He'Brew Jewbelation Sweet 16

The Jewbelation series from He'Brew brewing is an anniversary series they release every year. At least for the last couple of years, each new iteration adds 1 percent to the ABV to match the year, making this year's version 16%. I'm not really sure on a style but it's probably listed as an American Strong Ale. A quick glance at BeerAdvocate shows I'm correct mostly because that's just a catchall category for strong beers that don't really fit anywhere else.

Smelled of chocolate, raisins, and plums. Basically like a quad mixed with a less sweet port. No real hint of the 16% in the nose which was nice. Super thick though with enough carbonation to keep it from being cloying. Tasted of chocolate and burnt plums with a little harsh bitterness in the finish. The alcohol is not as hidden in the body as the nose, but it came and went as I drank more and was never too oppressive. I thought for a 16% monster it was remarkably easy to drink. My brother in law liked it quite a bit too. Definitely an interesting beer and for like $8 it's quite a deal. Also, my parents bought this for me because they liked the bottle which is pretty funny.

He'Brew Bittersweet Lenny's R.I.P.A

I've finally managed to finish the last of my brother's Hanukkah beer gift, the He'Brew Bittersweet Lenny's R.I.P.A, a really strong rye ipa. I'll admit, I should have drank this one earlier but I just never got around to it. At least I drank one of the two he gave me a month or two ago so I did get a sense of what it's like in a fresher state.

Sweet nose with some aged hop notes and some rye spiciness. On first sip there was some caramel, bitter hops, some more rye spiciness, and a lot of alcohol. Basically continued that way though the rye spiciness and alcohol were at odds with the caramel sweetness at times. Decent enough after four months (well, at least four months) but this is one that should be drank closer to its bottling date even if it is 11%. The previous bottle was a bit more balanced with the hops covering the alcohol better.

Bell's Darkest Day at Devil's Den

Okay, so this event was over two weeks ago at this point, but it was such a great time, I don't want to just skip writing about it. The event took place on December 21st, the shortest day of the year hence the name,  Darkest Day. Devil's Den got about 6 different Bell's beers including the incredibly rare Black Note. When the event was first announced at the end of November, I quickly put it on my calendar since I knew I couldn't miss it. Now, maybe I was a little too excited because when I got there at 4, there were only three other people in the bar and they all left before the event making me the first to arrive for it. I even took a picture!

See, empty bar. Luckily, I knew the next four people that walked in after me so I had plenty of company to pass the time.