AleSmith YuleSmith (Summer) India Pale Ale

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

Tasting session at jbrus. Bottled. Cloudy dark orange coloured, off-white head. Hoppy nose, fruity notes, grapefruit, figs. Lasting hopbitter flavour, a fruity explosion in your mouth, some floral notes. Very well balanced brew.

Bottle from Ty5592 from a while back. I drank this thinking it was the Winter one because the wording was the same on the label. Pour was orange and spritzy with strong and crisp floral and citrus hops bursting out. Flavor is rich and true, as every alesmith I’ve ever had has been. Very nice beer that I wish was readily available to me.

Tried from tap at Stone brewery. Wow, the commercial description is dead on, I couldn’t have written it better. A fine bubble 2-finger head. Elegant summer grassy aromas fill the glass. Well balanced bitterness, yet with a heavier weighting towards bitterness, perfect for an IPA. Very very easy to drink. I’ll have another. Great great beer. Rerate: Had the rare opportunity (7/26/07) to try the first batch of Yulesmith summer at http://www.ratebeer.com/events-detail.asp?eventID= with DenverLogan, and Quaff members. 3yr old bottle I believe. 500th batch celebration bottle with blue and white label. Some subdued hops. Oxidation at at a nice very low level. Very mellow and infinitely complex. Light amber color. 9,3,7,3,17: 3.9.

Bomber, what could be a better beer for the Fourth of July? Pours a clear copper color with a small white head. The aroma is tons of sweet citrus like hops and some caramel. The taste is very nice; a smooth and full body, very tasty citrus and lightly bitter hops dominate, but the malt presence is strong also, a touch of orange peel and overall a smooth and very good beer.

Bomber from my not so Secret Santa, theisti. Poured into a tulip glass with a big head that just won’t go away and eventually turns into a surface covering lacing. Color is murky dark orange, cannot see through the beer. Aroma is in general strong, sweet, citrus-tea. It’s surrounded by some nice perfume-y, bitter tangerine and a light earthiness (the only aspect that seems independent of the hops. Taste is medium-strong bitterness, with light pine but mostly a thick citrus. A medium body and a long citrus/bitter aftertaste. Now that I tried each Yulesmith I see what Alesmith was going for: this a DIPA and the winter a DIPA with a whole lot more malt and substance (understandably to have a more “winter" feel yet be a hop bomb), I prefer the winter.

Bomber. Pours a crystal clear amber with 2 finger rocky cream head and tons of carbonation. Nose is ripe citrus, malt and pine needles. Palate is sweet malt upfront followed by a puckering yellow grapefruit bite with a bitter resin finish. Medium mouth feel with nice lacing. Great DIPA.

Thanks to JohnC for hooking me up with this one, another great IPA from the West Coast, slightly hazy, amber color with a subtle orange hue, decent off-whie head with some nice lacing, great combination of hops & malt in the nose, also slight hint of yeast & earth in the aroma, medium-full in body, very bitter & very hoppy flavors, very well-balanced, good malt backbone, very dry but yet fruity, earth & pine notes in the flavors, dry & bitter hoppy aftertaste & finish, great IPA

Bottle pours a cloudy light orange/amber. Very nice creamy white head. Aroma is mainly light sweet malts. Honey and light brown sugar. A slight cardboard papery note also. Flavor is more of the woody paper hints from before. Quite surprised this is a IIPA as the big brash hoppines is conspicuously absent. Nice rich full malt profile but I realy mis that bright citrusy hop flavor. A couple factors make me think that this might be an old bottle or possibly light struck a bit.Overall decent but not sure of the top 50 status. Thanks to <!-- B -->Buckeye for sharing this one