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

glid02

Georgia

4.05/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Cask at Young Augustine's in Atlanta.

Pours an opaque copper color with a one-finger cream-colored head. The head recedes into a thin layer on top leaving solid lacing.

Smells of sweet caramel malts with solid amounts of breadiness and mild amounts of earthy and pine hops.

Tastes similar to how it smells. Smooth and thick caramel malt flavors up front are joined by mild amounts of breadiness and even lighter amounts of rye flavors. Midway through the sip the malt flavors fade a bit with hints of soapiness, allowing pine hop flavors to work their way into things. The hops carry through to a moderately bitter ending.

Mouthfeel is very good. It's got a very smooth thickness with soft carbonation.

Drinkability is good. I finished my glass without a problem and could have another.

Overall this was close to being a very good beer but the malt flavors weren't quite crisp enough. Still, it's a good beer that's worth a shot.

Serving type: cask

07-29-2010 00:41:02 | More by glid02

Gusler

Arizona

4.3/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The beer releases from the 22 ounce bottle reddish amber with a large creamy of white head that slowly fades leaving the lace a firm sheet upon the glass. Nose is rich in sweet malt, the big hop flowery aroma under pins the malt, citrus like in its crispness, fusel alcohol quite noticeable, grassy, start has a pleasant malt presence, alcohol and hops pound the palate, top is medium to full. Finish has a stern acidity; the hops potent, alcohol blast the taste buds. Aftertaste dry, most certainly a belly warmer, I think a little aging would help this beer, but for those who like “Big Hops” and “Big ABV”, this is your beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2007 20:09:48 | More by Gusler

beerthulhu

New Jersey

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

2x ipa brewed with massive and obscene amounts of rye malt and hops. Wow. Ruby red color and very spicy pine resin aroma. 10.0 abv. Floral notes as well. Flavor is malty, malty, malty providing a huge mouthful. Reminds me a lot like the Arrogant Bastard only more maltier. Bittersweet dry finish with slight grapefruit notes from im guessing Chinook. If you love the bastard youll love this just as much.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2008 23:43:46 | More by beerthulhu

DrJay

Massachusetts

4.13/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Clear, coppery amber with a fluffy, light brown/beige head. Good head retention and clumpy rings of foam stuck to the glass. Malty aroma with lots of spicy rye, caramel, gingerbread, and citrusy hops. Moderate bitterness with a nice balance between malt (spicy, chocolatey rye) and citrusy grapefruit hoppiness. Finishes with some dryness and spice. Medium to full bodied with lowish carbonation. The texture's a little oily and there's a pleasant warmth in the finish. Very enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

06-04-2007 02:07:51 | More by DrJay

biegaman

Ontario (Canada)

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

A sweltered, fire-roasted orange peel with ample topping of khaki-stained whipped cream. The beer's colour is tanned and toasty but its complexion clean and nearly uninterruptedly transparent. The foam does good at sticking around, and sticking to the sides of the glass for that matter, too. Its remnants droopingly hang as if part of an expressionist painting.

Shmaltz Brewing really ought to consider opening up their own hop store; how's this for a hop bill: Warrior, Cascade, Simcoe, Crystal, Chinook, Amarillo and Centennial? Wowza! With an outfit like that (and a regiment of dry hopping) I think a sassy, dynamic aroma is to be expected. Curiously, things end up fairly mild. It still boasts an ambrosial bouquet of candied grapefruits and bitter resins but it's mild given the specs.

Much of what toned it down, it seems, is the equally liberal use of caramel malts and rye (of which three different varieties are used). In smell and in taste, the dry, grainy, kilned sensation of rye malt really takes up a lot of room on the palate. Foremost, they lend the sensation of rich dark caramel. Also imparted are notes of whole grain bagels, rye bread, chewy nougat and an odd similarity to wild rice.

Hints of candied grapefruit and candied orange peel aren't easily overlooked, however, considering the hop additions once again, it's a mystery this isn't more resinous, fruity, pungent, citric or at very least more bitter! The presence of any of those qualities is minimal at most. No matter, the beer doesn't suffer any one bit.

