Shmaltz Brewing Commemorates 50th Anniversary of Lenny Bruce’s Death with Release of R.I.P.A. on Rye
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MyBeer Buzz
From Shmaltz:
Clifton Park, New York! — Thursday, March 24, 2016 — Savor the provocative spirit of R.I.P.A. on Rye® (10% ABV), a He’brew® monument to the richness, the bitterness, and the sacred sweetness that is life…and bawdy satire. Shmaltz Brewing aged its trademark Rye Double IPA, Bittersweet Lenny’s R.I.P.A.®, in Jim Beam Rye Whiskey Barrels for just the right amount of time for the perfect blend of charred rye whiskey barrel, caramel, and vanilla notes to be infused into the beer. With only 700 cases available nationwide, craft beer lovers should head out and grab a bottle for now, a goblet at their favorite craft bar, and keep one for the cellar.
Having introduced Bittersweet Lenny’s R.I.P.A.® for Shmaltz’s 10th Anniversary in 2006, proprietor Jeremy Cowan is thrilled to continue to pay homage to legendary satirist Lenny Bruce (1925 – 1966) with the release of R.I.P.A. on Rye® for the 50th Anniversary of his passing. Cowan’s interest in releasing a Lenny Bruce tribute beer dates back twenty years when he first launched He’brew® beer.
Carless yet highly motivated and ambitious in 1996, Cowan would borrow his Grandmother’s Volvo to deliver the first batches of He’brew® to Bay Area shelves. Though his grandmother passed away right as he quit his day job to pursue Shmaltz full time, Cowan recalls that years prior she would talk about seeing the late comedian perform at burlesque houses in North Beach (San Francisco, CA) and how she took his mother to visit a shoe maker in Los Angeles (Lenny Bruce’s dad…). Later, Cowan read Lenny Bruce’s autobiography.
April 2016 would have marked the 95th birthday of Cowan’s grandmother. Shmaltz proudly commemorates the memory of Lenny Bruce with two specialty craft beers "brewed with an obscene amount of malts and hops, far beyond contemporary community standards for taste and flavor." Past releases of this bi-annual, barrel aged beauty have been rated 98 by Ratebeer.com.
Renowned beer critic Stephen Beaumont notes in All About Beer magazine, "The nose certainly doesn’t seem out-of-kilter, with large amounts of vanilla and whiskey-soaked raisins beating down the spicy hoppiness. On the palate, there is more harmony, with gentle Mayan-style chocolate notes up front leading to a more muddled fruit-chocolate-oily hop middle and hophead joy on the warming and lingering vanilla-y finish. This has mellowed greatly since I sampled it last year and I expect it will remain a gentle giant."
On Saturday, March 26, 2016, Shmaltz presents the Rye On Rye tasting event, featuring the release of R.I.P.A. on Rye®, a cask of Bittersweet Lenny’s R.I.P.A.® with cinnamon and chipotle, guest pours of Yankee Rye Whisky (from Yankee Distillers), mini reubens and nosh by Powers Pub, and live acoustic music by Rich Ortiz. Rye On Rye takes place at Shmaltz Brewing (6 Fairchild Square, Clifton Park, NY) from 2 pm – 6 pm; $25 advance tickets are now available on ryeonrye.eventbrite.com ($30 tickets at the door).
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