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

Sampled at a HeBrew tasting at Oldsmar Tap House. Will update full rating asap.

bottle - Pours slightly hazy copper with a thick head. It has a hop aroma that’s full of citrus. The rye malt comes through well in the flavor and of course we’re talking about a double IPA here, so there’s lots of hops bitterness. It’s full bodied and the high alcohol doesn’t really stand out.

Pours exactly the color I expected it to be: matches the reddish-brown label perfectly. Real small head (wrong glassware problem) but still a nice-looking brew. Palate is heavy and a little too chewy. Smells powdery and like sweet cereal. Flavors are so strange. A little spicy, a little bitter, a little sweet yet dry and powdery too. A multi-grain breakfast cereal on speed. Gets better by the sip and is surprisingly clean. This is a whacked-out intense beer so it probably makes a good dedication brew to Lenny Bruce. It’s a good one to chew on and borders on feeling like a ryewine.

Dark shiny copper, thick off white creamy head. Soft aromas of brown sugar coated pine cones that ride on undercurrents of tropical fruit and caramelized citrus. Dry bitter hoppy rye-like flavors fade into lightly sugared grapefruit and earth tones. Full bodied, prickly carbonation, bittersweet finish. Think this bottle had some age on it. I recall this being much better when fresh. Still nice none the less...

A tasting at Three Cellars Milwukee. Clear copper, not much head. Sweet, fruity aroma, hops are in the background. The Rye malt comes through to aid in the bitterness, but in a good way. The residual sweetness is controlled for a good balancevery strong brew, I like it.

Pours amber with a slight head. Aroma is slightly fruity, however the malt aroma dominates the aroma of hops. The palate is full and relatively smooth. The flavor is mostly a strong malt with bittering hops. Finishes with a slight alcohol burn, which I assume is the rye. While overall this is a good beer, it is not what I would label a great DIPA.

22oz Bottle from Hi Time Cellar. Clear copper pour, not much head. Sweet, fruity aroma blended with alcohol, hops are in the background. The Rye malt comes through to aid in the bitterness, but in a good way. The residual sweetness is controlled for a good balance, finishes better and sugary. I would almost categorize this as a barley wine, but then many DIPAs fit into that slot. A very well made and enjoyable, very strong brew, I like it.

Pours a cloudy, dark ruby, copper color with a creamy, average, off-white head; it settles to a creamy, frothy layer and leaves some nice lace. Nose is nice but quite simple and a little faint; lots of grapefruit and lemon zest with light bready notes (rye?), light caramels, and some resins. Flavor is nice with initial notes of pink grapefruit and sweet caramels, then the minor notes fill in with some grains (mostly rye), light dired apricots, and some pine towards the finish. Palate is fitting being lively, sticky, moderate body, and velvety. Finishes with the moderately high bitterness at its peak with some lingering pine resins, light grapefruit and a rye note left in my mouth. A nice IIPA with a good rye base, an interesting twist on the style. Nothing overly complex but fairly well built.