HeBrew Bittersweet Lennys R.I.P.A

22oz. Pours a dark brown with amber highlights. Aroma is mostly sweet malt with some generic hops thrown in for good measure. Body adds some caramel malt and bitter citrus. Extremely underwhelming, soft palate makes this quite the yawn inducer.

A clear red-amber beer with a modest off-white head that leaves lace. The aroma is delicious hops, fruity and floral, along with some maltiness and vanilla notes. Altogether a sweet, pleasant aroma. The taste sweet up front, then blends to caramel malt and hop bitterness at the end, although not as much bitterness as it could have. There’s some definite alcohol heat to the whole thing, in a way that reminds of Bourbon or whiskey. A good beer, and interesting!

A sweet smelling aroma and nice looking pour in a pint glass. This beer offers a strong taste (10%) with its bountiful amount of malts and hops. An incredible palate that has you seeking more.

Poured from a 22oz bomber and served in a tulip. This beer poured a dark, hazy amber with a one-finger thick head of creamy beige foam. Great retention and lace. The aroma of the beer consisted of sugary caramel malt, some rye spiciness, grapefruit rind, and oranges. The flavor included strong, upfront rye spiciness, caramelized sugar, light tea, bitter grapefruit, peach, and a shot of alcohol. The mouthfeel was thick and full-bodied. Minimal carbonation. Hoppy, malty, and spicy...tasty stuff. A well made big beer.

Bottle pours hazy amber with thin, quick diminishing white head. Aroma is mild citruis hops. First taste is sweet malt, then hops bitterness. The finish is bitter hops. Alcohol is well hidden, and this is a really good RIPA.

Pours a glowing reddish orange with a thin off-white froth (poured again a bit cooler and had a big beige creamy foam instead). Sweet aroma of honey, rye, and lots of hops. Sweet and chewy malts, followed by grapefruit and finishing earthy bitter with some lasting rye. Full bodied, sugary mouthful, soft larger bubbled carbonation. The bitter aftertaste just stays forever and I love that pungent rye taste. The depth of flavors is awesome, but it may be a tad too sweet.

Thanks to my cousin Wes for a bottle of this beer! Poured a deep chestnut amber body with a thick off-white head. Caramel malty rye wheat and monster fruity hops lashing. Smooth for a big-ass IPA. Very nice beer. One of my favorite He’Brew brews.

This was a nice surprise. Pours a dark, cloudy amber color with a healthy, creamy, off-white head that lasts forever. The nose is heavy caramel with subtler notes of grape and toasted rice in the background. There is very little hop aroma despite an obviously healthy hop bill. This hop bill comes exploding out in the bitterness which seems to envelop the tongue immediately. More difficult to discern is the syrupy sweetness that underlies the forefront bitterness. The finish reveals an ever-so-slight hint of the rye used in the malt profile. Despite its subtlety, or maybe because of it, this rye undertone is quite pleasant. Mouthfeel is heavy and creamy, almost as if the beautiful head is incorporated into every mouthful. A most enjoyable brew, this rye "IPA" could have just as easily been labeled a rye barleywine. Whatever the label, I’ll have another!