The Religion of Beer

On this Shabbat evening -- the night before the Jewish Day of Rest -- it seemed apropos that I sample a beer to fit the occasion.

Rejewvenator from He'Brew.

(OK, I didn't put that much thought into it. That's just what I happened to have in the fridge left over from earlier in the week and it was a bigger bottle enough for the missus and I to share.)

Almost as soon as I opened it, the smell of grapes hit me -- and upon looking at the bottle, indeed, this seasonal release is fermented with Concord grape juice. The half-doppelbock, half-Belgian-style Dubbel pours a beautiful amber color and the 8.2% ABV isn't overpowering. While the grape smell is powerful, it's just noticeable enough on the palette without being over the top. (Which is good, because, who wants a fruity beer)

It also paired well with the pot roast I made -- yeah, I made pot roast in the slow cooker today since I was off. NBD.

It scored a modest 85 on RateBeer.com and received an average user rating of 3.33 out of 5.

I'm also intrigued by some of the other He'Brew ales:
-- Origin, an Imperial Amber Ale brewed with Pomegranate Juice
-- Jewbelation Fourteen, a 14% ABV that uses 14 different malts and 14 different hops (It's in celebration of their, you guessed it, 14th anniversary)
-- Vertical Jewbelation, a new blend of all seven He'Brew beers aged in 6-year Rye Whiskey barrels

All in all, Rejewvenator is a solid brew that's worthy of a Mazel Tov!

Rating (out of five mugs): 4.2