He'Brewin I'm drinkin' - HE'BREW Origin Pomegranate Ale

He’Brew Origin Pomegranate Ale

Shmaltz Brewing Company, San Francisco California

8% ABV

$5.39 p/22oz. bottle at BevMo

If there's one thing I've taken from my trips around the world both at BC's Pizza and Beer in Clovis California (stop on by they're awesome people) and literally, it's that there are tons of great beers out there. I have only had the pleasure of experiencing a select few of what is out there and that excites me. There is always something new to try and I'm game for whatever.

This is the second half of my Books to Drink By review series and I hope it helps steer some of you towards some great drinks you haven't tried before. Eventually I will be merging the two features of this blog, pairing the themes of a book with one or more alcoholic beverages (or non-alcoholic if I have any underage viewers). Like, the Twilight series is like Coors Light. They were both created for the sole purpose of getting rich off the masses while barely resembling what they claim to be (literature in the case of Twilight and beer in the case of Coors). And after you've finished both you're left with a huge headache.

Every Friday I will try to keep them to their seasonal appropriateness but I can't make any promises. 

Our first beer up is He'Brew Origin Pomegranate Ale

This is the first certified kosher beer that I can recall drinking. I may have at one point in my life stumbled into a Jewish Deli and asked for something boozy. My time with Mossad is a little hazy. But hey, we’re drinking beer so it’s all good.

Yes I took the picture myself. Delicious huh?

Origin is a clear glowing amber beer with a cloudy white head that dissipates surprisingly fast. Pouring it into a 0.4l glass gave me about a finger of head that was gone within seconds. The aroma was a sweet tart that is reminiscent of a Belgium ale but not as harsh or bitter. There was a faint pine-citrus aroma which isn’t too uncommon for a California beer. You smell it a lot in beers from the northern area. Strangely enough for a beer that boasts being pomegranate based there wasn’t much of a fruity smell. Taking in the first draw of the beer was smooth. It is pretty dry with almost no fruity flavors but afterwards you get that faint pomegranate taste that lingers for a while. Overall He’Brew Origin is crisp light and refreshing with no harsh or bitter overtones. The subtle flavor of pomegranate serves to complement rather than define the beer.