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

brewmyster

Oregon

4.72/5  rDev +16.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

In tulip glass with Saint Agur blue cheese

A-dark amber thin head which disappear to a ring

S-carmel,toffee, fig?

T-malt,carmel,butter,sweet malt (rye malt?, wow,really whatever I love it),slight alcohol but nothing like you would expect at the ABV,hop bitterness at the end

M-syrupy texture,stays on the tongue almost oily

O-this is one of my new favorites, this went AWESOME with blue cheese

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2012 02:08:03 | More by brewmyster

pattyhopp

Massachusetts

4.43/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pair this with a fat Reuben sandwich and you got yourself a great lunch..

This is a great beer, my first He'Brew actually.
Pours a dark orangeny brown with not too much head.
Smells sweet with a beatiful citrus bready aroma.
Nice and sweet at first then transitioning into sweet and spicy hoppiness then the RYE , Hell yea!
A little thick but very enjoyable.
Could drink a few of these...but maybe I shouldn't..Ahh what the hell why not.?

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2008 04:04:59 | More by pattyhopp

beer19

Texas

4.15/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a large tulip

A - dark amber, semi-opaque, with a 1" head which dissipates quickly

S - complex malts, hops are also present, figs, ripe fruits, definitely a unique dipa

T - very balanced, one of the more complex taste profiles for a dipa, following the smell there are more ripe fruits, very quad-like, but with an excellent measure of tasty hops thrown in

M - creamy, lightly carbonated, easy drinker for the abv

O - a well executed and crafted beer, will definitely be in the regular rotation

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2012 02:49:17 | More by beer19

dday1231

Massachusetts

4.4/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Carmel, cloves, and licorice. Oh my! The label downplays the hops and malts when it advertised "BREWED WITH AN OBSCENE AMOUNT OF MALTS & HOPS". This is a beer with lots of flavor. Nice head. The color will make any passerby think that I’m drinking a cool glass of Grade C maple syrup. Soft to the palate, but the favors liven the taste buds. This is a top beer, no doubt, but a little to rich at the en for my weak palate.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2011 03:10:57 | More by dday1231

djspe

Massachusetts

3.28/5  rDev -19.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Upon the first few sips, I was quite impressed. It's rich and complex while packing a real punch. This is high on hops and spice. However a few more gulps and the beer takes on a heavy syrupy feel. I could not finish my poor. It's a bit much. Good for a sample, but not recommended even in the 12 oz Belgian pour.

Serving type: on-tap

07-06-2008 02:25:01 | More by djspe

mlibby

Missouri

4.3/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

22oz bomber poured into an imperial pint glass.

A: Pours a deep, rusty red. Like all the burlesque dreams one can't help but recall after rejection. Appears deep, as blood is thicker than water. Head forms quickly and abundantly, stays at over a centimeter. This abyssal body begs to be consumed.

S: Mild malts, some hop overtones but not as overwhelming as one would expect from a double IPA. Appealing, though it doesn't assault the nose.

T: The label promised 'bittersweet', and it didn't disappoint. The barley and rye are heavily into play here; complex and sweet. Hops are more prominent here than in the nose. Alcohol is also noticeable. Heavy, but eminently drinkable.

M: Some carbonation, though it's quite thick. Almost creamy as a stout. This beer drinks like a dessert.

D: Perhaps too intense in flavour to drink often. The sweetness and bitterness here are definitely overwhelming, though I welcome them. Honestly, a bottle of this puts me down.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2009 01:28:26 | More by mlibby

ohfish

Ohio

4.35/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Poured out of a bottle into a 12 oz tulip glass, my favorite for IPA's.

A- opaque red ale, little head which quickly dissipates, low carbonation, above average lacing

S - strong citrus hops typical of DPIAs yet a bit sweeter than most

T - initially a caramel sweetness giving way to a piny hops then to a dry grapefruit bitterness aftertaste

B - Moderate thickness giving way to a grapefruit dryness

D - Difficult to sip, I want to gulp this delicious brew, no alcohol warmth or taste, delightful

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2011 22:36:09 | More by ohfish

scaping28

New Jersey

4.88/5  rDev +20.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Here goes my first review. He'Brew RIPA lures you in with it's label. Get one and read the tribute to Lenny Bruce. I picked one up at my favorite gas station/beer haven, PJ's in Sylva, North Carolina. 3 days and 5 bombers later I can tell you the label is just the beginning.

