AleSmith YuleSmith (Winter) Imperial Red Ale

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

Pours a nice red color with an off white head. Aroma is of nice citrusy hops followed by sweet malts and a tad of alcohol. Flavor is just so smooth. Porbably one of the best mixtures of hops and malts in an ASA that iv’ve ever had. I liked this better than the summer one.

Bottled. Gorgeous amber red pour with a huge creamy white head. Aroma is of silky smooth lemon rind and caramely sweet, sticky apricot. The hops present themselves in a subdued fashion, allowing the fruity raisin aromas to comfortably waft from beneath their hoppy partner’s stately presence of sweet red grapefruit. Texture is smooth and far less carbonated than expected, while the flavors contain a pleasing amount of malt. The hops are ideally reserved until the final smack, which brings the main attention to the fruity goodness of the beer in the first mouthfull. As the beer finishes its descent, the trademark sweet pine of the hops shines through. Final smack of freshly grated parmesan cheese. Overall, an exquisite beer, featuring a wonderful balance between hoppy notes and fruity flavors.

Would love to have this one next to the summer version so if anyone wants to hook me up, feel free. Big white creamy head. Deep clear auburn color. Aroma is slightly sugary with a little bit of pine and grapefruit. Taste is smooth, malty with a subtle bitter finish. Very good.

Deep copper with an extremely intense hoppy aroma. The usual suspects, grapefruit, pine, sticky and resiny. Firm malt, touch of caramel, vanilla as well. Deep bitterness. Some alcohol in the finish. Very nice. Thanks to CaptainCougar for the opportunity!

Orginal rate 01/05/05 7/4/9/4/19 22oz Dec 2004 batch - One of my favorite beers right now. Strong hop smell typical to a west coast IPA. Copper color with nice subtle head. Flavor is crisp, clean, and very hoppy. As Alesmith says "leave you thristing for the next sip" is right on!<!-- br --><!-- br --> RERATE: 10/05/2005 Aged 22oz bottle fom 12/04 and it is still awesome. More carmel malt aroma to balance out the still great hop presence. I could sit there smelling this one all day long. Flavor is even smoother than the freshy if that’s possible. The malts and hops blend perfectly together for a carmelly hop flavor. Palate is creamy and smooth with a slight bite from the hop. Fresh or aged, this is my favorite brew.

Cloudy and the color of cider, and it really does have a thick head. Big citrus aroma. Warm, creamy feel, with a citrus taste. I really like this beer. It’s a good reason to look forward to the Yule season. Hoppyholidays, Thanks Herbjones!

poured a rich mahogany color with a tan head that had great retention and lacing. Aroma had rich sweet brown sugar notes along with some spicy notes. A nice hop profile throughout. Flavor had a good hop presence with mostly sweet malt notes but a subtle yeast quality to it. Certainly did not seemed like 9.5%. Finish was smooth.

Bottle poured reddish brown with a nice, thick,creamy off white head and a nice heavy sheet of lacing on the glass. Aroma is hops and grapefruit,citrus, caramel. Big strong flavor of malts, citrus, caramel and warming alcohol. Sweet malty finish that sticks to your mouth...good stuff!