HeBrew Bittersweet Lennys R.I.P.A (Rye Whiskey Barrel Aged)

Shmaltz Brewing Company
Brewed at Olde Saratoga Brewing (Mendocino Brewing Co.)
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
San Francisco, California USA

Draught sample. Pours brown with a thin ring of tan bubbles. Smells of oak, some resiny hints, some cherry hints, boozy, sticky, caramelly. Tastes of rye, bitter, peppery, resiny, sticky, oaky, very dry. Great sipper.

Draft at Falling Rock during GABF. Lots of citrus and green aromas. Nice Rye spiciness in there in the background. Flavor was more hoppiness. Bitter and citrusy. Very good.

Poured a hazy yellow amber color with a small, off white head that left light lacing on the glass. Aroma of pine, floral hops, vanilla, whiskey, citrus fruits, and alcohol. Taste of caramel malt, vanilla, whiskey, citrus, pine, and a bitter grapefruit, alcohol finish.

Aroma is full of oak, some rye notes, and a little tart fruit - cherries is a good descriptor. A bit earthy and some hop notes peak through the barrel eventually. Opaque brown orange, visible lively carbonation, a full bubbly tan head and very sticky lace. Oak and earth up front, followed by spicy rye malts and big earthy hops. Almost peppery in the lingering flavors. Some caramel starts to show as well, but to me the barrel has thinned this and dried the hell out of it. Dudes at the bar talking about beer are really lame. " This beer is really European." "The most entries at gabf are in the ipa category." This beer as it starts to warm takes more base beer characteristics. Hop bitterness starts to stick around longer in the finish and it is earthy and spicy. Barrel still hangs around and imparts a moderate woody dryness/tartness as well. Interesting and solid beer. Only a little boozy.

Tap at Blind Tiger. Deep ruby/copper colour with a thin tight white head. Initial impression shows loads of spiciness in the nose. Rye malt character blends very nicely with the vanilla/oak and spicy rye whiskey. Hops show a soft but insistent fruitiness and hints of light pine. Initial flavour is very similar to the regular Lennys but with a rich vanilla sweetness mid-palate. Spiciness kicks in along with a soft oakiness. It shows a lightly herbal component as well. As the beer warms the barrel really starts to become noticable. The bitterness here is just as assertive as it is in the regular RIPA. The barrel adds a lovely complexity to the beer, leaving the essential character of the base beer untouched. Finishes with a long caramelly sweet/rye whiskey spicey flavour. A bit of peppery alcohol retronasally. I like it.

Draft at Old Town Ale House. Pours brown with and orange hue and some white head. Robust nose of rye whiskey and pleny of hops still shining bright. Really nice barrel and booze charcter which complements the rye and hops of the original beer. Substantial body and pretty dry. No compaints here. I like it.

Tap. Pours a slightly hazy deep amber with a large light tan head that lasts leaving good lacing. Heavy aroma of rye whiskey with notes of resiny citrus hops and sweet caramel. Taste is the same as aroma with a hint of vanilla and oak. Medium mouthfeel with a moderate amount of bitterness and smooth alcohol warmth. Very good.

Tap at CityBeer. I am usually not a Hebrew fan but this beer is fantastic. Pours with a copper color. Aromas of whiskey and wood and some malts but not much hops. Very complex flavors where not a single component does stand out. There is some graininess, malts, a distinct woodsiness and whiskey in the background. Hops are very subtle so I would not call this a DIPA. Very smooth.