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

Draft @ Coles Buffalo NY. Pours a amber orange with decent 1 finger head. Oak aromas with a seems to be out of place geueze like tart sour funkiness. Taste is oak, hop bitterness. Not too much whiskey but some of the sour tartness. OK

Tap @ The He’Brew Bash at the Blind Tiger NYC. I was fricking wasted by the end so some of these rates might be a bit odd. Hazy looking. Vinegar and sweet/sour lemon on the nose. Sour in the mouth with good malts and hoppiness. Pretty whatever. Very Frech in reality (I have no idea what i meant by that)

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.

Bitter fruit is the name of this game. On tap at Brouwer’s. Pours a murky amber with a creamy, yellowish (almost greenish, which is odd) head. Plenty of oak, and plenty of cherries (also weird), and it’s loaded with resiny hops. Schmaltz really likes their big beers, and I like them for it. This is thick and viscous, even a bit too sticky... though the hops are in copious enough quantity that it remains dry, and isn’t cloying. The rye adds an interesting aspect - the imparted note is a little earthier and drier than a bourbon. I like it. Probably wouldn’t do more than a snifter of it - this is almost like something on the extreme end of Dogfish Head - but I liked the glass I had.

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 Old Town Ale House in Fishers - Aroma is lots of oak, whiskey, alcohol, rye with a resin hop finish. Flavor matches and is almost astringent. Palate is sticky and dry. I’m a fan of the base beer and don’t think the barrel has done it any favors. Not being a whiskey fan probably doesn’t help either.

On tap for awhile and toward the end of it’s tenure at Lunar Brewing Co. Finally tried, and served in a snifter. Poured a brown hue, with ruby tones showing through. The head was off white, small, and quickly reduced to a ring and some film., but left some good curtainy lacing. The aroma was sweetness, caramel, only a little citrus, cask alcohol, and vinous qualities. The flavor was malty sweet, wine-like, very warming alcohol, and a syrupy texture on the palate. Probably a bit past it’s prime in the hop department, but a very potent sipper.

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.