AleSmith YuleSmith (Winter) Imperial Red Ale

Brewed by AleSmith Brewing Company
Style: American Strong Ale
San Diego, California USA

(bottle - 22 oz) Clear copper in color with a very puffy tan head. Aroma is hoppy and floral with hints of pine, resin, malt, and caramel. Flavor is very sweet and resiny with strong malt characteristics and a finish a little reminiscent of toasted almonds. Finishes very clean.

650 ml bottle

Thanks to whomever sent a bottle of this in a trade a few months ago. It has been resting on a fridge awaiting consumption for a few months now. I’m not sure it was quite a personal Top 50 beer but I can see why people would think so. It is a blend of west coast hops and other things that can either punch your in the mouth or, if mellowed out, provide a malty experience.

Aroma / Appearance - A burnt orange body is graced by the huge pillowy head that forms quickly. Chunky lacing clings to the sides forming a cloudy window through which to gaze on the liquid inside. Caramel, butterscotch and hops are balanced by malts, peat and berries. I can immediately detect the west coast influences at work.

Flavor / Palate - Cherries, caramel and resin greet the senses a few seconds after the first sip. Next comes a hoppy bitterness which dries out the throat. The smooth creamy mouthfeel made it easy to finish the bottle by myself. It wasn’t cloying at all; for an ’imperial red’ (whatever that is) I found it perfect. It might not be a personal Top 50 but I would certainly enjoy a bottle of this every now and again.

what a nice surprise. I’ve had some confusion between a couple yulesmiths. color-coded, and was expecting an IPA. pours cherstnut with am oprange tan head. full spectrum aroma with oak. pine, citrus, and caramel. gets the mouth all tingly while only bruising part of the tongue, good carbonation. the hops seem smaller than they are because of the ample malt and alcohol. tannen, grapefruit rind, brown sugar, slightly over-baked white bread. the hops don’t want to stop.

Bottle from Zinister. Thanks, Mike! Gig’em!
Pours a thick, viscous, almost jello-like amber with a head that rises faster than one of NASA’s finest. Aroma of bread, roasted nut, and hops with grapefruit rinds. Flavor is nicely balance mixture of hops, grapefruit, bread, and roasted nuts. Thick, coating mouthfeel. Outstanding. N e e d m o r e...

Thanks to Juancho. Defintely out of this world. Pours a perfect dark copper color with a light brown ever lasitng head. Taste of citrus , grapefruit because of the bittirness, but the the sweet malty flavor balances it out, however, the hop will follow you for a good time, delicious, if you like hops......

22oz Bomber $6.95 Liquid Solutions Winter Edition/Imperial Red Yulesmith Winter pours a slightly hazed over deep garnet. Big streams of carbonation bubbles rise along the side of the glass to the two finger khaki head. Leaves great sticky lacing after each sip. Wonderful aromas leap from this beer. Toasty malts and raw grains lead the big maltiness of this brew. Slight doughiness as well. There is a strong malt presence but the hop profile might edge it out. sweetened grapefruit over the top of a forrest full of pine needles. Slightly sweet. Smells excellent. Flavor is right in line with the aroma. Strong malty presence kick things off but the hops do manage to push it aside. Toastiness and a mild raw graininess are the first flavors to hit. Even getting some caramel as it warms. Mid palate the flavor just explodes. Grapefruit and a pine needle hoppiness jump forward and last throughout the finish. Throw in a nice spicy alcohol warmth and you got yourself one hell of a beer with good balance. Medium bodied with an airy, creamy mouthfeel when this beer hits your tongue. No skimping on the use of hops coat your mouth with a solid lingering bitterness. Easy drinker with good somewhat balanced flavors keep this one drinking easy. Another great beer from Alesmith. This is my second offering from them along with their IPA and they are both top notch examples. I would love to get a fresh bottle of Yulesmith. 7/29/07

Deep red/brown with foamy & persistant head, nice lacing. Hoppy grapefruit flavors are balanced by warming caramel, toasted chocolate, coffee, toffee malts. The malts do a good job of quieting the piney hop presence and provide balance for the brew. There is a slight taste and warming effect produced by the alcohol, but considering the high abv, the alcohol is masked wonderfully. Sticky, syrupy bodied at the end. Nice brew.

22 oz bottle, from Wine Gallery in Boston, shared with ArcaneApollo. Pours a hazy reddish-brown with a fluffy white head. Aroma is caramel, spice, and cinnamon, with a slight hop characteristic as well. Flavor is a smooth blend of the above, with a nice hop/rye aftertaste. A great companion for cold winter’s nights and another fabulous brew from AleSmith. I wish we could get more of these on the right coast.