AleSmith YuleSmith (Summer) India Pale Ale

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

22oz bottle. Pours yellow-orange with a huge, frothy white head that lasts until the last sip. Intense, grapefruity hop aroma with enough caramel malt sweetness to provide some balance. Flavor is sweet caramel malt for an instant, which is quickly and forcefully overpowered by big citric hops. Finish is all hops, resinous hop flavor lingers on the palate forever. There’s a little warming alcohol in the finish. All hops, as expected.

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...

Location: 22 oz bottle bottle via trade from NickD717, 9/1/09

Aroma: Juicy citrus hops, grapefruit, orange, pine, caramel, maybe some melon
Appearance: Clear golden-orange color with a big, creamy, long-lasting head and tons of lace on the glass
Flavor: Really pleasant bitter flavor, just the right amount of caramel malty sweetness, really tasty
Palate: Medium body, smooth beer that reminds me a bit of the Ruination in how easy it is to drink for a DIPA
Overall Impression: Wow this is a good one, thanks for hooking me up with this awesome beer, Nick! This stuff is really quite good buddy, and you are 2 for 2 so far on sending me awesome beers. I could see myself drinking this one really often were it distributed to the East Coast, but unfortunately, it looks like this one is being hogged by you lucky bastards out west. Seriously though, I really can find very little to quibble with on this one, it is almost exactly what I was hoping for, a truly exquisite brew.

Bottle. Big spicy and citrucy hop aroma. Strong hop bitterness and a good balance of malt. First few sips had some noticeable alcohol. Perfect infusion of everything. Very awesome.

summer 2006 bottle. drank 3 weeks after bottling. decent appearance, i like the color but it’s totally transparent and the head is kinda ugly. aroma is good hops and some caramel. could be stronger, but it’s also a little cold. definitely the hoppiest tasting alesmith i’ve ever had. kinda a biphasic flavor profile, caramel and a little fruit in the beginning, later a wave of massive bitterness. now that it’s warmed a bit there’s almost a little vegetable in the flavor.

Bottle sampled with Stegosaurus, courtesy of an ohio dad trade. Hazy orange pour with a floral hoppy citrus aroma. Hoppy bite up front with a malty alcohol finish but blended really good. An incredible IPA !!!!!! Probably one of the best IPA. I have had to date.

I finally found it: an IIPA that I DIG!! Sweet, sweet toffee nose, happy biscuity malt taste followed by mild citric hops. NOT overbalanced. Luscious mouthfeel. Tad mouthpuckering as the hops give a nice clean bite to the aftertaste. This is *gorgeous.* Thank you Eyedrinkale! HAVE I MENTIONED THE GINGERBREAD? GINGERBREAD! Eeee! I love this beer!

22 oz. BottleCloudy goldish copper with a white fzzy head. Interesting aroma - dominant hops seem to be hidden from the aroma and more of a light, sweet aroma of herbal cologne. The flavor seems to be a bit off for an IPA or 2 IPA for that matter. It has flavors of cardboard, something a little sweet (I am having trouble identifying it), and hairspray. It has an average body that has a smooth finish. I guess I expected more from AleSmith. Thanks to Bizzle BuckeyeBoy.