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

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.

Green Dragon Pub NYE 07 with Bikesandbeer and his gf Jessi. Draft. @ Green Dragon Pub in Portland Oregon. Pours dark brown with a thin bright white ring. Nose of rye and a hint of smoke. Strong sweet and sugary taste. Pretty decent.

Pours a hazy dark copper with a huge tan head. Strong malt, caramel and hop aromas. Strong malty caramel taste dominates at first followed by lots of hops. The rye malts add a flavor I have never had before. Kind of a funky taste. Not sure if I like it or not. The body is meduim-full and syrupy. The alcohol is only slightly noticeable. Decent beer but definately not one of favorites.

Pours a beautiful translucent ruby/tangerine color with a sparkling white head. Sweet malt aroma. taste is spicy rye and strong hop. Starts out thick but yields to a pleasant lingering bitterness. Great balance of strong flavors in an extremely affordable bottle.