Rejewvenator

Schmalz Brewing Co.
San Francisco, CA

Available: CA, AK, AZ, CO, CT, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, KY, MD, DC, DE, MA, MI, MN, MO, NB, NJ, NY, NC, OH, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, VA, WA, WI, AB

Described as half dopplebock, half Belgian-inspired dubbel, this beer is brewed with lager yeast, Trappist ale and Abbey ale yeasts, and infused with fig juice.

Alcohol (vol.): 7.8
Alcohol (wt): 6.2
Color: dark amber
Bitterness: n/a
Original gravity: 1072

This beer has more puns in the name than hops in the mouth. If you can get past the jokes, it’s a glorious beer, with a glowing amber red color and a staggering aroma of figs — used in the brew — and burnt raisins and sultanas. Hop bitterness builds in the mouth, balancing the dark grain and ripe fruit. The finish is long and complex: it starts bittersweet but becomes dry, with rich fruit, roasted grain and light hop resins. I have this sudden compulsion for a fat slice of Madeira cake...
- Roger Protz

This beer has a beautiful ruby-brown color and an open-textured tan head that quickly drops back to a ring. The aroma is reminiscent of sweet Oloroso sherry, Grandma’s candy dish and almonds — perhaps the figs at work? Hops snap at the palate up front and then give way to a semi-sweet, unctuously fruity center. The hops reassert themselves in the long finish, leaving a slightly minty afterglow. A distinctly interesting beer, this would be very nice with sheep’s milk cheeses. But sheep have cloven hooves, so perhaps that wouldn’t be kosher?
- Garrett Oliver

Roger Protz
Roger Protz is the author of Complete Guide to World Beer and 300 Beers to Try Before You Die. He is a respected beer authority and editor of the CAMRA Good Beer Guide.

Garrett Oliver
Internationally recognized brewer and expert on traditional beer, Garrett Oliver is the brewmaster of the Brooklyn Brewery and the author of The Brewmaster's Table.

Comments are closed here.