AleSmith YuleSmith (Winter) Imperial Red Ale

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

Bottle. Dark amber body, big fluffy off-white head with excellent retention and lacing, PNW hops and crystal malts in the nose. Rich malt backbone, with toffee and chocolate notes but not too sweet, with moderate bitterness and lots of citric, piney West Coast hop goodness. This is fantastic.

Shared bomber bottle. Thanks to SDbruboy for this one. At the start this smelled and tasted very good. Had a good spice smell/taste. After the first few swallows this turned out to be just another west coast IPA. That's not a bad thing. I just wanted the spice flavot to last a little longer than it did.

Thanks again to SecretSanta06 for yet another unrated top 50. Awesome. Served in a wine glass. Dark red color, off white head. The aroma is dominated by C-hops, but reinforced by a strong malt backbone. Drinking this is similar to smelling it. The hops tend to get slightly acidic and over the top. But again the malt comes to the rescue. The ending is realy whats lacking. Too dry with the combination of the hops adds to cottonmouth. I’m a huge fan of this style, not sure on this one.

This beer really reminded me of Celebration Ale, the very first time I tasted Celebration about four years ago. My palate was less defined and was easily impressed with great hop usage. This beer brought me back to that moment, really enjoying what can transpire when complicated hop schedules are executed well. Exploding with hop flavor - this somehow retains its balance as well. Pours a sparkling amber color with a creamy white head. The nose is hops, hops and more hops blended with a moderate dose of caramel sweetness. While some flowery perfume is present, the majority of hops are citrusy - ranging from lemon to lime to grapefruit to really ripe oranges. The body continues to develop these hops profiles, which are well defined and crisp throughout. A great peachy note carries through the winey finish. My only complaint is the intense alcohol burn that develops after the dry finish. But I can handle that! If this is the dumbed down, less hoppy Xmas version, I’d love to get my hands on the Summer version.

A thicker, hoppier red than anticipated. Hazy copper-red with a buzz-cut for a head. Lots of hops and resin, but very obvious malt. Slick mouthfeel. Piney taste up front that moves turns into a long citrus-hop flavor. The malt is prevalent throughout this one, sweetening everything out and making it different from its summer cousin. Love it.

deep red pour with medium off-white head..aroma of sugar, grapefruit (little else and very typical of a IIPA)...grapefruit, clove, and sugar for its flavor..creamy, nicely laced brew..just seems like this is a standard IIPA..nothing complex or exciting

Purchased at Premier Gourmet in Buffalo NY (Hopefully more Alesmith to come): Pours a huge rocky head atop a reddish-brown body. Resinous hops and some light toasty malts and maybe some rye in the aroma. Spicy hop flavors up front that are balanced out by some light malt sweetness. Some fruits, melon and apricot, accompanied by hints of caramel.

Flaske: Mørk orange uklar øl med en fin skumkrone. Bitter duft. Meget bitter smag på en maltbase der ikke helt kan hamle op med den, udmærket øl, men en tand ubalanceret.