complex than i can describe but the chocolate shows up very slightly at the end of every sip. Again this is a little different but really enjoyed it
Dec 19, 2017
 
Rated: 3.75 by bigred89 from Maryland

Dec 15, 2017
 
Rated: 4.05 by NOLANDMAN from Massachusetts

Oct 26, 2017
Photo of Mitchster
Reviewed by Mitchster from Michigan

4.03/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
2016 EDITION: Golden ale brewed with Cocoa nibs. 8 malts, 8 hops, 8% ABV.
Brewed with Premium 2-Row Malted Barley, Pilsner Malt, Caramel Pils, Kiln Amber, Crystal 10L, Honey Malt, Acidulated Malt, Flaked Oats. Hopped with Warrior, Chinook, Centennial, Citra, Ahtanum, Liberty, Cascade, Amarillo.

Pours out to a slightly hazy peach, forming a nice slightly off white head with very good retention and nice solid lacing. The nose is not actually all that hoppy. I get mostly cocoa and biscuit malt toast, wet grain husk. The mouthfeel is smooth, medium dense bodied, slick, slightly syrupy. Carbonation is moderate , 2.25 carbs or so. The taste is quite interesting...malt forward with lots of husky grains, toast, a small degree of roast, I get aromatic and biscuit but neither of them are listed as ingredients. There is a soft chocolate note which is very subtle, then followed by a pleasant bitterness which rounds out the malt driven body. More toast in the finish.

Quite interesting. Worth trying. I can't say I've had anything like this. Schmaltz brewes great stuff and this is noe xception. It's not something I would drink often, but still quite interesting, unique, and tasty,
Mar 23, 2017
 
Rated: 4 by AmitC from New York

Feb 25, 2017
He'Brew Hanukkah, Chanukah: Pass The Beer from Shmaltz Brewing Company
Beer rating: 82 out of 100 with 174 ratings