AleSmith YuleSmith (Summer) India Pale Ale

Brewed by AleSmith Brewing Company
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
San Diego, California USA

Ok so not the freshest bottle but it has been in the fridge for 3 months and I did try it twice when I first got it. Pours a hazy golden/orange with a medium rich frothy white head. Very rich aroma, resiny pine, lots of juicy grapefruit, sugared pineapple, lightly floral and a some hop oxidation muddies it up a little, malts smell sweet and sugary. Mmm tasty... I think I actually like it better now than 3 months ago; the hop oxidation isn’t nearly as noticeable and the malts have really smoothed out. Big sugary mouthful with larger but softer big carbonation bubbles. Flavor of mostly toasted sugary pineapple and grapefruit with an accompanying mix of light floral and resiny hops, finishes with a bit of slightly toasted malts, sugary honey, and bitter piney hops. I want a fresh bottle damn it!

(11/2/08) Bottle at Hamilton’s in San Diego. Slightly hazy but almost clear golden color with a big white head. Aroma of hops, some pine needles, cookies and caramel. Sweet malty flavor with some caramel at first and a finish of big hoppy bitterness (almost like chewing on a hop pellet) with a bit of alcohol. Medium to full-bodied

Like walking through a pine forest with the limbs smacking you in the mouth. I don’t know what the description is talking about...It is pure pine. Murky yellow pour with lacing that you have to scrape off with a chisel. Very refreshing.

Hop Bomb! 22oz bottle. Pours a golden hue with a strong pine aroma. Solid 1 finger white head. Great flavor of grapefruit, pine, and lemon peel with a firm little bite on the finish. Great beer after a surf session and a day at the beach... a true San Diego DIPA.

Cloudy gold pour with a small white head. Aroma of orange and various sharp citrus fruits. Flavor is spicy and earthy with pine and grapefruit hops dominating. Great beer.

Another awesome DIPA in the west coast style, similar to Green Flash West Coast, Stone Ruination, and RR Pliny the Elder. Golden color with active carbonation. Strong hops dominate, good sweet maltiness also. Piney, citrusy, awesome.

Not sure if it had something to do with the time of year or the temperature of the bottle or what, but I fail to fully understand the hype on this one. A really nice aroma of orange and pine, and a generally tasty flavor heavy on the piney hops with some citrus tossed in, but there is a really heavy chalky flavor in the finish which while not spoiling the beer by any means, keeps it from being world class. Maybe I should try another bottle next summer...

22 oz. bottle courtesy of a trade with dirty matini. Pours a cloudy gold with a moderate white head that lasted through three-quarters of the glass and nicely laced the glass. Very pleasant aroma of citrus and pine in about equal proportion. The flavor is caramel malt up front which is then washed over by citrus and pine hops, with a bit more emphasis on the pine and not as fruity as the aroma. Bitter at the finish but not lingering. As the beer warms, there is an ever so slight alcohol flavor that emerges. Overall a very solid IIPA.