AleSmith YuleSmith (Winter) Imperial Red Ale

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

Fresh 2006 bottle. Lot’s of fruity hop aromas. apricoty and citrusy. Huge head on this light orange pour. I had to pour the next glass really really slow. Head is wow creamy. Flavors are wonderfully sweet with lots of citrusy hops. Delicious.

Note-reviewing the Winter release:This beer pours a delicious copper color and leaves a thick vanilla lace head that clings to the glass. The smell of this beer is crisp, hoppy, lemon, grapefruit, gummi candy. As I taste this beer the hop bitterness hits you with a candied lemon rind flavor followed by a taste of grapefruit. This beer is so smooth I can’t believe it is almost 9%. The alcohal is absolutely hidden, this is a fantastic double.

(from previous rating when I thought there was only one Yulesmith) bottle. beautiful orange-amber color with a small white head. nose of piny ’west coast’ hops with a nice balance of malt. taste The best balnced double ipa i have tasted makes this very drinkable. I want a case of this...make it available in western mass!

Now here is something to be excited about! Color is sleightly hazy medium brown with a firm medium brown head. Aroma is a great mix of hops and malts with notes of grape/oranges and toffee plus some mild chocolate. Flavor is very very pleasing. Medium bitter with a smooth yet full sweetness backed up by a warming alchohol. It doesnt get much better using "standard" ingredients like this. Thumbs up

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.

Bottle, thanks to WeeHeavySD! Pours a dark amber color with a nice foamy off-white head on top that is not going anywhere. Aroma is definitely more balanced when comparing with the Summer YuleSmith. Definitely smelling more of a malt profile in this version. Sweet malt, fruit, toffee, cake, hops, and citrus are in the aroma. Flavor is sweet malts, fruit, caramel, and toffee up front. The malt profile is accompanied by a wonder hop profile full of citrus. This beer defines what a christmas tree smells like and what it might taste like! A wonderful seasonal winter beer. Absolutely delicious!

22 oz bomber. Pours to a deep amber color, with a thick, creamy, white head, and a good carbonation. The nose on this beer is fantastic, with big aromas of citrus and grapefruit, paired with aromas of fresh pine. The palate is firm, with good biscuit and pale malt flavors, paired with a touch of carmel malt, but this only acts as a springboad to hop flavors. Lots of good citrus and grapefuit flavors and bitterness dance over the tongue. This beer finishes with more really great malt and hop flavors, then ends with a big, zesty, pungent lemon and grapefruit bitterness that lingers. This beer is an IPA all the way. I don’t care if they tossed in a little more malt, hops dominate this beer in a big way, and it is a wonderful thing. This beer makes a phenomenal aperitif, and a great hop coctail of a brew to sip and relax with. Very impressive.

Pours dark amber/orange with a giant off white head. Nosa has a lot of caramel malt, citric hops, pine hops. Nice balance in the nose. Flavor is huge, progresses nicely from malt to hop bitterness.