The alcohol is well contained for a beer this strength. As it warms, however, small traces of it pierce through the flavour. It certainly doesn't detract any from the drinkability, in fact, it adds a welcome dimension to the beer. This is rather phenomenal, it offers an array of textures and tastes (think sherbets meets doughnuts, wild berries meets wild rice). It is a unique composition difficult to place into a defined style.

Reading the description, I was expecting to break out in hives shaped like hops. Turns out, it contains surprisingly little of the oils and resins of the Pacific Northwest. Instead, it offers a taste of a fantastic, fresh-baked marble rye from a good Jewish bakery. Not to say this isn't hoppy, the label is correct proclaiming an 'obscene amount of malts and hops', but this takes on a unique character all of its own. Be sure to try it for yourself to see what I mean.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2009 23:13:02 | More by biegaman

Brad007

Vermont

5/5  rDev +23.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Pours a darkish-copper color with a thick head that fades down to a one-finger head with lacing. Great presentation in my Piraat glass.

Aroma is bursting with spicy rye and floral/grassy hops in the nose. Sweet and hoppy at the same time.

Taste is sweet and spicy upfront with a good kick of grapefruit from the hops in the middle. Very delicious. There's a good balance between hops and rye here.

Rye and hops linger in the mouthfeel. Again, that balance carries over beautifully to cap off a beer that is definitely unique and refreshing.

I'm buying this again. Would love to buy it in Vermont but it's absolutely one of my favorites. Definitely. Only Hop Rod Rye comes close when it comes to beers infused with rye.

I've got to give this one a perfect 5 though. It's hard to find DIPAs that have a defined balance between malt and hops.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2009 00:37:54 | More by Brad007

Derek

British Columbia (Canada)

4.7/5  rDev +15.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

A: Copper with a very light tan head, great retention, awesome lacing. Seriously impressive for a brew of this strength.

S: Huge nose, grapefruit, nectarine, spicy rye bread, toffee, extremely enticing.

T: Piny, resiny hops complement the spiciness from the rye; bready malt, nectarine, tangine, solid bitterness, alcohol is extremely well-hidden. I know it's bigger, but his one blows the Founder's rye brews away.

M: Moderately full body is well-attenuated and extremely smooth, slight hop acidity, off-dry finish. Extremely well-crafted.

D: I absolutely love it, but it's a big brew.

I don't think I've ever said 'extreme' so many times in a single review, yet this is remarkably well-rounded. Playboy may have described it best "F#cking delicious".

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2009 01:59:38 | More by Derek

Georgiabeer

Georgia

4.28/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours with a decent slightly off-white head, great lacing, and a dark amber color. Smell is alcoholic, waxy, and with aromas of orange, grapefruit and pine from the hops. Taste is big and bitter with more wax, grapefruit and orange and a big hit of pine.Quite nice. Good body, and very balanced. Creamy and pretty smooth for the amount of hops. The alcohol is more present in the nose than the flavor, quite drinkable, even dangerously so.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2007 00:10:23 | More by Georgiabeer

Dogbrick

Ohio

3.3/5  rDev -18.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Sample at Barley's Smokehouse. The beer is a dark amber-brown color with a medium and frothy light beige head that has good retention. Sheets of lacing on the glass. The aroma is an odd mishmash of pungent malt, whiskey, and piney hops. Rich, syrupy body with flavors of tart fruit, liqueur, toasted malt and dry hops. The finish is dry with fruity a cough medicine and rye aftertaste. Maybe I am not appreciating what they tried to do here but the beer seems to be lacking cohesiveness.

Serving type: on-tap

04-01-2008 22:47:31 | More by Dogbrick

tavernjef

Minnesota

4.38/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Gorgeous deep dark fiery copper color with an immensely thick stack of soft off-yellowed foam. Tons of lacing coats the glass like frosting.

Aroma of alcoholic vapors waver over a thick dark malt sweetness and dry rye breadyness. Highly pine soaked oilyness ensues as it sits. This is where the 10% really makes itself present.

