HeBrew Bittersweet Lennys R.I.P.A

Oy vey! What a massive beer this is. Love the bottle. Smell is of punishing sweetness, but you can still tell hops await your tongue. Dark hued, but that makes sense with all the malts I got from the first sip. Pretty hot tasting, but delicious all the same. The malt bill must be obscene to take the lead over that hop bill. I like it in a way I like to occasionally get trashed and not go to work the next day... fun, but you can’t make it a habit. A fine offering. HUGE beer.

Any first impressions?
-A ring of foam circles the clear ruby garments.
-Candied fruit and earthy, coniferous hops firmly greet the nostrils.
-The wooden, earthy hoppiness hangs on to every tastebud, but knows when to relax, as the sweet fruity caramel passes by.
-The easygoing carbonation and tangible rye produce a nourishing mouthfeel.

What if you dig deeper?
-The finishing jeafy bitterness is pleasurable, and not overdone.
-Alcohol bites alongside the hop bitterness, so it doesn’t bother the flavor profile that much.
-I found this to be a well-crafted strong ale, which even aspired to balance after a while. Intelligently composed, but somehow not as memorable as it could be.

Bottle; no date.

Dark amber body with medium off-white head. Aroma of hops and sweet malts though none are very strong. The taste is mostly bitter with a slight sweetness (notes of butterscotch, lemon, caramel). The sweet malts do not come near complimenting the bitter aftertaste. In fact, the flavors are far from complimentary. Medium body, sticky texture. The alcohol reveals itself at the end.

Firey amber with insta-ring head. The nose is surprisingly subdued - some alcohol heat hits me first, followed by rose petal hops. The body is creamy and full with rye, but comes off flat as did the nose. Just a sweet, jumbled mess with little definition. Annoying, alcohol induced bitter note lingers long into the finish. Blah at best. What a clunker for #500, oh well.

Rich, malty aroma; not overly hoppy. Red body with an off-white, frothy head. Very nice. Excellent lace. Good visible carbonation. High alcohol presence. Sweet. Molasses. Some harshness. Enjoyable, yet somewhat undefined.

Copper appearance with an average size, off white head and spotty lacing. Resinous hop aroma, with hints of wildflowers that may be the rye malts. Bold hoppy taste, initially sweet, followed by background malts, before returning to the mixed bag of assorted hop flavors (citrus, pine, mild spices). Full-bodied, well carbonated mouthfeel leading to a dry, bitter, long lasting finish.

Bomber. Poured an amber color with a frothy almost tan head. Huge hop aroma with a light malt background. The flavor is bitter grapefruit, pine, and caramel but as it warms more and more malts come out. Medium to full body with a bitter aftertaste. Very nice!!!

An amber pour with a guey off white lacing. an aroma of hops and malt. A sweeet malty flavor with much hops kicking in. Alcohol really is present in this beer. A good bitter finish. The mouthfeel is thick and almost slick. A carbonation thing that borders on fizzy. A good beer.