AleSmith YuleSmith (Winter) Imperial Red Ale

07 bottle. Clear, copper-colored body that lightly sparkles is masked by a ginormous head of red-hued bone that laces thickly and generously. I smell caramel, honey, sweet french bread center (not the crust), roasty malts, a touch of alcoholic sweetness and some lovely floral, pine and citrusy hop splash. Quaffable! Mouth is fullish with light carbonation for an almost dry finish. I taste lots of malts from caramel, honey, and sugar, all with an undercurrent of roastiness. Hops ring in with the sweet, delicious booze, esters, pine, smoke, and citrus. There is a long, dry and bitter aftertaste of roastiness and hops. Blended incredibly well. Smooth, smooth, smooth. Very complex. A bit flat for me, but oh so delicious! ...oh...I got to the bottom of the bottle with all of the yeast to make a cloudy body. Comment: "My God, this stuff is good."

Bottle. Poured a hazy red/brown with a small head. Aroma of was hoppy with grass and earth notes. Flavor was smooth malt with pine and grassy hops finishing. Full bodied with good carbonation and a sticky mouthfeel.

2007 Bottle. Just amazing. Sure plenty of folks have described the qualities so I will tell you why I like it so much. It is an american strong ale that’s hopped to death. It is absolutely complex and you can enjoy every tiny bit without a face full of bitterness. Do not get me wrong, I expect hoppy bittereness but this is the perfect amount IMHO.

07 version: OMFG this is a holy grail beer, after trying the summer version, how could it get any better, but I find this another blowout... there is nutin but gold here... aromas, incredible fresh hops, some sweet and roasted malts, high depth... appearance, what can you say? It is perfect, huge fluffy head that just lays there forever, lacing, my whole glass is covered with the caked on beige bubbles... flavor, fogetaboutit.. it is outstandingly strong hops and roasted malts, some chocolate, some caramel, it is complete, palate is the only fall back since the alcohol sneaks through a little and packs a hawaiin punch... overall, out-freakin-stounding.

2006 Winter YuleSmith. What a beer. Intense aroma, very complex set of hops. Darker and richer than the Summer version. Just the right amount of age. Very complete brew, great finish. Some pine, more wood pine and not sharp, some smoke and smooth malty flavors. Tough to describe. Looking forward to the 08 Winter for sure.

22-oz bottle received via trade with FlacoAlto. Pours tawny with a large, frothy, light brown head, mostly lasting with excellent lacing. Aroma is heavy malt (cookie, bread, caramel), heavy hops (flowers, perfume, pine), average yeast (leather, dough) with notes of alcohol, apple, and wood. Full bodied, sticky texture, lively carbonation, and a bitter finish. Long duration, light sweetness, heavy acidity and bitterness.

Pours a hazy rust, tons of off-white thick head. Aroma is surpsrisingly hoppy, fresh-cut grass and earth. Also some roasty-ness and corriander (?). Taste is full of subtle spice flavors, as well as almost-well-balanced matlyness and hops bite. Nice on the palate, smooth and semi-dry. A lasting, very sweet hoppy finish. The hops, in general, are perhaps a bit overbearing for the style, but the thing would probably be too cloying otherwise.

22 ounce bottle split in pint glass. Says 8.5% on bottle. Hazy red with lasting pinkish head and some lace. Hoppy spicy toffee strong aroma. Roasted toffee and brown sugar sweetness with some tart fruit and bracing high carbonated bitter biting hop flavored finish with some cloying. Fairly complex but heavily hopped. Carbonation overwhelms the finish and mouthfeel. Very good. And my quasi-wife would like me to mention that she likes it.