Critics' Pick: Brewed Awakening
by James Oliver Cury
Staff Writer
Time Out New York
Issue 570, Aug. 31-Sept. 6, 2006
Comic, druggie and agitator Lenny Bruce would have been proud of many of the artists he inspired, but one can only guess how he would have felt about having a beer named in his honor. Jeremy Cowan, owner of Schmaltz Brewing Company, is commemorating both the 40th anniversary of Bruce's death (which was on August 3) and the tenth anniversary of his company with the introduction of Bittersweet Lenny's R.I.P.A. Cowan knew it would be wrong to slap Bruce's name and photos on a weak, wimpy beer, so he added "an obscene amount of malts and hops" and made sure the reddish-brown India Pale Ale, made with rye malt, was insanely strong (10 percent alcohol by volume). The stuff's not just a marketing ploy: The beer balances bitterness, carbonation and sweetness, though some may find the lingering aftertaste objectionable. Die-hard Bruce fans can pick up the beer at Whole Foods and attend the all-star Homage to Lenny Bruce and Free Speech at the 92nd Street Y (1395 Lexington Ave at 92nd St, 212-415-5500) on September 13, a benefit for NY's Center for Constitutional Rights, P.E.N. writers' association and 52 Project, which will feature funny freethinkers like Lewis Black, Judy Gold, Jeff Garland, Todd Barry, Eugene Mirman and Jonathan Ames, plus rare films of Bruce himself. Tickets cost between $30 and $125. For more information, visit oyhoo.com/festival2006/lenny.html.