AleSmith YuleSmith (Winter) Imperial Red Ale

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

Poured into a tulip. Fluffy off-white, long-lasting head. Deep amber color. Sweet malt and piney hop aromas. Upfront caramel with a hoppy, long-lasting bitter finish. Very well balanced.

Another premium bottle courtesy of zug4abby. (SIDENOTE: I got to trade with her again soon). Bottle. Pours clear copper, with a nice off white head. Perfect appearance. Nice clean aroma of floral and citrus hops, with a hint of caramel. The hop profile in the flavor is great, very citrusy with a pleasant bite. Nicely balanced by sweet malt and caramel notes. The malt continues through the finish, complimented by some grassy bitterness that lingers wonderfully. Medium bodied with a creamy mouthfeel. A superb strong ale for the hop head. UPDATE: I found another bottle that Abby had sent,which had spent a year in the cellar. Aroma and flavor are much maltier, as the hops have melded. After a year, this is a very much like a tame barleywine. Good. However, with the wonderful hop flavors in a fresh bottle, I see no need to cellar a bottle again.

Blam, this is a good one. I worried that I’d sat on this bottle for too long, but the thing still tastes fairly crisp but with much smoother malting than the first bottle I had (some time ago now). It’s by no means a heavy red, but rather has a very silky feel with a nicely integrated palate of mild butterscotch, some cardamom, and a trace of pine. Excellent stuff as usual from this brewery.

Thanks to AXILLA. Pours a clear brown with a small off-white head and lacings. Quite sweet and bitter. Strong hoppy aromas of resin and a hint of grapefruit. Some alcohold too. Fizzy soft carboantion. Also metallic hints in the finish. Full bodied. Quite long bitter finish with a hint of perfume.

Bottle from Marcus. Amber body with medium sized off-white head. The aroma is heavy caramel, some citrus and pine. The flavor is moderately sweet, toffee, caramel and resinous piney hops. Medium/full body with soft carbonation and a slightly astringent, bitter finish.

22 ounce bottle shared by mreusch
Dark ruby with a "stiff" khaki head. The aroma is of candied hops. Cherry and pine. The flavor is pretty spicy with hops. Pine and caramel. Toffee. Pretty agressive, yet I’m up to the challange. The palate is med/full, with plenty of carbonation. Oily. This beer is really friggin’ nice. Thanks Matt.

Bottle. Pours a crystal clear medium amber color. Beautiful off-white to tan head. Head is long lived, lacing is phenominal!! The entire Christmas tree must have been wrung into this beer!!! Just a huge pine aroma. Exquisitely balanced with malt and hop. Sweet malt and piney/floral hop in flavor. Medium bodied with smooth mouthfeel. Truly delightful.

Tasted 6/15/09. 22oz bomber. Slightly hazy with a dark amber brown hue. Lacing creamy head. Looks good! Aromas of caramel and toffee with a slightly spicand sweet note. Grassy and woody hops. Full bodied with a rich and sweet palate. This is a huge beer! This one had a bit of age on it and it is holding up splendidly! Sweet initial malts and smooth middle. Finishes rather bitter and tart. Faint trace of the alcohol burn. Big malts and big hops. This is a HUGE beer.