AleSmith YuleSmith (Summer) India Pale Ale

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

Another big thanks to Shigadeyo for trading this one to me. Pours a hazy darkish golden orange with a small head. The aroma is mind numbing. Huge pineapple and grapefruit, malts, and mild florals. Flavor is big bitter hops, pine, malts and more bitter hops. This is a big sticky hoppy mess and I am loving every bit of it.

Bottle thanks to a couple people. Poured a slightly hazy, fiery orange with a thick cap of beige head. Aroma began with sticky grapefruit resin and a bit of an alcohol bite (almost felt like it was catching on my nose hairs and issuing a slow burn)... pine and buttered tofee follow closely behind along with a pleasant aire of floral... heavy, complex, and engaging.
The flavor begins with slow, rolling bitter pine and toffee notes.. supportive and very tasty caramel base.. lots of grapefruit meat as well as bitterness.. floral notes and an expanded lighter fruit bouquet open up with warmth. Heavily-bodied, but not quite syrupy... flavors flow well with great balance between bitterness, base, and alcohol warmth. Woo!

Bottle. thanks to jgd0608. Poured a very cloudy golden color with a 2 finger frothy head. Aroma of Bittering and aroma hops almost smells like centinal hops. Taste is sweet at first like cotton candy then finish nicely with a very hoppy bite at the end. Very good beer.

Bomber courtesy of someone in a recent trade, thanks!! Pours a cloudy orange, with 2 fingers of off white head, smells very citrusy, grapefruit, oranges, and even a hint of lemon. Tastes very strong of oranges, great hop backbone and very well balanced. AWESOME beer, this is what i’m talkin about people. Alesmith does it again.

Amazing. Thick, complex, bright, hoppy, acidic, citrusy, all blended together to perfection. these guys do a great job. One of my favorite.

Summer 2006 via trade with WeeHeavySD. (thanks!) A very floral, citrus, and hoppy aroma off of the first pour. A nice deep amber color with a medium to small sized soapy white head. Flavor is nice big hop element, some roasted notes, a nice large citrus taste and overall a very well balanced beer taste-wise. Palate is nicely bitter and very long lasting. Overall, A very well rounded and well crafted double IPA. I wish they sold these in Michigan. I would buy them often.

Bottle thanks to bentley78. Thick and syrupy. Juicy and sweet. Lots of orange, some grapefruit. Bitterness balances, but monster sweetness is dominant. A little light on flavor in the finish. Piney hops with everything else. The bitterness is showing up a bit more as I drink. This is probably up there with Pliny. Everything an IIPA should be. Maybe just wanting in some complexity.

bottle tasted with a friend. peaches and grass and herbs in the aroma. medium body, spicy and plenty dry. the hops lend a decidedly bitter character to this: piney, citrusy, but somehow blended together to make an excellently balanced double IPA. This is up there with the best of the best.