AleSmith IPA

Brewed by AleSmith Brewing Company
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
San Diego, California USA

Bottled sample via (and shared with) oakbluff. Hazy orange in colour with medium carbonation. Aromas of pine cone, tangerine, and black pepper. Citrus flavors are upfront in the mouth, before the pine, floral, and grassy notes take over. The citrus re-emerges on the finish too, which was kinda cool. Great lasting bitterness. Malts are definitely playing second fiddle here, but are present enough to keep things in check. A fantastic IPA.

Bottle. This is impressive. Only the second Alesmith I’ve had but they are on the way of becoming one of my favorite brewers. Deep slightly hazy amber with a fabulous off white head and great lacing. Aroma is huge with earthy, citrus, and some slightly floral hops. Malt balances well and there is some interesting flavor I can’t identify but it fits in nicely. Smooth with a mild lingering bitterness. I rated this compared to other IPA’s but this is easily better than some Double IPA’s.

A few months old and still very very good. The hops still noticible for a bottle that was purchased back in Feb. This gem kind of got lost in my cellar and today I realized I got some IPAs that are getting old. This brew pours cloudy golden with a huge head. Aroma is hops and more hops. Seems to be some cascade/centinnial in there but not too sure but definitely get the pine and citrus. Smooth and thick on the palate with light carbonation. Like the description it does feel warm in the mouth. Flavor is a hop bomb of citrus and pine followed by a sweet finish. What a good brew I’ll be getting this fresh to drink up in the future.

Amazing, I wish i could describe this in just that singular word. The best part about this IPA is the hop flavor and lack of astringent bitterness. The aroma is an overwhelming combination of hops. Flavor is very malty sweet with a wonderful hop flavor and mild bitterness. Loved this and wish I had much, much more

Bottle brought to Poland for me by cousin. I’m gonna write desciption with next bottle, as I came to San Diego by myself now :)

This is my favorite beer in the world. I’m from Florida and I order this beer by mail. It’s very expensive because of the shipping costs but it’s worth it to me. This is the creamiest thickest IPA I have ever tasted. The balance between the pale malt and the formidable hops is perfect. Thick and rich this is almost a double IPA but I like it just the way it is. I love this beer and it has a certain San Diego hop load that is very similar to Racer 5 by Bear Republic. I’m guessing that Cascade and Centennial hops are used in this fantastic concoction. The head is a supremely jagged cloud like affair and is very sticky leaving plenty of lace on my pint glass. The color is a little darker than most IPAs and I like that. If you have never had this IPA, I suggest you do whatever it takes to get it, like I do. Well worth the extra expense and a real treat.

22 oz. bottle.. phenomenal extra from BrianK. My review from cvillebeergeek.blogspot.com...

A massive thanks to trading partner Brian of West Orange, New Jersey who apparently felt that the really good extras he included with the main part of our trade weren’t enough, so he sent a second box with this gem a week later. Also, this just happens to be my 600th beer rating.

Appearance: Beautiful reddish-orange color with a medium sized head. The head does disappear rather quickly, leaving little specks of lacing. The head does stick around as a thin film on the top of the beer that creeps just slightly up the sides of the glass. Slight haze and vigorous carbonation. 3.75/5.0.

Aroma: Very appropriate IPA aroma... floral, citrus and pine hop notes with a sweet background. Not terribly complex, but very pleasant. 4.0/5.0

Taste: Nicely complex taste. It hits me as sweet, bitter, sweet bitter with the sweetness having a honey-like quality juxtaposed with a strong citrus hop bitterness. I am reminded of lemonheads candy. Maybe the slightest vegetal note. Very nice. 4.0/5.0

Mouthfeel: The carbonation gives this a lively feel. Bitterness and sweetness balance fairly well. The beer has a slightly viscous feel and the alcohol is absolutely hidden. 4.5/5.0

Drinkability: Bitter, sour, sweet, but absolutely smooth and approachable. It’s not perfectly balanced, but every aspect of this beer stays relatively in check with the others. It’s not cheap (Brian paid $8.99 for this somewhere in Jersey), but 22 ounces is absolutely no problem, and is a very pleasant experience. 4.5/5.0

Overall: This is a top-notch IPA, in the league of anything Stone, Bell’s or Russian River can produce. A joyful experience, and a worthy 600th rating.

Bottle from Cooke’s market in El Segundo. Golden Orange, nice head, great lacing throughout. Great balance, wonderful flavor. Surpasses Stone IPA as my fave!!