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

Picked this up while in Spokane, WA. Pours a dark amber with a quarter inch off-white head, that fades slowly to a nice cap considering the head wasn’t that large. The lacing was very thick, completely covering the interior of m glass. Smell; very nice hoppy aroma, with citrus and a hint of pine. The rye lends a nice spiciness to the aroma, and there’s some sweet malts present as well. I’m really digging the aroma of this beer. Taste; the hops are definitely present with citrus and the hints of pine tree, but the rye really stands out to me. I’m glad to, because that’s the main reason that I purchased the bottle. I’ve become a big fan of rye beers, and wish other breweries would give rye a chance. There’s a very good mildly sweet presence that just seems to accentuate the rye flavors in this beer. Mouthfeel/Drinkability; the mouthfeel is full bodied and very smooth, and despite the bitterness, this beer is disappearing rapidly. I had never heard of this beer when I purchased it, so I only bought the one bottle. Now I wish I could go back just to buy a case of it. One of the better beers that I’ve had recently.

I’m usually a big fan of He’Brew’s beers. This one seemed to lack focus ... maybe too many kinds of hops, maybe too many kinds of malt and of rye. Great bitterness, if confuinsing hops. Surprisingly apparent alcohol bite. Good looking beer, full mouthfeel, but just not a favorite.

22 oz bottle. I never should have opened this. I was too full and I did not fully enjoy or finish it. Too bad my friend Scott missed it, he would have liked it. Pours caramel-amber color in my plastic hotel water glass. Nice carbonation and a decent head. The aroma has big sticky malt that you can smell from across the room. Floral hoppy hints as well. The flavor is nicely sweet with malts and caramel all the way through. Well balanced, if not a bit light, hops that are fruity (orange) and spicy. Bitter spicy finish with hints of pine wood. The body is heavy, creamy with a dry (the rye?) finish. A good brew with only notes of the Rye cleanness I usually get.

A beer to write home about!! Very hoppy, but dosen’t dry you out. One can taste booze in this beer despite the attempted malt cover-up. I’d drink again and again!

Pours a beautiful cherrywood/mahogany color. Reminds me of Talisker 10yr scotch. I couldnt discern much on the nose. Slightly floral but overshadowed by the hops. Not too heavy of a body which surprised me due to the high alcohol content. Starts hoppy with some nutty notes in the middle and then finishes hoppy. Not too complex... jsut a lot of hops. Extra points though for the use of the rye.

22 oz bomber. Bittersweet is a good way of describing this brew. Starts with bitter hop profile that is a bit astringent and is rounded out by a caramel malt sweetness. I give it a plus for having an interesting spicy note to it and a minus for to much malt sweetness.

Aroma is obviously hoppy. Taste is bittersweet, dry, piney and has a pleasant bite. Very enjoyable brew. Alcohol is present in the finish but is not overpowering.

22 oz bottle. Pours an interesting dark amber with a subtle red hue. Nice bold frothy head with huge slow moving bubbles that turns into medium carbonation. Frankly, I was expecting a bigger hop aroma since it was dry hopped, but the malt and rye overpower any hop nose. The taste is wonderfully complex, citrus notes, pine, malt, and of course you can pick out the rye flavor. I like the addition of rye malt, worked out well. Nice smooth bitterness at the end. If I was to say one negative thing about this beer, it would have to be that the hop bitterness was not the focus, which is what I expect for an DIPA, other than that, great brew.