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

Aroma of sweet candied citrus and faint pine needles. Appearance is dark amber orange with a frothy white head - some lacing. Flavor is very malty - almost sugary sweet (maybe the rye?) - with a heavy dose of hops on top. Dry bitter finish, but not so harsh that it is undrinkable. I think it could have used one more different hop addition, but that is a very faint criticism of a very solid beer. I like this one a lot.

22 ounce bomber - $4.99 at Total Wine & More in Kennesaw, Georgia. Appearance: Pours a clear, deep, mahogany-hued body with a large, off-white head. Delicate lacing on the way down. Smell: Rich-smelling nose of toasted bread crumbs and dark, equally toasted caramel. This is set against bright, predominately fruity hop notes of various candied citrus fruits. Taste: Toasted bread crusts coated in rich caramel sauce with a crystal malt sweetness and just a pinch of table sugar followed by the piquant, though pleasant spiciness of malted rye. Various hop flavors roll past the tongue depositing bitterness: white pine, grapefruit rinds, pineapple, tangerine, and even Meyer lemons. Eventually, a bolt, moderate bitterness builds, egged on by the spicy rye and held in place by the robust body. Add in a couple turns of the pepper grinder. Finishes mostly dry with a melange of hop tastes disunited by final flecks of caramel. Mouthfeel: Medium-full body. Medium carbonation. There’s a nice heft to the overall mouthfeel. Drinkability: Ah, Lenny, we hardly knew ye. Though a bit brash at times, it was still an enjoyable potent brew that, despite it’s potency, bitterness, and punchy alcohol content, went down reasonably easily.

Poured from 22 oz., dark amber with red hue, nice medium oiff white head. Aroma of malt, fruit, (figs?) not a lot of hops. Sweet thick taste with the rye coming out, seems to mask the hops. Not like other DIPA’s I have had, very interesting with the alcohol sneaking up on you.

Poured red and amber with a decent white to off-white head that only created maginal lacing. The aroma was sweet sugary malts with floral hops, some drier rye and a bit of citrus. The flavor is sugary sweet malts and dry rye with some bitter pine hops and softer citrus. Mouthfeel was medium in body and the finish lingered a bit. Just OK.

Dark reddish brown with a 1 finger head. Sweet, sticky, with rye on the end and just mild bitterness. Finished a bit sweet and long, or this would be really nice. Still very good and the 10% ABV is well disguised.

Nice and dark with amber tones. Big aroma, sweet and very hoppy. Taste is citurs and biscuity taste with a lot of juicy hops.

On tap, and snifter served at Lunar Brewing Co. Poured a dark amber hue, with a white head that diminished rather quickly to a small, solid ring. The nose was mellow malt and candy sweetness blanketing citrus notes. The flavor was immediate dry/hop bitterness, with thick, malt sweetness. Full bodied and almost syrupy, with a warming but potent alcohol content. Finished pleasantly bitter.

22oz bottle. Poured a clear deep copper with vitrualy no head or lacing. Has a heavy malt aorma with a floral spiciness and alchohol. The taste is a chewy syrupy mess of of hops and malt that are too strong with a heavy alchohol bite. Flavors just are not well balanced, for being this over the top. Thick bitter finish. I hope this was just a bad batch and not what this was supposed to be. Might have to try again at another time.