AleSmith YuleSmith (Winter) Imperial Red Ale

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

Bottle from De Bierkoning. Copper brown with a light offwhite head. Raisins and citrussy hoppiness combined with raisins flavours. Noticeable alcohol and dry throughout. Quite light body. Very nice.

Bouteille de 22 oz dégustée en compagnie de Dmac621, Dickinsonbeer, Cathschlag, MartinT, Beerbuzzmontreal et Glouglouburp. Arôme: Odeur d’agrumes et d’épices. Apparence: La couleur est blonde (présence de lie). Présence d’un mince col mousseux et d’une fine dentelle sur le verre. Saveur: Goût d’houblons et de noix grillées. Longue durée de l’arrière goût. Palette: Le corps est moyen avec une texture huileuse. Moyenne effervescence en bouche. Présence d’houblon en arrière goût. (Rating #1253)

OHH delicious hops, i’m delighted to see you again. It’s strange how living in the PNW we get overdosed with hops, I had begun to feel as though I was "hopped out", bored with all the IIPAs and overhopped brews, then comes along a reminder of when they are done well. This beer is just made with care, the hops aren’t aggressive, just welcoming and warming. So many of Portlands "winter IPAs" are harsh, with no real malts to balance, not sweetness to work with the floral hops. Yulesmith really works well, the soft caramel and bready malts work with the pine and citrus hops. Never do I feel overwhelmed with bitterness, more just hop flavor and floral aromas. Slight tropical notes show in the hops giving hints of dried pineapple. Very smooth on the palate, never showing its 9.5% devil of a soul.

Cloudy amber with a little orange to it. Sweet and sharply hoppy nose. Thick, syrupy mouthfeel. Malts had a sturdy, sweet base and a big, toasted bread flavor. Very peppery, spicy and hoppy. Nicely balanced. Warming. Interesting flavors, with elements of tobacco and darkly toasted bread. Healthy bitterness rounds things out. Dry, Hoppy finish ... with a tobacco aftertaste that reminded me of my addicted days. Nevertheless, really good beer. Kept my interest piqued.

22. Gotta be an 06 bottle, if not older. Thanks, Foolish_Mortal! (I think. Dang short term memory). Pours a monolithically solid wall of brown with delectable rubied highlights. Thick, moussy, almost fluffy head with thick walls of lace down the sides of the glass. Dense, sweet nose of caramel, nougat, pine, and light tropical fruits. Unsettlingly enough, you really can’t tell where the hops stop and the malt begins on the nose. Thick, grainy, soft body. Just an awesome velvet wash of grain. Thick caramel, pine, and tropical tree fruit on the mid-palate, along with the faintest early blossoms of leather and tobacco. Clean brown bread finish. Nice stuff, very complex. Thinking it would be best poured straight from the teat, but it has many charms even at this modestly advanced age.

Copper color with thin white head. Aroma seems light and piney right out of the frig. Flavor, wow, what I’d guess a Holiday IIPA would taste like. Solid pine hop bitterness and flavor. There’s also a fir tree quality that adds a greener dimension to the hops. Maybe it’s a huge dose of late addition hops to the boil. There is the slightest malt sweetness behind this big hop beer. Chewy and yummy.

On tap at The Neighborhood in San Diego. Dark ruby brown. Spicy and grassy aroma, quite herbal. Sweet dark caramel, lots of sweet spice, crisp capsicum-like bitter finish. A bit of an odd choice of hops, but it works!

Brownish orange. Very sweet, caramelly aroma, mixed ith a woodys, resiny smell. Very smooth. The first flavor is juicy, sweet malts, with big citrusy notes - oranges, lemons - then a sticky, resiny finish. Really enjoyable.