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

22oz bomber. Pours orange-amber brown with a slight haze and a thick off-white yellowish head that doesn’t last too long but does leave the occasional swath and streak of lace on the glass. The aroma is rich with malts - bready, tangy, and chocolatey - and also well-balanced by a sticky hop aroma - light citrus and lots of earthiness. There is a kick of alcohol in the nose, too. The flavor starts sweet with malts - toast, caramel, honey, and a hint of molasses - and bittersweet with resiny hops - spicy with notes of citrus and hints of evergreen. In the front of the mouth is also where there is the most evidence of rye - a nice spicy malt sweetness that pairs quite nicely with the hop flavors. At mid-palate is wave of chocolate and toffee malts as well as a firm spicy hop bitterness, some more citrus. and some fruity esters that complement everything quite well. The finish is full and sweet and is slightly dry from the alcohol (warming as it goes down) and the big, balancing hop bitterness. The aftertaste is warming and a nice balance of rich malt character and American hops. The mouthfeel is rich, full, and creamy, with a light tingle from carbonation and a pleasing sudsiness that complements the full body. Overall, this is a really great beer, but I wouldn’t call it a double IPA. Perhaps American Strong Ale is a better appellation - maybe even American Barleywine.

22oz bottle. Dark orange/brown pour. Slight hop aroma, the rye malt is right up front though. Good hop flavor with a lingering bitterness in the end, smooth rye flavor in there as well. Pretty tasty, but a little too sweet for me.

Reviewed 1/13/2009 (bottle): Pours an amber orange colored body, with a small white head. Has a strong citrusy bitter aroma. Also, a rye grainy aroma. An alcoholy taste, bitter citrus, grainy. Spicy taste. Has a creamy mouthfeel. Nice IPA taste. Carbonated. Tasty.

Wow, very malty aroma, almost to the point where I am not so sure that this is an imperial/double. I am trying to smell the hops, but no luck with this one. Too malty of an aroma if you ask me, for an imperial/double that is. Nice haze appearance. Not completely transparent, it leans towards translucent. Nice looker though. Has a nice tight head sitting on top. Couple of floating particles, but hell I don’t give. Very matly beer. There aren’t enough hops in this. I am having a hard time cutting through the damn malts. I mean I enjoy malts, but when we are talking about an imperial/double IPA I want to be friggin twitching because of the hops. That is not happening. Overall, a decent beer with an okay palate, but the malts are overdone. I think this brewing company has a hard time chilling out on the malts, and using the hops.

Pours clear amber with thick creamy tan head. Aroma has plenty of rye, malts with notes of caramel. Taste, thick rye mouthfeel, heavy dose of hops with underlying fruits (grapefruit, subtle citrus), all balanced out with good malty notes. Overall leaves a thick creamy taste. After taste has some warming notes of possible dark fruits coupled with a good 10% kick.

Pours with a dark amber hue with a small white head that is mostly diminishing. Aroma is interesting. A lot of sweetness to the nose - fruits, and hints of caramel. The fruits that dominate the nose are of the dark variety - prunes, and dates especially. Very hoppy aroma as well. Smells a tad like a barley wine weirdly enough. Flavor is initially sweet, then turns into a bitter, hoppy nightmare - well at least for me. This is one of the most bitter beers I have ever tasted. Very yeasty beginning with some rye. The end is so bitter i cannot even make out individual flavors. Medium texture with light carbonation. Def. a great beer for someone who likes IPAs and bitter beers. Just not my style. Still deserving of a decently high rating though!

Super deep amber coloured body with a dense off-white head. Aroma of tons of hops, caramel malt, alcohol, brandy and yes...even a bit of rye. Full-bodied; Sharp taste of metal, malt, caramel and very potent rye. Very strong flavours throughout with alcohol and rye being the most potent. Overall, a very hoppy and strong rye-based pale - good for those rye lovers, not good for those with discriminating palates ;-) I sampled this 65 cL bottle puchased at Oliver’s Beverage in Albany, New York on 06-November-2006.

Really good. Has a nice bit of a rye malt taste that is well blended with the strong hop presence. nice body that is a bit creamy, excellent brew, and its kosher!