HeBrew Bittersweet Lennys R.I.P.A

Presentation: Mine was a 22 oz Bomber that had a theme that looks kind of like an old theatre exteriors The name He’Brew Presents BITTERSWEET LENNY’S R.I.P.A. is made to look like a theater sign. The label says this is a “A Double India Pale Ale with Rye Malt” and “Brewed with an obscene amount of malts and hops”. Listed at 10% ABV. There is a silhouette of the late great Lenny Bruce on the neck label. Finally it is Kosher Certified. Really cool label we have here. Appearance: Poured a nice thick and oily stream from the bottle and settled into my Duvel glass with minimal splash and raised a nice fat off-white head that left lots of fat chunks of lacing on the sides of the glass. Overall this is a feast for the eyes and as the head slowly settles down you are so taken by its overall beauty you almost hate to disturb it. Nose: This one comes at you with alcohol and piney hops. The aromas just leap out at you and you don’t need to take a deep sniff to get this one. Beside the hops, there are also some distinct but not overwhelming rich malts, toffee, nuts, caramel, and berries. Overall it is hard to imagine a beer smelling any better than this. Taste: The taste is similar to the nose, and the alcohol, malts and the hops dominate, and there is a serious bitter finish worthy of a DIPA. Mouthfeel: What can you say about this except is feels rich and creamy and simply hangs on the teeth and tongue. You hate to swallow, but then it tastes just as good going down the back of your throat. Drinkability: Simply sublime is all I can say. At 10% you would want to be careful, but downing all 22 oz is easy. It is just great from first drop to last. Overall: This is an unusual Double IPA because of the Rye Malt, but no matter how you measure it this is an impressive brew. I only got one bottle of this, but assuming it is still there will be picking up a case to share with my friends.

Bottle 3/22/07 This poured a dark red body with a vanilla pudding like head. Taste was very bitter to me and the aroma not too much of anything, must get the old beaker fixed. Almost a dry finish, just not my pick, but do like the abv.

Piscator34’s bottle shared during the MB DIPA Throwdown 07. Cheers to Kris for sharing this gem. One of the few rye beers I’ve had the pleasure of trying. Great looking beer - medium chesnut red color with solid head. Very sweet syrupy aroma to it. Taste is quite nice- very sweet ale and hops poked through more as it warmed.Not overly bitter and has a nice mouthfeel. Very rich brew from the rye malts. The hops are probably not given enough props due to being the last brew in the throwdown and my palate is screwed. very enjoyable beer- not top of my list of DIPA’s but nice change mostly due to the rye. Thanks again Kris!!

Bottled sample via presario. Sampled with Oakbluff on IIPA Saturday. Deep amber/red in colour with medium-low carbonation. Unlike the other IIPAs we’ve sampled today, this one has a strong aromatic malt presence to go along with the citric hops. Some rye bread smells also reveal themeselves as the beer warmed up. Heavy in the mouth with flavors of lightly toasted malt, rye bread, spicy hops, alcohol, and a bit of red grape. Medium bitterness. Good stuff, but not quite in the same class as the other IIPAs we tried today.

Bomber. Nice dark brown orange color, large khaki head. 50/50 between pine hops and very caramelly malt aroma, taste is the same with a little more citrus, alcohol, and rye obviously. Lots and lots of malts, unusual for a DIPA but not unpleasant.

Brown Coloring with Sandy Head. Hopped Aroma. Creamy Mouthfeel..Some Alc Warming...Rye Malt Foundation...Balances Dry Hop Cover and Aftertaste..Some Light Fruit Notes..Arguably One of the Better Balanced Rye Beers I’ve Had. Wonderful Double IPA

Pours clear red with a small beige head. Aroma of citrus(peach and orange) and sweet malts. Flavor of rye malt and hops. Finish is pretty dry and bitter.

22 oz. bottle - pours dark amber, cloudy and minimal white head; tastes likes this is all malts and few hops; so while i like the rich malts, it’s too unbalanced