HeBrew Bittersweet Lennys R.I.P.A

Shmaltz Brewing Company
Brewed at Olde Saratoga Brewing (Mendocino Brewing Co.)
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
San Francisco, California USA

~Pours a light reddish copper color with big fluffy and creamy white head. ~Aroma of rye bread and grapefruit. Sweetness present. ~Sweet flavor with a balanced amount of bitterness. Crystalized malts and earthy hops dominate. ~Thick chewy feel. Sweet and bitter finish. Bitter finish outlast the sweet finish. ~Interesting brew. Flavors very similar to Dogfish head 90 minute. Maybe the Warrior hops? I like it. Possibly buy again.

22oz bomber. Pours a deep orange copper color with a slight off white head. Aroma is hop based with the citrus, spice, and pine,although the rye sticks out from the backgroud and is pleasent on the nose. Likewise on the tongue. The hops are up front checked by a sweet malt, with the rye breaking through in the after taste. Full body, syrupy texture, dry feel, and a little soft on the carb. Very interesting and balanced beer. High quality IIPA that is a little different. I would certainly drink this beer again and recomend to others.

Bomber. Deep amber with an offwhite head that quickly fades to a ring. Aroma of citrus hops, caramel malts, a touch of spicy rye. Overall a very malty spicy ipa, not too much bitterness. Lots of caramel.

Pours a caramel, amber color with a light beige head. Smell is malty and slighty rye like with some light spiciness. Taste is dark rye, zestiness, hoppy and with a light malt flavor in the background. Flavorful and moderately bittered, and pretty enjoyable. Not a bad brew at all.

Bottle from BevMo in Fairfield, CA. Poured a dark carmel color. The smell of hops jumped of this beer. What makes this beer so good is the malty backbone the controls the hop flavor. WOW!!

Bottle from BevMo in Fairfield, CA. For a DIPA, this one is very unique, as the maltiness is more pronounced for the genre. It’s definitely full of malt and hops, providing a taste and fullness that is unmatched for a DIPA.

A very unique and incredible brew. A perfect balance of malt and hops--almost like a Scottish ale. Pours a red-copper color with a nice frothy head. Flavors are very good with hints of fruit, caramel, and spice.

This is one big beer. Reddish/copper color, an off-white head with some retention and spotty lacing. The aroma is a very good intro to what you’re going to get: fruity, lots of hops and a touch of the rye malt. The first few sips it seemed to start with rye malts as well as some caramel, a bit sugary and sweet, followed by a blast of very bitter hops with a sour grapefruit presence. Malts showed late in the finish as well although the grapefruit hops constantly linger a long time, well into the aftertaste. Rich, full and a little sticky. Halfway through the bomber, as the alcohol started going to my head and my palate shredded it was just one huge bitter/rye/hoppy/sour complex taste. I don’t necessarily think it’s high on the drinkability scale due to it’s sharp bitter flavor but I thought it was wonderful.