It poors thick and owns one of the most attractive heads I've seen, nearly as dark as the beer sitting up on top like whipped cream. Immediate pleasing aroma of hops fills the room. Hopped Up is my best description. There's an "Obscene" amount of the flower in this brew. Greg at PJ's describes it as "Chewy". You sense the 10% abv immediately by it's warmth not by it's flavor. You can't slam this one. Make sure you have nowhere to be for a while.

Hop Heads everywhere would become addicted immediately. For me it was love at 1st sight. I hope I don't have to drive 700 miles to get my next one.

Serving type: bottle

08-29-2006 12:21:29 | More by scaping28

psprings

New York

4.1/5  rDev +1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

This bottle was an LIF gift from the beer gods by way of their divine servant Mikesgroove. Many thanks to a stunningly generous BA.

A: A vigorous pour into my tulip yields a 1-finger head that subsides within 2 minutes to a collar that leaves light lace atop a dark amber, sparkling clear base. The color was slightly darker even than expected for 10 abv, making me fear that this RyePA might be a bit more on the malty side than I prefer.

S: Aroma is dominated by a sweet crystal malt aroma, tempered by a white-pepper spiciness from the rye, but surprisingly little hop aroma beyond a light earthy, floral component. Slight whiffs of higher alcohols sneak out as this warms up from cellar temperature.

T: A bold caramelized set of flavors comes through on the entry, with much of the Maillard flavor but surprisingly little of the sweetness, as the spicyness of what must be a sizeable proportion of rye coomes to the rescue of the midpalate. This gives way to floral, slightly piney early-addition hops that are minimally aromatic but well integrated into a finish that leaves just enough spice, peach-pit bitterness and earthy hops to invite another pleasantly anticipated sip. As this warms, the fusels tend to come out in the taste a little more than I like -- keep this big boy around 55 deg, and you'll be glad you did.

M: a nice mid-to-full with a fair amount of carbonation that gives it a nice prickliness. A bit more CO2 would have been nice for a bit mmore of a carbonic bite. On cask, this could be something truly special.

D: Honestly, at 10 abv, this is essentially a barlewywine (ryewine perhaps? Better jot that down for future brew days), with a mind-blowing complexity, but a pretty strong kick. I don't know about you, but I've got lab write-ups to do. I had to bust out my capper to finish this thing off a couple hours from now. Still, a really drinkable beer for the level of complexity.

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2008 06:53:41 | More by psprings

gregoryfbrown

California

4.43/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance - Really nice deep red/amber color when poured into tulip glass. Initially huge head which goes down after about 1 minute.

Smell - Alcohol and Caramel mixed together. Surprisingly very little hop aroma which I was slightly disappointed by given the style.

Taste - Bitter up front. Burnt sugar on the end. Strong taste of molasses and malt. Middle of it has nice sugar taste which then fades to a very bitter, long aftertaste. I'm not entirely sure what Rye tastes like but I'm guessing this is it. Very unique in a good way. You can tell it's very alcoholic but it doesn't overpower.

Mouthfeel - Very smooth and creamy. Coats the mouth with a nice film giving a lingering taste.

Drinkability - Like it a lot. Nice burnt sugar and rye tastes. I could use a little more hop aroma to go with the bitterness though. Would definitely buy it again.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2011 05:19:18 | More by gregoryfbrown

verset

Texas

3.78/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Dark amber color with slight reddish hues and strong caramel scent upon pour. Two finger head that fizzled down to a thin film over about 5 minutes.

Somewhat cloudy and dark for an IPA, probably due to the increased amount of malt. Strong malty taste up front followed by a nice bite of hops. Mouth is left with a sticky rye malt flavor.

The head is left as a film that looks more indicative of an ale than an IPA. Nice and low carbonation. The flavor is well balanced, but a little too malty in my opinion. I prefer a cleaner, crisper IPA.

Served in 16oz mason jar, refrigerated, pulled out for ~ 10 minutes.

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2012 02:00:12 | More by verset