Taste is big and malty with lots of chewy breadyness laced with a few dark fruit skins and pits. Thicker yet, burntness of brown sugar arrives along with the rye, which in tune sets up the dryness over the super high pine hoppyness that nearly burns the throat out with an oil drenching thickness of orange, grapefruit, and pine sweetened bitterness. Ripe Barleywine-esk in nature and character.

Huge mouthfeel. Every corpuscle is soaked and coated with bitter sweet thickness. Big malt, big hops, (as stated on the label "an obscene amount") and that rye adds a nice extra cap of clever dryness to its bready fruit bread base. Oily smooth and warming with a complexing fun finish of hop oil warmth and malt residue.

Another keeper of a brew by He'Brew. A nice tribute to Lenny.
(R.I.P.)A. - truly...

Serving type: bottle

09-17-2006 22:36:56 | More by tavernjef

JohnGalt1

Idaho

3.15/5  rDev -22.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12oz picked up at Pilgrim's Market in CdA over the weekend... enjoyed while listening to some Carl Cox Black Rock and chilling on my hotel balcony.

Poured into my small weizen glass... 2 finger lite khaki head... good retention and lacing... the brew is a polished copper.

Nose is hop forward with a bunch of caramel maltiness to balance... citrus hops out front with more than enough malt to pull it out... big booze presence.

Hop bitterness helps balance the pretty thick malt component.. toasty and thick caramel essence.. citrus hops bite barely bite through the malts.. too syrupy... not really cloying, but just unbalanced in my mind.. Body is heavy and the carbonation is pretty high, yet gets punished by the viscosity.

This should easily be in the American BW category.. no where near... NO where near a DIPA... The rye is present yet only in hints throughout the palate and evident on the mouthfeel where a nice slickness appears.

Ehhhh... okay.. boozy and sweet.. needs alot more hoppiness... really, alot more.

4/3.5/3/3/3

Serving type: bottle

06-14-2010 09:57:38 | More by JohnGalt1

mactrail

California

3.75/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Fruity and bitter powerhouse of an ale. Like all the big Shmaltz brews the intensity of flavor is remarkable. Hugely bitter, but at least they cram in an indecent amount of malt as well. The rye flavor is sharp, vinous, distinctive. Less grainy than some other rye beers.

Looks nice with the long lasting cap of foam on the coppery orange brew. So powerful it's hard to taste a real mouthful. A boozy shotgun blast.

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2011 03:50:56 | More by mactrail

thagr81us

South Carolina

3.53/5  rDev -13.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Served from bottle into a Duvel tulip. Pours dark red orange with a small amount of sediment present with a one finger off white head. Maintains excellent lacing throughout. The aroma was comprised of malt and sweet hops. The flavor was of malt and subtle hops. It had a medium feel on the palate with medium carbonation. Overall this was a very nice IIPA. Wasn't my favorite however as it was kind of sweet when I had it, but was still quite in enjoyable. If it had more aroma and flavors to make it more complex, this could be great.

Serving type: bottle

06-22-2010 23:15:09 | More by thagr81us

Cyberkedi

Georgia

4.13/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a nearly opaque honey golden with a fine-bubbled yellowish beige head. Hoppy, lemony aroma is surprisingly sweet and has a hint of honey. Flavor is somewhat sweet and somewhat hop-bitter with a strong tone of citrus - equal parts lemon and orange - and a firm tone of honey, along with a sweet but not cloying undertone. Texture is silky smooth with some fizz and tingle.

Serving type: on-tap

01-07-2010 02:57:22 | More by Cyberkedi

RoyalT

Ohio

3.98/5  rDev -2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Appearance – This is a bright, almost shiny brown in color. The head was awesome. It wasn’t huge but was a cool-looking dirty dirty white and stubborn as hell.

Smell – There’s little rye to be found in the nose. You can tell there are a lot of hops in here but they don’t blossom out of the glass. There’s also a pleasing grainy base that at least offers balance to the smell.

