The Brewery: Shmaltz Brewing Company (Brooklyn, NY)
The Brew: He'Brew - Bittersweet Lenny's R.I.P.A. on Rye
Availability: Bottles
ABV: 10% | IBUs: ?
Rating: 9.2/10
Location: Home
Found: Nathaniel Square Corner Store
The Story? Bittersweet Lenny's R.I.P.A. is one of my favorite offerings from Shmaltz, who offer two variations, a Rye barrel-aged variation and St. Lenny's Belgian-style. The origianal is a fantastic palate-blaster, let's see what some time and rye do do this one.
We missed getting this one in Ithaca to the best of my knowledge, so I was stoked to pick this up passing through in Rochester.
The Beer? Huge rye aromas augmented by strong raisin notes plume from the glass even before the pour is completed. This barrel aged RIPA settles still, murky brown with just a touch of lace.
The taste? Delicious. Big malts dominate where the intense hop bitterness has softened from the non-barrel version. Loads of raisin flavors are prominent alongside smooth whiskey, rye toast, caramel, and burnt sugar. A distinctive sweetness builds with firm notes of honey, fruitcake, and fig. The mouthfeel is thick and full-bodied, but never syrupy sweet.
Overall, an excellent variation. While the hoppy, manic bitterness of the original all reserved and rolled off, R.I.P.A. on Rye still packs a hell of a punch with big malts and booziness.
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