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

Bottle drank at Max’s in Baltimore Amber gold color, nice head and lacing. Nose of earthy, citrusy, melonny and piney hops. Columbus and amarilloish. The flavor is sweet, very caramelly and balanced, nice snappy rye flavor and a spicy finish that compliments the hops, very rich and tasty mouthfeel.

Bottle. Poured brown color with a huge frothy off-white head that mostly lasted with good lacing. Moderate toasty bread malt alcohol aroma. Medium to full body with a sticky texture. Heavy sweet flavor with a medium balanced finish of moderate duration. This is a standout beer.

Bottle @ Akkurat, Stockholm. Pours a clear copper coloer with a small off-white head. Sweet malty vinous alcoholic aroma with some hints of hops. Sweet malty hoppy bitter flavor with some hints of grapefruit. Dry malty bitter finish with some alcoholic hints.

Brown with a big and lasting white head. Some caramel aroma with big grapefruit hops. Sweet and toffee malty flavour with some grapefruit, and a decent bitter finish

Bottle from Super Saver. Dark coppery brown pour with 1-finger khaki head. Aroma is very fruity, hoppy, with a bready and caramel malt aroma, plus a bit of that ryeish candy smell that seems to be part of the Hebrew house character. The flavor is caramel malty, rich and frutiy, hoppy, with some rye and plasticy notes. Dense palate.

An orange amber ale with a thin white head. A pleasant aroma of caramel, vinous notes, figs, raisins. In mouth, a sweet malt with nice vinous raisiny notes, intense hops, grapefruits and warming alcohol. Tasted at "Montréal YeHA! Party 2006" . Dec. 16 2006. Bottle from ProbstK from BOTW.

Head is initially average sized, frothy, off-white, mostly lasting. Body is dark amber. Aroma is lightly to moderately malty (toasted grain, cookie, caramel), moderately hoppy (resin, grapefruit), with notes of alcohol and fruitcake. Flavor is heavily sweet, lightly to moderately acidic, lightly to moderately bitter. Finish is moderately sweet, lightly to moderately acidic, moderately bitter. Full body, creamy texture, lively carbonation, moderately alcoholic. It’s actually pretty good for a "train wreck" type of beer. The aroma doesn’t have much subtlety or complexity, but it’s ok for this kind of thing. Luxurious thick mouthfeel, warming without being too hot. It’s far from a type of beer I enjoy, BUT for what it is (and considering how crappy the rest of the Hebrew line is), I’m surprised.

22 oz bottle bought somewhere in the midwest in August 2006, consumed from a Unibroue glass in September of that year. Dark, cherry-red color, mostly clear with a well-formed neat off-white lasting head....rather boring, simple aroma of cherry and Pine Sol and plenty of noticeable alcohol....hard-hitting attack on the taste buds though, sweet syrupy and alcoholic immediately, bitterness coming in quickly and a woody dryness midpalted that veers close to ashiness late....little in the way of rye tartness or spice detected by yours truly....finish harsh, bitter, charred. This is an unsubtle sledgehammer of an IIPA to my taste, but hopwhores might love it.