AleSmith YuleSmith (Summer) India Pale Ale

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

Bottle from Footbalm. Half a year old, as this is the summer one. Fruity citrus aroma, orange grapefruit and lemon zest, rich toffee malts. Flavor is bitter and astringent, hops and rich but since this isn’t fresh, a lot of their beautiful and most fragrant essences are missing.

Bottle shared with the crew in late November. Copper, good sized white head. Aroma is full of citrus and malt - there is a citrus combination here I have never experienced before, wow. Taste - what else is there to say? Bitter, citrusy, like drinking orange juice with body and kick. Perfectly balanced, simply one of the finest beers I ever had a chance to try. The perfect example of a strong IPA (Double, Imperial, whatever). If I was stuck on a deserted island (sans Smoke Monsters) I could survive on this alone.

beer decants a very pretty orange/amber, with a whipped-cream thick white head that retains well and leaves tons of lace. nose is a bit rough - lots of hops, yes, but also a good amount of higher alcohols, as well as perhaps a bit of phenol? really smells more like a barley-wine than a DIPA - lots of thick sweetness. flavor is almost wholely dominated by hops - yes, there is a slightly muddy malt sweetness up front, but it wilts pretty fast in a wave of grassy, rindy, herbal hop flavor, and is followed by a pretty heavy wave of rough bitterness. bit of a paint-thinner/nail-polish quality to the finish, which gives it an unpleasant burner. yeast seems perhaps a bit stressed out.

Explosion of pineapple and tropical fruits out of the glass. Flavors are sticky-sweet fruits underscored with a tiingly pineyness. Superb.

Bottle & Tap, Copper color with white lasting head with some bubbles. Aroma is typical Alesmith with lots of fruitiness, Sharp citric notes and a hint of melon and fresh strawberries. You can actually *taste* the fumes coming from the glass. Amazing! Caramelly and dry flavor with pleasant supporting bitterness and a long bitter finish with some warming alcohol. Very, very enjoyable beer.

Pours a deep amber, with an impressive off-white head. The nose is a massive hop tartness, with a sharp floral snap. As the head dies down, it laces down the glass, before any sip. Lighter in body that I expected, the hops are quite strong. The finish is dry, leaving only the hops.

Rerate. 22oz bottle, courtesy of artusory. Thanks, Ryan! Pours a bright, clear yellowish-orange color; pillowy yellow head with fantastic retention and lacing; a gorgeous pour. Dense, resiny and fresh citrus / piney hop aroma; very light malty presence behind. Full, resiny mouthfeel: very dense hop presence with a good viscosity from hop oils and a chewy, earthy maltiness; a generous beer. Lengthy, maple syrup and earthy malt finish; citrus and herbs. 8.5.8.4.16=4.1.

Original rating: 22oz bottle, courtesy of gears81. Thanks, Jake! Pours a clear, light golden-orange appearance with an off-white head. Plenty of citrus hops and alcohol in the aroma: lemon and grapefruit. Huge, resiny mouthfeel: plenty of fruity bitterness, balanced by a candy sugar backdrop; ideal levels of carbonation, lively but drinkable; hugely textured, dank, and balanced. One of the best double IPAs I’ve had, and much more enjoyable (for me) than its Winter counterpart - better restrained and less hot than many of the stronger Alesmith beers. Long, bitter, resiny finish. 7.4.9.5.18=4.3.

This is the Summer released Blue & Red bottle... Appears a semi-transparent orange with a bubbly off white, soapy head that slowly fades out. Scattered streaks of lacing are left around the glass. Smell is of biscuits, brown sugar, honey, earthy, and sugary orange peel. Taste is of the mentioned aromas with an earthy, spicy, creamy hop flavor, along with fruit. Mouthfeel is medium bodied, toasty, earthy, spicey, mellow, fruity, sweet up front with a hoppy bite.