Weekend Brews - Week Three

It's the third edition of Weekend Brews!

This Friday we start the weekend off with yet another new brew that I have been wanting to try.
So I did. It's just that easy. Okay, whatever, just drink it.(07:55)

Straight from the Shmaltz Brewing Company creating magical beers from the combination of folks from New York and San Francisco, comes, "Bittersweet Lenny's R.I.P.A." It's a tribute beer of sorts, and one I can fully support. This beer is a sort of "thank you" to Lenny Bruce. Granted he's a man a bit before my time, but I can certainly respect his attitude and ability to question the norms of society and take everything that is status quo and slap it upside the head.

If you ever get the chance, look up some info on the man on the old internet, and you'll see that for people who are sick of the nonsense that surrounds us, he can be an inspiration. He'd probably tell me to fuck off if he was alive and reading this, but that's sort of the point.

Okay, enough of the history nonsense. Lenny Bruce was great, but we're talkin' about the ice cold beer in the glass in front of me.

So what is "Bittersweet Lenny's R.I.P.A.?" Well it's a double I.P.A. with tons of malt and hops, say the good folks who make HE'BREW beer. It's brewed with rye malt which definitely will impact the flavor of this brew.

It pours a dark copper color with a decent head that seems to fall just a bit too fast for me. I like the head to stick around awhile when I stick my nose in the glass to get a goof whiff of what's inside. Nonetheless, the aroma makes up for it.

Oh beautiful gods of malt, praises unto thee! This beer features a rich, nutty smell that includes a touch of sweetness in the nose. I'm not catching the intense hop aroma I figured would be front and center in the double I.P.A. That's not necessarily a bad thing, just surprising.

Alright, this smells just too damn good, I'm goin' for it...

...Holy crap! That's like drinking a caramel milkshake blended with fresh cut grass. Wowsers. This beer just made my day! It's no secret I love the big hoppy brews normally associated with the intense brewers of the U.S., and this beer puts a smile on my face without the tons of bitterness I expect from an American I.P.A. The rye malt definitely adds some serious character, and most likely is putting forth that clean, caramel-like intensity. This is one smooth mofo!

It's another one of those big bottles of fairly high-priced beers. However, it's equivalent to buying a cheap wine, and it tastes a world better than cheap vino. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy some tasty red wine now and then, but for those of you that want to complain about the price of a good beer and then go spend money of wine... well, it's time to step up and realize that you can get much more flavor and complexity in a $7 bottle of beer than from a bottle of wine at the same price. It's not even a contest. It is fact... or at least my opinion. ha ha.

Overall score on this beauty: 4.5 out 5.0

So, it's Friday, get your weekend going. Pick up a bottle of Bittersweet Lenny's R.I.P.A. Hell, while you're at it, put on some protest songs, fire up the "incense" and actually try and enjoy the weekend and forget about your damn job.

That's what I'll do.

Till next time... Prost!