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

Location: Draft rating from Capitol Ale House - Innsbrook, I don’t seem to have a date, but this rating is probably at least a year old.

Overall Impression: Assuming this is the same beer I had on draft at the Capitol Ale House in Glen Allen, VA (they called it the HeBrew Lenny Bruce RIPA) it was and excellent beer with a nice combination of flavors.

Bottle. Very surprised that I haven;t had this one before. Pours a hazy auburn with a fluffy, tan head. Good retention and lace. Aroma of hops (indistinguishable), rye, rye bread, caramel, very faint dark fruits and mild brandy type thing going on. Taste is malty and caramely, with dark fruits and rye spiciness. Hops are not very up front, but there is some lingering bitterness. I don’t think this is a super fresh bottle. Viscous/syrupy mouthfeel, light bubbles. A bit sticky. Seems closer to a hoppy barley wine than a IIPA

Bottled. Amber colour, small beigeish brown colour. Aroma is mild tobacco ("snus"), fruits and nuts. Also quite spicy. Flavour is caramel malts, fruits, some nice grassyness as well. Mild spicyness.

Sampled at the 8th Annual Music City Brewer’s Festival. Dark orange-brown. Tan head. Aroma is spicy peppery rye, caramel, spicy hops. Taste is more spicy rye, pine, spicy hops, caramel malt.

For my Dad. July 27, 2009 Poured from a bomber into a steamed tasting glass. The color is a deep maroon/red with some gold or orange tint to it when help to the light. Two fingers of head with some nice retention. The smell is a big heavy on the alcohol at first some nice hops with a malty sweetness. Some subtle wheat or rye flavoring in the background The taste is a bit sweet at first but some strong hop flavor makes it’s mark on your tongue and stays there some a time. As I write this review it is still lingering on my taste buds reminding me I am tasting a big beer. With each sip the malt pronouces itself then leaves the major character to this beer to be the nice hop bitterness. Always a great taste to a hop fan. The beer is not light but is a bit medium in body and feels good drinking it on a hot night in July. Does have a bit of a slight sting with each sip to remind you of the 10.% ABV but it warms your mouth just a little but never over does it. I picked this beer up because of the name but ended up being very pleased with the results. A great Double IPA that has it’s own character.

Bottle at the Rake, 24th July 09. Reddish, small head. Sugary and rich, with prominent alcohol on the nose. Quite harsh. Tons of rye and malt flavours, lots of hoppiness too. A hefty brew.

Presentation: It was poured from a brown 1pt, 6oz bottle into a tulip glass. There was no born on or freshness date that I could find. Appearance: The body had a beautiful deep reddish amber color with just a slight chill haze. On top sits a nice creamy light tan head that fades slowly down to ring of bubbles. It makes for some slick lacing on the glass. Smell: Its aroma has a big robust, bready/ roasted grain malt presence with plenty of strong resin hop notes and a noticeable sweet alcohol as well. Taste/Mouth Feel: The flavor has a very solid malty body up front. It brings sweet and roasted grain, bready and rye notes as well as some sweet alcohol. Hops flavor starts to add balance in the middle before tacking over in the end. The hops add some piney and resiny notes to the sweet warming alcohol and rye notes in the slow lingering finish. It has a full body with a thick, rounded chewy texture that hangs onto the palate. Notes: This is a big full beer with great complexity and strength. Sip slowly and enjoy!!!

22oz bottle. Pours a clear ruby-amber colored body with a finger-width, light brown, creamy head that dissipates slowly and leaves a lasting, sticky head. Aroma is sweet and hoppy. Lots of caramels, deeper toffees and crystal malts, sweet pines with a light resin, and a mixture of fruit. Citrusy and melony mostly with just a light amount of spicy grass that creeps in as this warms. Flavor is very nice. Moderately sweet and quite hoppy with a nice malt backing. Lots of heavier pines and a bit of an oily and resiny bitterness, but never grows too extreme like some other DIPAs. Deeper caramels that stay sweet and don’t quite give off that toasty taste. A nice, lightly spiced citrus stays in there to balance the big malts and heavier bitterness. Finishes dry with a long lingering, big but not overly aggressive bitterness and a sweet, deeper caramel with a nice citrusy touch. Palate is full and chewy with no trace of the 10% ABV. Very clean and smooth. Overall, a really tasty and balanced DIPA. Lots of bitterness, but a big and malty body that doesn’t allow the hops to overpower. Besides a light spice in there, I didn’t pick up much rye, but nonetheless, despite not expecting much, but this was damn good.