Shmaltz Brewing He'brew Bittersweet Lenny's R.I.P.A.

Going to break up my Christmas beers with a He’Brew. I mean, sure, it’s not a (C)Hanukah seasonal, but it’s the closest thing I’ve got so deal with it!

Here’s the deal: IPAs are pretty tasty. I hated them at first, but the more I tried, the more I liked. IPAs, however, have sort of reached their height in innovation as now new hoppy beers are basically hop-bombs with an explosion of a million hops. I’m not complaining, so much as noticing a thing. Anyway, while not really a new thing, rye IPAs (RyePAs, R.I.P.As, etc) are quickly coming up as the new thing in the IPA world. And with good reason.

Shmaltz’s He’brew label generally puts out quality beers. This one is no exception. The RIPA has a rich caramel color and a nice white head. Its appearance is pretty standard IPA stuff. It has a semi-sweet aroma with notes of the malt coming through.

Flavor-wise, it has a sweet front, where you can pick out the rye and the malt pretty well. That front taste basically lays the foundation for the piney and floral hop finish to lay. The rye does a great job of balancing out the hops by keeping the hop flavor present, but scaling back some of the bitterness. I noticed a bit of citrus in there, too.

The texture was a nice silky, caramel-like texture. It finishes like any high-ABV beer would and is really rich in flavor. I definitely enjoyed this.