11 November 2008

Beer Review, Bittersweet Lenny's RIPA

He'Brew Bittersweet Lenny's RIPA"

Appearance: Hazy caramel-colored body, slightly reddish on the edges, with a very thick bubbly off-white head. The head sticks around for awhile, give significant lacing. 4.5/5

Smell: Right off the bat, strong notes of rye and crisp West Coast hops. Underneath that, some fruity sweetness, grapefruit and apples or pears, with a touch of citrus, perhaps oranges? Overall an interesting aroma. 4.0/5

Taste: Wow. Highly alcoholic, very strong rye flavor. Bitter hops on the backend. Slightly dry in the aftertaste. As you get used to the alcohol and the hops, a slight grainy maltiness appears in the middle. A very imposing beer, perhaps with the alcohol turned up just a tad too high. That and the hops overwhelm the rest of the flavors. It's not bad, but it's very strong, and it's difficult to get any complexity out of it. 3.5/5

Mouthfeel: Fairly thick mouthfeel, hops tickle the tongue, some carbonation. 3.5/5

Drinkability: This is obviously a lot of people's cup of tea, but it's not really something I feel the need to drink regularly. It's priced right at $6.99, and I'm sure I'll drink it again, but overall there are much better DIPAs out there. 3.0/5

Overall: 3.75/5

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Hey Daniel,this is Zak from Shmaltz Brewing Company. Thanks so much for the review. If you can get your hands on a bottle, you should definitely check out our new anniversary release, Jewbelation 12, brewed with 12 malts, 12 hops, and 12%. It's very delicious, and is definitely an adventure. L'Chaim!!