AleSmith YuleSmith (Winter) Imperial Red Ale

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

(22 oz. bottle from <A HREF=http://www.ratebeer.com/Place/massachusetts/w target=blank>Julio’s Liquors, cellared for 10 mos. after purchase) Really quite a hop bomb...Pours cloudy amber with a very large lightly amberish biege head. Large foamy head takes a while to die down. Aroma is big pine and grapefruit rind with some soft vanilla and caramel underneath. Mouthfeel pretty thick, fairly smooth. Sticky finish. Lacing is big foamy rings and sheets. Taste is big, fairly sharp hoppy pine and grapefruit overtop of sweet candy maltiness with notes of caramel and vanilla. Slight alcoholic finish. Medium-high bitterness. A little too much of everything. Although there’s alot of malt there’s even more hops. If I thought this was too hoppy wonder how I’d like the summer version!

Dec. 2005 - Beer poured a beautiful dark copper color with nice sustained head and really nice lacing. The aroma was citrusy hops. The taste was citrusy hops with sweet alcohol presence detectable. I’m not a big IPA guy, but this was a nicely made beer.

Poured a dark copper with a a fizzy/fluffy off-white head. Aroma is nearly perfect pine, grapefruit, some sweet toffee, some attic mustiness. Flavor is sweet and hoppy, with big notes of ruby red grapefruit and some grass and piney hops. This is balanced against a body of sweet toffeeish and biscuity malt and some refreshingly dry alcohol. An excellent imperial red as only Alesmith can do.

Pours a deep reddish brown color with a big creamy tan head that lasts throughout. Big roasty caramel malt aroma, along with ripe fruit, citrus hops, and a bit of spice. Flavor is sweet, with malt and fruit up front, and a nice bitter hoppy finish with a warming alcohol bite. Easily the best winter brew I have tried so far. Fantastic.

A slightly cloudy reddish caramel color with a medium off0white head. A mild pine aroma, which makes it difficult to detect other aromas. Some slightly sweet malts with no spices, a Christmas beer? A weak thin body, pine taste. Nothing special other than limited distribution.

bottle thanks to bman113vr. poured a deep amber/red with an off white head that laces the glass. aroma of malt, slight cereal, hops, and citrus. flavor was caramel, pine, slight grass, followed by a good bitter. body was light with medium carbonation.

All the Thanks to EyeDrinkAle for sending me this and a few other AleSmith last month; he’s a great guy I tell you!!
Rating # 385 ** 2003 Bottle**
Pours a deep majestic mahogany body, which in turn creates a voluptuous cushion of kaki head. The nose is a full-caramelized grapefruit connection. Big notes of brown sugar, loads of assorted citrus zests, some spicy appreciation of rosemary and a plug of clove are slapping my taste buds like a bongo drum.
I’m actually hitting on more notes of toffee than I am caramel, and brings loooooooong dry pine sap notes reminding me of a freshly cut Douglas Fur. This Dry finish is not as citrus as the typical Imp IPA, it’s more of a musty and woodsy pine chip and rosemary, it is very Christmassy! YuelSmith brings a soft velvety palate, and hangs sheets of silky lace with each sip. SHIT!!!!! … I have to wait 10 ½ more month’s for Christmas! I wouldn’t mind a case of the 2004 YuleSmith as a gift… hint, hint, to anybody so kind!!!

Bottle marked "21 01 05" Huge rocky beige head with amazing durability and gorgeous lace all floating above a clear amber gold liquid. This is as good as a beer can look. Big hoppy nose of citrus, pine, and spice over a background of light toffee and vanilla. For a beer that is apparently almost 2 years old, this smells as though hops were thrwon in it yesterday. Smooth on the palate with light carbonation and a resinous astringency that turns to a slight chewiness. Caramel sweetness quickly takes a back seat to a peppery bitterness for a long dry finish. This is a phenomenal beer.