Tasty – The super-sized hops come out huge at the taste. The citrus in particular stands out as being well done. The rye isn’t big but is well done. It’s a bit more flavorful than the Hop Rod.

Mouthfeel – This is big in the mouth, almost full-bodied, with some good bitterness and the promise of a short aging stint in a cellar.

Drinkability – This is very drinkable for a big beer, and make no mistake this is a big, big beer. Don’t try to eat anything with it.

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2007 20:24:00 | More by RoyalT

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

4.33/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured ontap into a snifter.

Nice orangish tone to it. Good amount of lace stickage.

Taste is a well balanced mix of semi sweet malt and a floral & fruity hop. There are layers of complexities. Caramel is there too. Not overly bitter, a bit of a medicinal and soothing character to it. Well done.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied and smooth.

Drinks very easily. Liked this one.

Serving type: on-tap

04-30-2009 17:52:26 | More by Stinkypuss

avalon07

South Carolina

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

A: Poured from a bottle to a tulip glass. Had an amber hue and a cloudy texture. There was a good half inch of creamy, long-lasting head and some good lacing.

S: Strong, but not overpowering aroma. Lots of hops and malt, along with a sugary quality.

T: A big flavor on this beer. Astrigent hops, malt, caramel and that rye quality combine for a powerful taste. Complex and flavorful.

M: A lively amount of carbonation and a smooth finish. Very full-bodied.

D: This is the sort of beer that doesn't mind slapping you around a little. It has a well made, complex taste and a lot of personality.

Serving type: bottle

10-28-2008 15:30:21 | More by avalon07

OWSLEY069

Pennsylvania

4.33/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a clean orange-ish/ copper color with a tan head. In the aroma, dry grapefruity hops. In the taste, grapefruity hops, rye, and a touch of caramel sweetness. A sweet and smooth with a small bite in the mouthfeel and a dry, rye grapefruity hop aftertaste. Caramel sweet and great hop presence mixed with good rye.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2008 12:19:46 | More by OWSLEY069

scruffwhor

Illinois

4.05/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This Kosher brewery really intrigues me. I must say.

Appearance- Great rising flowing head that grows almosr thre inches to overflow my imperial pint glass. Almost a maroon/deep amber with some slow, obviously hop infused bubbles, make their way to the top. Great lacing that leaves almost perfectly symetrical rings equidistant from the next. Awesome.

Smell- Thick with panda express orange peel chicken. Great combo of the sweet and bitterness citrus found in teh extravagant use of hops.

Taste- Starts with what feels like a passionately bittersweet rye and grapefruit melange of citrus sugar with its overpowering skin. The malt is a little mild. This beer would have been perfect if the malt had a little more say on my taste buds.

Mouthfeel- Strong resins and syrups that slowly leave the back of my thraot after each long, savoring sip. Well incorporated alcohol.

Serving type: bottle

11-09-2006 03:47:52 | More by scruffwhor

TheLongBeachBum

California

4.18/5  rDev +3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Presentation: Another He’Brew Bomber that I instantly recognized, despite the fact that I had never seen it before. The main label has a theme that is heavily based on old theatre exteriors. Even the name He’Brew “PRES*NT$! BITTERSWEET LENNY’S R.I.P.A.”, in a tight Arial font is set against a backdrop of an old backlit magnetic letter style sign so often seen outside older Cinema’s. Described as “A Double India Pale Ale with Rye Malt” and “Brewed with an obscene amount of malts and hops”. Drops in after prayers at 10% ABV. It is worth noting that the silhouette of the late great Lenny Bruce on the neck label, is taken from a Miami Police photo from 1951 when he was arrested for impersonating a Priest….love the irony there!! Oh yeah and it is Kosher Certified, if case you didn’t already expect that.

