AleSmith YuleSmith (Winter) Imperial Red Ale

Big thanks to kegbear for this one. This is kink a cross between a double IPA and a barleywine. Pours a hazy reddish copper with huge off-white head. Big aroma of floral hops and sweet malts. Also picking up some nice caramel notes. Flavor is also big with floral hops, sweet malt, caramel, citrus and a nice alcohol burn. A nice winter warmer that I am having in the middle of July for some reason. Just delicious like the rest of the Alesmith line of brews.

22oz bottle in a trade with someone not on the site. One of my favourite breweries. Almost picked this up in Portland OR and kicked myself ever since that I didn’t. Pours a very slight hazy reddy russet with a thick beige head, that lasts and lasts thanks to the carbonation. Drunk whilst watching Australia vs New Zealand in the Tri Nations rugby. The hop aroma is lovely. Great grapefruit piney resiny. Due to the rich red fruit on the malts this balances the hop well. Reminds me of SN Celebration, but this is better. The alcohol isn’t obvious in the beer, but is on my legs. It’s a good hoppy strong ESB style beer. Enormously competent and drinkable even at 8.5%. I do like the combination of strong but balanced sticky hop. But I would definitely have this again. Not overly bitter on end. Considering the amount of hop used, I’m impressed that they never get out of hand. By the way Australia won one of the best games of rugby union that I have seen. God I love those hops.

Bottle. This is very much like a barley wine. Burgundy amber with a great head and good lacing. Aroma of serious malt and hops. Sweet mostly with a mild bitterness at the end. Very smooth aftertaste and drinkable. This is very good and will have again.

Hops, hops, and more hops! Also some spices in the aroma. Appearance is a golden-red with tan head. The beer is in great condition despite being ~9 months old. Tastes of hops with strong, spicy malt and caramel. Slightly musty with a bit of age, although at this stage it’s a compliment. REALLY carbonated, though, and a bit sharp on the tongue. Overall, good and rich, like a holiday red should be. This beer hasn’t lost any hop characteristics from age. I loved it! Well done!

pours a translucent dark amber with a a ruby tint-huuuge frothy head, probably 4 fingers tall. Most amazing thick lacing i’ve ever seen. aroma is incredible- intense hops, citrus, grapefruit- makes me want to try the summer DIPA version. Flavor is also great- malt, hops, citrus, alcohol present but in a good way. One of my top beers in the past couple months.

Redish hazy pour, with a huge offwhite head. Flowery hop aroma with a bit of malt on the end. Immediately Hoppy in the mouth with a small presence of alcohol. a sweet malty backbone creates a well balanced brew that warms as it goes down. the end is sweet, almost chocolatey malt followed by an alcoholic warmth. one for the ages.

Pours reddish with huge frothy white head. Aroma is loads of hops- floral and grassy with a bit of sweet malt, but predominatly filled with hoppy backbone. Flavor is oatmeal, bitter chocolate, with lots of roasty characteristics, which suprised me due to the less than dark appearance. Hop content is not nearly as high as the aroma would suggest, but comes trhough nicely to provide a welcomed citrus facet. Palate is intensely smooth- a bit on an alcohol warmness with some prickling. Viscous and delicious, this is a prime example of a widely varied style.

22oz bottle. Pours hazy reddish-amber, capped with a big, frothy khaki head. Aroma is dominated by citric hops, with freshly baked bread in the background. Abundant sweet malt flavors up front, with caramel and chocolate, which are soon joined by massive grapefruity and earthy hops. Hops hang on for a long finish. Intense flavors, but everything is in harmony. Great beer.