HeBrew Messiah Bold

There are a few beers that will reach out and surprise you.

The other day, while looking for a beer to try for this week’s column, I asked a friend of mine and owner of a downtown bar to give me a “brown ale.” I had been basking in the light, ummm, light of pilsners and pale ales for too long and needed something that would provide taste, aroma and a little kick to my evening.

He came back quickly with the HeBrew Messiah Bold.

The quirky label and interesting name intrigued me, so I picked it up, poured it into my cold mug and, BAM!, was instantly hooked on a quality brew.

Now, HeBrew is not the beer for everyone. The word “bold” in the name is true and there are a myriad of flavors that jump on the scene that might befuddle classic beer drinkers. But if you can get through those first couple sips and come out on the other side, do so, because it is worth the ride.

The pour shows HeBrew Messiah Bold for what it is: a dark, brown ale full of rich malts and a bit of hoppiness that balances the other flavors about to come out. The head is light in color and mass and dissipates rather quickly leaving little to no lacing as you drink.

The aroma is almost sweet at first, but a touch bitter on the back end. The more you smell, the more it seems to change and that is a good thing for someone like me who has felt like he was in a beer rut for a couple weeks.

Some say they can taste everything from chocolate to raisins in this particular brew. I don’t know that I caught all of that, but it does have a rich, cooked fruit flavor in many ways that adds to that flavor complexity talked about earlier.

Like the aroma, the taste starts off sweet and ends with a bitter, hoppy aftertaste. Taste it again and it’s the same thing. That makes it a fun beer to drink, for me, and one that you can sip while chatting with friends (or the bartender) and you won’t feel like you have to drink a beer every 15 minutes or so.

Some who rated this beer found it bland and non-descript, but I couldn’t disagree more. It is great for a fall afternoon or evening when you need something more than just your favorite beer. You need a conversation starter.

Try asking for HeBrew Messiah Bold — or just grab one for yourself at any specialty beer store.