Brews and Blues Beer and Smokin’ Blues

Coney Island Freaktoberfest

Well, here we go once again down that road of slick packaging! I'm a sucker for it. If your beer has a super cool label, I'm likely to try it.  The Shmaltz Brewing Company, as far as I'm concerned, wins the cool labeling contest hands down.  I was at the World Market in Mooresville recently when I spotted this little gem sitting among some other seasonal beers and wines in a rather subtle display.  It hasnt' been that long ago that I tried their Coney Island Lager simply because of the cool label, so I'm going to pick up the rest of their stuff that is available to me this week and get it in the tasting line up very soon.  The labeling on the two bottles is nearly identical, which is probably why I liked it so much. 

The Coney Island Freaktoberfest poured with a thick foamy head and, as noted on the bottle, a blood red color in the glass.  It's so red that I actually expected the Kool-Aid guy to crash through my wall when I took a sip.  However, on taking that first sip, the malty dominance of the blood red brew stood up and shouted instead.  This beer has a powerful caramel note.  I don't know what the grain bill on this beer looks like but I'm quite confident that there is a nice chunck of crystal malt in each batch.  I like the flavor of this beer so much I might just write them an email and see if they would be willing to give any tips to a home brewer on making it.  Some breweries will do that to some extent.  The last time I inquired about a recipe, I was given the list of malts and hops used in the beer, but no amounts or ratios and was left to figure it out on my own. 

The label on this beer also says "This is not an Oktoberfest... This is Freaktoberfest."  As far as Oktoberfest beers go, this IS a bit different in more ways than just the color.  The malt dominance of this beer is right on target with the Oktoberfest style.  There is something odd in the hop bill though and I'm not sure what it is.  This beer has very little hop aroma, which is also normal, but there is a definite hop bitterness, although not overpowering at all, in this brew.  From the bottle:

6 Malts
6 Hops
6.66% Alcohol
Blood Red Lager
Indulge your Inner Freak!

That 6 hop note and higher alcohol content is what sets this beer apart from a normal Oktoberfest.  Oktoberfests are traditionally not known for hops.  I'll send a note to Shmaltz Brewing and see what information I might be able to get them to give up on this brew...  In the mean time, I am headed up to Gail's Hops and Grapes to pick up some more of these brews for future drinks...