Whether you celebrate Hanukka or Chanukah, when you light the menorah this year, leave the Manischewitz on the shelf. Because He’Brew, the self-proclaimed "Best Jewish Beer in America" (a/k/a "The Chosen Beer"), is simultaneously celebrating its eighth anniversary and the eight crazy nights of the Festival of Lights with its new Miraculous Jewbelation, an experimental beer steeped in numerological mysticism.

"Eight is a miraculous number in Jewish life," the folks at San Francisco’s Shmaltz Brewery explain. "Chanukah, Passover, and Sukkot span eight days. Eight humans survived the deluge on Noah’s ark. A bris comes on day eight.... Seinfeld ran eight years. Dylan has eight Grammys; Babs, eight Golden Globes. Freud, the eldest of eight children, took eight years to complete his medical degree. Mel Brooks stole a cap gun from Woolworth’s at age eight. Winona Ryder had eight prescription medications in her purse when arrested for shoplifting."

So it is that this limited-release artisanal brew uses eight varieties of malt (from barley, wheat, and oatmeal) and a blend of eight types of hops that’s added eight different times over the course of the brewing process. It all equals a deep, ruby-black beer, wafting an entrancing aroma of nonpareils, anise, and allspice. Rich and smooth, almost chewy, it smacks of sweet coffee, chocolate, and cola, with a finish tasting faintly like licorice. It’s a big, sweet, warming dark ale that will have you spinning like a dreidel at (of course) eight percent ABV.

So, l’chaim. And take it from this one: goyim enjoy it, too.

He’Brew’s Miraculous Jewbelation is available for $5 for a 22-ounce bottle at Kappy’s, Blanchard’s, and other area package stores.