AleSmith YuleSmith (Summer) India Pale Ale

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

(Draft: O’Brien’s in San Diego, CA) Rating is for the Christmas ’03 release; Compared side by side with the July ’04 special release of YuleSmith, the Christmas ’03 version is much more malty, hoppy and full bodied than the July ’04 release; It’s very sweet and strong, quite malty, and very hoppy, especially in the finish; The malt could get lost in a sweet, hoppy 2IPA, but the malt flavor holds its own, resulting in a wonderfully balanced beer; Seems to have a little oak in the flavor; The palate is full bodied, somewhat sticky and very coating from the sweetness, but smoother than expected for such a strongly flavored beer; Sweet, malty, hoppy nose also has some evident alcohol; Ruddy brown in color; Light tan head is smallish on the pour and displays pretty good retention for a style known for a quickly retreating head; Some modest lacing

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.

Sampled from draught at AleSmith Brewing Company.
Dark orange beer with a creamy light tan head. Full and nice aroma, sweet malty and caramelly. Full in the flavor too, mostly sweet with hoppy notes and some citrus and spices also. No sign of the rather high ABV. Very soft and smooth and just another world class beer from the amazing AleSmith!!!

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.

Bottle: Courtesy of Styles. Aroma is very fruity with pineapple, apricot, a hint of caramel, and citrusy hops. Pours a hazy orange with an off-white yellow tintned head with great lacing. Flavor is very fruity with a strong caramel backbone. Starts with lots of pineapple and apricot up front. Strong fruitiness throughout blends with some moderate citrus hops in the finish. In my opinion the hops just aren’t strong enough to balance all the fruity sweetness. Still very good, but I prefer the Winter version.

Bottle: Deep caramel in color, quite hazy/thick, HUGE fluffy off-white head, fairly nice lacing.   Combination grapefruit rind, muted pine, wet hops, slight caramel, and soft earthen biscuitness on the nose.   Soft hop bitterness on the tongue, fairly malty, nearly an IIPA but to me its more like a strong IPA.   Fairly strong grapefruit rind throughout.   Moderate to full body and mouthfeel.   Semi-sweet finish, lingering hop bitterness, remains fairly malty with the aformentioned grapefruit rind.   Good stuff, but compared to last nights Oskar Blues Gordon on draft, its not as hefty, malty, or viscous.   Still good, but I think a new sheriff is in town.   Thanks Paul for this beauty!

Bottle. Pours to a nice hazy caramel/copper colored body with a tall foamy white head. The aroma is quite fruity with lemons and grapefruit taking the forefront. Flaked barley malts. The flavor is extremely malty. Barley, granola, some bitter oily hops. The palate is really full. Balanced oily/resiny hops and a rich mouthfeel. Pretty damn good.

Great fruity aroma, apricot, pear, pineapple - Hawaiin punch. Brilliant orange-amber clear, with thin off-white head. Thick body with soft carbonation. Alcoholic fruity start, with medium bitterness. Sugary hoppy finish, with medium bitter after. A very nice beer.