What I Say:

Dark brown beauty.  A caramel, grainy with balanced hop coming through nose.  From the nose, I was expecting it to be a lot heavier and surprised by a Sweet and Sour (the rye malt?) giving way to what I would have describe as a sweet, cherry, bitter hoppiness, that fades leaving you with a wonderful after taste.

I know this is in effect to be a Double/Imperial IPA but I would suggest that this actually could be considered more along the lines of a Belgian trippel and would be curious to taste it in a flight against such.

What They Say:

Before that, I have to have an additional say with I love the fact that the Shmaltz Brewing Company (who are behind He’brew and Coney Island) published the recipe to this find brew.

Malts:  2-row, Rye Ale Malt, Torrified Rye, Crystal Rye 75, Crystal Malt 65, Wheat, Kiln Amber, Caramel 70

Hops:  Warrior, Cascade, Simcoe, Crystal, Chinook, Amarillo, Centennial. Dry Hopped with Amarillo and Crystal

Ladies and Gentlemen, Shmaltz Brewing Co. is proud to introduce Bittersweet Lenny’s R.I.P.A. Brewed with an obscene amount of malts and hops. Shocking flavors – far beyond contemporary community standards. We cooked up the straight dope for the growing minions of our nation’s Radical Beer junkies.

The label on this one is pretty cool with a Viking (Olde English) tale about where the word Wassail came from.

This was a conditioned bottle bought from the well stocked Middle Farm in East Sussex.  I was also able to pick up a 07 and 08 of the Old Bounder Series, an annual Barley Wine that is launched with a beer walk in early December.

This poured with no head (so quite reminiscent of all the British Christmas Ales I tried) and was a reddy/caramel in colour.

Taste wise, the label promised a strong, full bodied fruity beer with underlying hoppiness and this probably got my expectation up.

Still, I thought the taste was a nice chewy malt with some of the hop bitterness I yearn for.

In the end, at 6% and with the taste footprint, I wouldn’t classify this as a Christmas Beer (and I don’t think Ballards does either). I’d put it down as a well rounded winter ale and one worth trying and having again but personally, I would go for something new on the pumps before trying again.

15/20.

Another day, another chance to find and try something else from the De Dolle Brouwers of Belgium.

Dulle Teve in Belgian or Mad Bitch in English, or for the American market Triple was on order.

This was out of a bottle I picked up at utobeer.

It poured an ivory head.

Colour was a dark caramel.

It was quite lively in the glass.

Taste was mega malty, with a short sharp dry finish.

Not surprising when you read the explanation on the De Dolle Brouwers site:

Is is an all malt brew with white candy in the kettle and refermented. Alc 10 %. Is not meant for aging.

I enjoyed the beer and would have this one again but I’d be more likely to try something else I haven’t had if there was a choice.

Due to missed connections, earlier tonight I was able to pop into a favourite little shop of mine.  I had to hold off the growing extensive Christmas beer collection there (only so much room in my bag) and picked up a few new ones.

First to get the pour was the Watou Tripel, a Trappist beer from the town of Watou, Belgium.  Michael Jackson has a great breakdown of Watou Tripel vs. the  St BernardusTripel.

I’m getting used to the opening of the Belgians and so had a glass all ready and waiting (in the kitchen sink).  What I loved was that my bottle (a 330ml) was dated Best before:  21 02 11.

Poured with what I would call an off-white head, that even 30 minutes late is still hanging around.

Colour wise, I’ve got written down a caramel orange colour.

I got a bit of a malty nose.

Taste, I thought it was fairly smooth, almost light upfront with some of the bitterness of the hops coming in towards the end finishing with quick a clean citrus note.

I would definately have this one again.