Back in mid-July, my partner and I decided to skip out of town to Albany to visit friends and swing up to Clifton Park to visit the new Shmaltz Brewing Company site.
For those out of the loop, Shmaltz (and their He'Brew line) were a contract brewing company from 1996-2013 when they the launched this new site, with their aptly named Death of a Contract Brewer Black IPA.
The brewery itself is nestled in new industrial/commercial park among plenty of greenery and a few residential and business pockets. Inside, rustic barrels and tables - even a wonderful old door used as a table, are augmented by modern seating areas for an inviting, comfortable, and varied tasting room.
He'brew St. Lenny's (Belgian Rye IPA) ABV: 10% | Rating: 9.2
I've enjoyed this one before, but not on draft, and it does up the ante. St. Lenny's introduces itself with a big, hot nose of rye spice and malt sweetness emitting from a deep amber body and ivory head.
The rye / Belgian-style hybrid flourishes with expected elements of both styles, flecked by notes of cinnamon, sharp and bitter hops, pine, and even star anise, all delivered with prickly carbonation, concluding in a drying finish. Solid and worth seeking out above the bottle.
He'Brew David’s Slingshot (Hoppy American Lager) ABV: 5.5% | Rating: 8.7
This one took us both by surprise. Flavor-packed lagers are on the rise, but I wasn't expecting this from a summer offering.
Slingshot kicks off with a sharp hop nose full of rind, pith, and herbal pine. Onto the palate, it's a strong, dry, bitter beauty that's unabashed in flavor, but retaining a light, summer-ready body. Hints of sweet, raw coconut peak through bitter piney hops that distinctly lack typical citrus notes. The finish is delicious, building subtlety sweet notes of apricot.
He'Brew Rejewvenator Dubbel Doppel 2014 (Dubbel) ABV: 8.0% | Rating: 8.5
East meets west in this 2014 edition of Rejewvenator, combining Merlot and Concord grapes. This fruit dubbel serves up a dark amber with an ivory head that has just a touch of pink to it.
For a fruit beer, the nose is surprisingly transparent, but onto the tongue, it's a burst of hybrid flavors. Smooth, wine-like dark fruits play with a drinkable malt backbone that is midly dry and semi sweet through the mid & finish. Bright and vapory up front. Overall, one of my partners favorites of the day but a bit underwhelming for me personally. It's well balanced and crafted, just not quite my cup of tea.
(tour break)
After the first two rounds, we started chatting more in depth with the head taproom manager about Ithaca, a few places in upstate that may have some unique barrels, and general beer-geekery when he offered to take us on a tour of the new facility.
One of the key things I learned was that, while their Coney Island brand was sold to Boston Beer Co., they're still brewing it, including their barrel aged offerings. We got to see Terrapin Reunion collaboration magnums and barrels that were about to launch and learn more about what's coming next for Shmaltz.
It was of the more in-depth and knowledgeable tours we'd been on and he was quick to answer any question with quality, unscripted info. On our way in, we filled our glasses with some of their commemorative brew...
Death Of A Contract Brewer (Black IPA) ABV: 7% | Rating: 8.9
As expected, Death Of... serves up jet black with a tuft of head. The nose is green full of grassy hops. It's a robust Black IPA packed with plenty of roasted goodness, strong citrus hops, and some wonderful esters and just enough booze peaking through the veil. At $5 a piece, it was a steal so we grabbed four bottles.
He'Brew Jewbelation Reborn (Strong Ale) ABV: 17% | Rating: 9.1
And her we have the major reason I wanted to head to Shmaltz. Jewbelation has been one of my favorite insane-ABV brews for several years now and the chance for it on tap was a big draw. This 17th anniversary brew is 17 hops, 17 malts with a matching ABV.
Jewbelation pours up an opaque brown with a ring of head. A potent nose follows, full of vanilla, oak, and bourbon. The taste is an epic hop vs. malt battle, fueled by huge notes of boozy alcohol. It's sticky, silky body spawning notes of grape, ripe red fruits, and sweet vanilla all threaded with a hot booze and wrapped up in an arid finish that adds a touch of whiskey spice.
It's a booze of a beer and not for beginners or delicate palates. Two samples were the limit, so I got both and a bottle for the collection at home.
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Overall, a wonderful visit. Friendly, knowledgeable staff that we'll absolutely be visiting again. They stated the taps change daily (we'd just missed Reunion '14 going up the next day) so frequent visits sounds like they still be worthwhile and varied. It's worth noting at the time they only pour samples, but they're generous with rotating glassware you get to take home.
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