Appearance: Has a gelatinous pour, a thick gooey viscous liquid ‘gloops’ as it slowly evacuates the bottle and sits into my glass with the minimal of splashing around. A ruddy and bloody tan colored milky Espresso mass of carbon dioxide swirls and slowly settles once the pour is ended. Eventually the head separates from the liquid. A rich deep auburn red body is super clear with a healthy dose of streamers which adds “life” to the appearance. The tan colored looks incredibly impressive, the head laces with each drink and swathes the glass walls with thick matt like crusty ledges each supported by cobweb like archway and thick bubbles that never seem to want to burst, such is the thickness of the surface. This one has a fantastic demeanor.

Nose: Alcohol and a healthy dollop of hops take no prisoners. You don’t need to empty the lungs and breathe in hard to “get this” – moreover the aromas head out of the glass and come looking for you…..it’s like a “Terminator Nose”….it never stops until it finds your nose and expunges all traces of modern day Apartment odors and replaces them with Hops are here but not overwhelming, warm malts, rich toffee, mild nutty backend, spiced caramel, hot alcohol soaked wild berries and a hint of anise. Maybe it is the use of Rye malts that cancels out some of the hop aroma (because the hops are there in the flavor believe me!!). Whatever the technical reason, the nose is just bloody gorgeous.

Taste: Unlike the nose, where maybe the alcohol and malts “dominate”, the hops soon get chance to take centre stage, and they do. The alcohol is here, and it is 10% but it is neatly kept in check by the malts, allowing the hops to play the lead role as they should. Oily pines, tree bark, oak, alcohol and anise combine with hot spices in the finish. The ending has a raw feel, but textured with a refined brute strength. This is a D-IPA that grew on me, and in me, perhaps.

Mouthfeel: A healthy level of carbonation supports throughout. The conditioning never seems to alter, though I am sure it does as it sit around (though not for long). I suspect the alcohol and thick body tend to grasps a hold of the dissolved carbon dioxide and hold it to ransom, keeping it locked in a synergistic reversible reaction that is held in a seemingly timeless equilibrium.

Drinkability: How can I explain this!?? Well - getting to smell my own hoppy burps, then retasting this thick malt hoppy DIPA all over again is just one part of the many weird aspects that build into a crazy sort of punishing Drinkability here. Can’t wait to smell my own beer farts under the covers in bed after this Bomber, Mmmmm.

Overall: Different in stance to most other Double IPA's, but then how many of those have Rye Malt!? This is a heavy brew, a Shirehorse of IPA’s if you will, that is to say that it is no slouch, it is a finely balanced very hard working IPA which takes a muscular mouthfeel and strong flavors, throws in a dependable conditioning which benefits the presentation to form a mightily impressive brew. I suspect that this is a limited offering, so get it whilst you can.

All in all; ayh, ayh, ayh, zis is vun gud beah.

Recommended!

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2006 06:05:53 | More by TheLongBeachBum

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

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

I was happy to be able to meet Jeremy Cowan of Schmaltz when they were at goggleworks for Design, drink and be merry. I tried this from a bomber in a plastic cup.

A - Deep copper w/ dark amber tinges w/ a full head of creamy tan. There is a lot of settling but the lace and retention is there, no doubt

S - A crisp hoppy (there are 12 kinds utilized) aroma w/ rye and peculier tropical odors like passionfruit w/ a hint of dark sweet cherry and brown sugar.

M - A full bodied big instense feeling IPA stimulates the taste buds and coats the cheeks w/ hop oily feel and dry spicy rye malt w/ a sufficiently proper carbonation and the feel borders on creamy

T - Big and bold w/ rye flavor that is noticeable and flavorful! There is a huge hop blend giving this beer the bitter side of bittersweet. The malt tastes a bit spicy like rye can, but has a mellow sweet body that counters the pungent and tantalizing hops. The taste is grainy and there is a fruity taste from the yeast. The more this beer is tasted, the more enjoyable it gets w/ buttloads of flavor - you really can't go wrong w/ the taste of this Big Rye Ipa.

