10% ABV from a bomber

I’m not gonna lie, I bought this beer because it was cheap. I wasn’t in the mood to shell out for a Thursday night buzz and at $3.99 for a 10% bomber, well…wow. The PPAP was off the charts! We’re talking in the malt liquor/fortified wine price point. And though this beer wasn’t anywhere on my “on-deck circle” of brews I was interested in trying in the immediate future–also known as a nerdy little cheat sheet list I keep in my wallet–I have had and enjoyed Shmaltz offerings in the past. This was supposed to be their masterpiece. Also, I thought it befitting that a stereotypically cheap Jew would get a cheap Jew brew. Ha!

Named in honor of famous Hebe Lenny Bruce, this rye IPA has an “obscenely” (har har) potent smell. Me like. In fact, it’d be easy to think you were having a barley wine based on pour, smell, and taste.

Tons of hops and rye malts, hints of caramel and citrus, and a liqueur-like thickness and alcoholic heat to it. I loved this one at first, but like Shmaltz’s Rejewvenator, I liked it less and less the more I had it. It’s just so much!

Shmaltz is legitimately making a claim to be the king of “extreme” beers. And by that I mean, beers that nearly cause you to OD. It’s amusing to me that Jewish boys are often considered to be frail, nerdy, and neurotic little pussies, yet the Chosen People’s unofficial brewery is making beers that could upend Andre Rene Roussimoff. Seriously, split a bomber of this with a friend and you’ll enjoy it far more than if you attempt it onanistically. The Vice Blogger is not ashamed to admit it absolutely kicked my toosh and I was even a little off for the entirety of the next day like I was coming down from an acid trip.

Simply put:  it’s a very, very good beer in small doses.

A-

7.8% ABV from a bomber

I’m a bad estimator of how much I plan to drink in an evening. Luckily, my eyes are bigger than my liver and I always overestimate, often causing a stockpile of beer to…well, stockpile. Pre-barring Friday night I knew I wanted my first two beers to be the pricey and potent Westmalle Dubbel and Hair of the Dog Fred. I thought I might need just a tad more beer before I headed out so I opted for the Rejewvenator. Why? For three reasons:

1. It was only $3.99 for a bomber and after having spent an incredibly pretty penny on 12 ounce bottles of the Dubbel and Fred I needed some bang for my buck.

2. Jewish pride always gets me. Seinfeld, Woody Allen, Hank Greenberg, Ryan Braun, Neil Diamond, Pauly Shore…if you are Jewish I will most certainly overrate you.

3. I’ve never had a fig beer before. Hell, I’ve never heard of a fig beer before. Fuck, I think I’ve only had figs before in Newton form. This could be interesting.

Of course, I was already kinda in the tank after the brilliant Westmalle Dubbel (review later this week), so I decided to pass on the highly acclaimed Fred for another time (review next week), and head straight for the marginally acclaimed Rejewvenator to “get the job done” before heading out on the town.

Rejewvenator came out in a ruby red pour. Does it taste figgy? Eh, not exactly. At least I don’t think. But it has a unique flavor and a good one at that. I taste chocolate, malts, a little hops, and a bit of a sour finish. It was tons better than I thought it would be. Very flavorful, pretty complex, nice bite.

I was really digging this beer early on in the bottle but by bomber’s end I had grown a bit tired of it and wasn’t liking the pronounced alcohol taste.

Having said that, for the most part, I had a really enjoyable time drinking this one, especially considering I bought it as a bit of a goof.  L’chaim.

A-/B+