He'Brew Bittersweet Lenny's R.I.P.A. - Shmaltz Brewing Company

ThisWangsChung

Maryland

3.28/5  rDev -19.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

12 oz bottle into a pint glass.

A: Pours a crystal clear burnished copper color. The head is a two finger offwhite shade. The texture is creamier (if thinner) than most DIPAs I tend to encounter, and the lacing it leaves behind is nice looking, as well.

S: Dank. Really the perfect descriptor for this one. Weed, fresh cut grass, herbs, pine, lemon are all the hop qualities I notice, backed by the spicy rye malts. An underlying aroma of toffee, biscuit, and caramel also give the hops some breathing room.

T: At first, it's lightly sweet and spicy. The piny, herbal hops all hit on the midtaste, providing many of the same flavors the nose suggested (marijuana, pine, black pepper, etc.) On the finish, there's an upsurge of both rye malt qualities and earthy booziness. Not really deep, delicate, or balanced in any way, but a fun DIPA to sip on.

M: Shocking heft on the palate, and shockingly silky as well. A bit of roughness builds up after the first sip, in conjunction with the drying of the finish. Given the choice between syrupy and sweet or dry, clean, and boozy...aw fuck it, I'll take dry, clean, and boozy in this case. I'm really glad this one lacks overt sweetness.

O: I've never been too particular over rye IPAs, but this one is fine. Very good for those who like spicy, bitter, pine-forward DIPAs.

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2013 22:22:56 | More by ThisWangsChung

alaimoa

Connecticut

4.01/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a dark golden brown with limited head but leaves white lacing all down the glass. Has a sweet malty smell. I wasn't expecting as much sweetness as I got in the initial taste that had caramel maltiness with a hop backbone. Definitely not a hop-bomb and a nice scotchy after-taste. It has more of a scotch ale taste to it with a medium body.
Overall delicious.

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2013 21:38:41 | More by alaimoa

stella77artois

New York

4.01/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Served on tap. This beer is advertised with the phrase "an insane amount of malt and hops." Uh yeah, that's certainly true. This is a very, very strong tasting beer. And the first Rye IPA I've ever tried.

A - Pours straight brown. Not a lot of orange or red, a fairly unique looking beer. Medium sized white head, which dissipated slowly. Very little residual noted.

S - As advertised, lot's of malt and hops. Malt more noticeable. Some grapefruity hop aromas, and a slight hint of alcohol.

T - This is one of the strongest tasting beers I've ever had. The huge amount of malt and hops are noticeable, as is a very slight rye flavor. Not much else. Tastes very, very good. Problem is, it's so strong (not the alcohol, either) that it can be very slightly unpleasant if drank too fast. Very good tasting though, not taking anything away from that.

F - A very dry, tart finish. As with the taste itself, it's strong!

O - A very powerful and tasty beer. NOT for the faint of heart! Can be tough to drink to some I'd imagine, but I'd certainly recommend this beer for any DIPA fans, rye beer fans, or extreme beer fans.

Serving type: on-tap

06-19-2013 19:48:22 | More by stella77artois

headyhopzhead

Indiana

4.25/5  rDev +4.7%

06-18-2013 12:49:25 | More by headyhopzhead

jep2606

Virginia

4.25/5  rDev +4.7%

06-18-2013 04:51:09 | More by jep2606

jaybags

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -7.6%

06-15-2013 17:25:36 | More by jaybags

b1515152004

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -26.1%

06-15-2013 00:15:38 | More by b1515152004

brokentee

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev -1.5%

06-13-2013 23:40:36 | More by brokentee

rderedin

Maine

4.25/5  rDev +4.7%

06-13-2013 23:12:17 | More by rderedin

csniezek

Massachusetts

4.75/5  rDev +17%

06-07-2013 05:22:41 | More by csniezek

jkball01

Kentucky

4.25/5  rDev +4.7%

06-04-2013 15:27:54 | More by jkball01

Rihup

Illinois

3/5  rDev -26.1%

06-04-2013 01:40:18 | More by Rihup

Nolen12

Kentucky

4/5  rDev -1.5%

06-03-2013 12:04:13 | More by Nolen12

szmnnl99

Michigan

3/5  rDev -26.1%

06-03-2013 01:21:57 | More by szmnnl99

JohnnieNepal

Michigan

4/5  rDev -1.5%

06-02-2013 17:27:55 | More by JohnnieNepal

hockeyfighter19

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -7.6%

06-02-2013 16:29:52 | More by hockeyfighter19

Rau71

California

3.25/5  rDev -20%

06-01-2013 02:20:43 | More by Rau71

NickSMpls

Minnesota

4.5/5  rDev +10.8%

05-31-2013 23:38:58 | More by NickSMpls

DenverBigRed

Colorado

4.75/5  rDev +17%

05-31-2013 23:08:47 | More by DenverBigRed

Swift989

District of Columbia

5/5  rDev +23.2%

05-31-2013 02:50:44 | More by Swift989

woodchip

North Carolina

4.5/5  rDev +10.8%

05-30-2013 01:10:20 | More by woodchip

Mcvs1507

Indiana

3.5/5  rDev -13.8%

05-28-2013 01:24:20 | More by Mcvs1507

BRLockwood

Virginia

4.5/5  rDev +10.8%

05-27-2013 11:29:02 | More by BRLockwood

dcloeren

Texas

4/5  rDev -1.5%

05-25-2013 17:07:55 | More by dcloeren

scottyu27

Virginia

4.75/5  rDev +17%

05-22-2013 13:15:12 | More by scottyu27