D - Too big for me to quaff, but for the most part I can't see any thing wrong with how easy it is to sip and savor this. With 12 hops adding so much depth and intensity and the rye malt is incrediblly drinkable to me. I like to taste and feel this beer for a good relaxing time.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2008 22:39:30 | More by Slatetank

dirtylou

Washington

4.28/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

12oz single, Star. So this is a milestone?

appearance: served in my delirium chalice - realy nice clear amber-copper body, frothy white head with sticky lacing

smell: pine sap, sticky grapefruit, orange, caramel

taste: really nice and superbly balanced - bitter ruby red, sticky pine sap, citrus hops, some spice from the rye. Grassy and green, sweet dark fruits and caramel, alcohol well in its place. Very nice.

mouthfeel: slighlty sticky, not too heavy, smooth and complex

drinkability: good

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2010 02:41:21 | More by dirtylou

Bitterbill

Wyoming

3.25/5  rDev -20%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

I got this bottle in a trade with nutbown. Thanks Alan!

This pours a deep amber gold with a small head of foam. Again, there's lots of lacing like the others I've tried from them.

The smell is both hoppy and malty. Good notes of caramel and light floral hops with a rather strong peppery presence. My nose is happy.

The taste is stronger than the smell when it comes to the hops. Floral and piney hops dominate with a strong pepper spice flavour and a mild caramel malt backnone that I wish was more assertive. Dang, this is spicy and it makes me take long breaks between the sips. The alcohol is also more assertive than I care for and not nearly as well hidden as in their Jewbelation 11.

The mouthfeel is medium and nice, the carbonation is medium, and it finishes very bitter with some sweet tones though, I can't say that it's anywhere near balanced.

Bottom line: This one just doesn't do it for me and finishing the bomber will be a chore. Too much hop bitterness and pepper spice for the amount of malt that I can taste. Too extreme for me? I think so.

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2008 00:12:50 | More by Bitterbill

cokes

Wisconsin

3.73/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Dark and clear autumnal copper-brown stacked with a small pile of ivory sudsy lace.
The noes pounds home caramel apples, electric wintergreen hops, and rye peppery spiciness. It's not a varied or particularly complex aroma, but it delivers exactly what is promised. I appreciate the fact that rye is not lost in the fray.
The taste progression is similar. Sweet with caramel, toffee, and brown sugar at the fore. Some fruity tone develop, especially apple, with a suggestion of things more tropical, primarily mango. It gathers some toasty qualities, then rye steps up and inserts its trademark and unique brand of pepperiness. Hops add the syrups of grapefruit and wintergreens. Its very dank and bitter and peppery with suggestions of chilis and aspirin, which in sum fit the overall mood, but this would be improved if the overall hop statement was brighter and cleaner and definitive. Alcohol adds some late gin-like, juniper-rich heat, but for a brew of 10%, it matters little.
The mouthfeel is heavy, leavened slightly by the tiny amount of fleece-like bubbles that make it through. It teeters towards ungainly, but there is a deftness here.
As an obese amber ale, I love this. I am always a fan of rye and what it can bring, and does bring here. To toss this into the DIPA realm, it has some shortcomings. Averaging both schools of thought, it still is a solid "pretty good", regardless of parameters, and the overt rye tone push it up further in my biased perspective.
Nomenclature is a bitch though. Call this something semi-ridiculous, like Rye Strong Ale, and I'd score it much higher. Wrong as that may be.

Serving type: bottle

10-03-2008 08:03:57 | More by cokes

beertunes

Washington

3.25/5  rDev -20%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Poured into 16oz goblet. Poured a clean, clear deep ruby color with about 3/4 inch of dark khaki head with moderate retention and lacing.

A sweet, malty aroma, with a fairly sharp rye note, came across the nose. There was some hop in the scent, but the rye overpowered it. The flavors were very similar, the rye being the dominant flavor, with some bitter hops on the finish.

The body was nicely full, but lost a point for the sticky-sweet finish. Drinkability was OK, I struggled to finish the 22, I'd have a 12oz bottle or maybe a glass draft again, 22 ounces is too much of this beer for one sitting.

Overall, a decent beer worth trying if you see it.

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2010 22:26:34 | More by beertunes