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

Nose is much more hops and sweet than the taste actually provides, which is much more malt/rye. Mouthfeel is to the thicker side as expected by the DIPA style and abv, but still smooth and not sticky. Notes of caramel, some citrus, toast ... similar to the Bastard series imo. dry finish with some burn from the alcohol

Pours a beautiful, clear almond coloured, visibly viscous body with a solid, slow-forming biege head that retains well and leaves good lacing. The aroma strikes you with super-sweet caramel malts and nice NW hop citrus overtones. The flavour is much more malty than it is hoppy, with loads of sticky sweet caramel and toffee-like fkavours with piney, grapefruity overtones. It is, because of the booze and abundance of malts, almost like a barley wine, as it is vinous and intensely sweet. The finish is a bit boozy, but at 10% abv, that’s fine by me. The finish leaves a tingle of acidity from the hops and is extremely drying. It a syrupy, full body and leaves your mouth begging for moisture. Hooray for Jews!

Poured into a tulip with a mahogny brown colour and medium frothy tan head. Active carbonation bubbles. Nose is rather weak with only caramel, booze and sweet malts. Initial taste is syrupy with sweet malts and grapefruit hops. Booze is only slightly apparent and I would say well masked. Finishing with dry sharp bitter hops and caramel with a superb palate duration. Great head retention and awesome lacing of the glass. Medium body.

This beer pours out a nice dark amber color with a thick head. It also leaves some really nice laceing along the sides of the glass. The aroma is very sweet leaving an impression of booze, there is also a mild caramel scent as well. As you drink it there is is an initial bitter sweet taste with a strong booze flavor but it fades quick. The palate is very smooth and creamy finish. It has a mild woody finish and hints of caramel along the sides of your mouth.

liquorloft Tallahassee. poured a deep amber or bronze with a creamy, thick white head. great lacing. nose is heavy hops, citrus and pine, some sweet malt. taste starts out with a powerful hit of hops pine, resin and spices. gets sweet and bready. rye always seems to give a crisp and clean malt finish. the hops however remain in the mouth as the malt fades revealing a bitter pine and grapefruit characteristic . the palate is thick and than oily after swallowing. this aids in the hops and malt flavor clinging to the mouth. a great not over hoped but balanced double ipa.

Big hops and rye nose with good peppery spicing. Bready rye and floral hop notes on the palate. Clean and herbal hop finish.

Exits the bomber bottle a clear dark amber color with burnt orange highlights. Creates a handsome thick beige head with superb retention and thick sheets of lacing adhering to the glass. Aroma was very balanced with moderately assertive notes of roasted malt, toasted rye bread, caramel, earth, citrus rind and just a whiff of pine and spice. Mothfeel was chewy, smooth and slightly oily and slick. A subdued level of carbonation was enjoyed for this style. Initially sweet flavors of crystal malt, caramel and toffee candy, raisin and honey greet the tongue. This is quickly followed up with a firm hop contribution with plenty of herbs, spices, grapefruit and pine. Some rye malt flavors faintly linger in the background. Finish is long and crisply bitter with a pleasant alcohol warmth. Lots going on here but still very tasty and enjoyable.

Bomber from Bottle Barn; Nose of citrus and floral hops with some light graininess; Rusty orange with a big, long-lasting, glass-lacing, straw head; flavor of hop bitterness, caramel, light toffee, and sweet malty tones. No diacetyl like the barrel-aged version I had at the Bistro’s BA Fest a couple weeks ago.