He'Brew - Jew-bilation 12th Anniversary Ale (Shmaltz Brewing Co.)

I honestly can't remember where I picked up this He'Brew Jewbelation Twelve. But, I know why it caught my eye. Anniversary ales always tempt me, and anything that is only brewed for a limited time is something that I tend to gravitate towards. And how could I resist a beer that was made with twelve different hops and twelve different malts? 

The labeling on this one (in addition to reminding me that this was a 12% ABV) also features a long list of other things that come in twelves... there are 12 signs of the Chinese and western zodiac, 12 men walked on the moon, Jesus had 12 disciples, He'Brew beer started in California's 12th District... among a host of others. The front label of the brew also has tiny pictures of the past anniversary ales making up the background image. Pretty nifty.

I got curious about other famous things that the number twelve signified and I found a few fun ones: 

• *For the geeks: there are 12 function keys on a typical keyboard
  
• *There are twelve basic hues in the color wheel
  

*12 is the atomic number of magnesium
*And finally, or New Englanders - Tom Brady's number is 12

Now, back to the tasting. This pours a thick brown with a fluffy brown head. It smells wonderful - a mix of bready yeast, chocolate malts, alcohol and almost a sweet cream-soda aroma. 

It tastes as smooth as it pours. It has a rich feeling in the mouth and tastes velvety and warm. It is complex, too, with a bit of the hops coming in at the end. This lingers in your mouth for a while like a good chocolate.  

This is really a delicious dark beer that I could sip all night, that only gets better as it warms. You have to try this!

I heard that on their thirteenth anniversary they'll be doing 13 hops, 13 malts at 13% ABV, though I doubt that there's much they can do to top this one - its fantastic. I just heard also that Shmaltz is looking for photos for the 13th anniversary Jewbilation, due out next September.

Shmaltz Brewing turns 13 this year, which in Judaism marks the year of the Bar/Bat Mitzvah, the coming of age for a Jewish boy or girl. Shmaltz's photo contest runs from now until July 4, 2009; images can continue to be submitted until Chanukah 2009 as all photos will be posted on the Shmaltz website. The "winning" pictures in each of the categories listed below will receive a HE'BREW Bar Mitzvah Gift Set. Images can be submitted to info@shmaltzbrewing.com or via Facebook by joining Shmaltz's group, "The Jewbelation 13 Project."