AleSmith IPA

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

Clear amber orange color with a big rocky white head. Aroma is really attractive, actually it’s fantastic. I smell grapefruit, orange, spice... what a wonderful mix. Flavor is almost as good as the aroma. Pine, grapefruit, some pepper, resin, awesome. The body is just about perfect. Fantastic IPA.

2007 Bottle- Fresh. Since my first encounter with this delicious beer back in January, I’ve been remembering how fresh and exciting it was to drink. I’ve been looking forward to our next encounter with some apprehension. I’m afraid it will fail to live up to the first experience. Here goes...
Pour is a dark melon/amber color with a head of white lace. The aroma is the beautiful mix of hops and malt that I remember although this time I’m not detecting the same diversity of aromas I experienced the first time around. The hops are spicy and citric, the malts are Caramely and smooth. As it pours over my tongue I get the spicy hops and then as it falls to the sides of my tongue and the back it is the sweet malts that show themselves. Still a true champion of the style.

Alesmith tap room. Hazy orange body, fluffy white head. Awesome nose of fresh sticky sweet pine, spruce, caramel, white grapefruit, and all things juicy citrus. Flavor is greatly bittered, but with a nice sweet malty backbone to put up a fight for a shot at balance. Hops win out by a hair. Medium to full-bodied, soft carbonation, bitter creamy finish. For just an IPA, this one deserves your hophead attention immediately....

(Bottle, thanks WeeheavySD) Pours hazy amber with a big foamy white head. Hops up front in the aroma with tones of citrus, mostly grapefruit, pine and resin. Some subtle tropical mango tones. Nicely toasted malt is well integrated with sweet tones of white bread, light caramel and light cookie. Hints of creamy vanilla ice cream. Creamy, toasted malt and balanced, creping up on you style-ish hop bitterness in flavour. Grapefruit up front with fruits, citrus and hints of berries in the background. Tiny caramelly. Also some floral/pine and resin. Creamy, round and velvety mouthfeel with a minty touch. Light sweet and perfect medium to full bitterness. Light to medium body. Best IPA in the world? Probably!

Bomber, brought back from San Diego in December. Dark orange color with huge, long lasting, creamy head. Aroma is citrus hops, some bitter hops in aroma, sweet malt, doughy yeast, toffee, very nice. Nice full body, with little carb, very creamy, very apropiate. Very balanced malt and hops, toffee, piney. This is an amazing beer, I will have to taste it fresh.

220z bottle. Pours cloudy golden amber in color with full foamy tan head. Aroma piney and citrus hops. Taste grapefruit and citrus hops with grapefruit bitter finish. A very outstanding IPA!!!!!

Overall, a great brew. These guys never fail to impress. Dark golden pour, heavy body, citrus aroma. Could be a little more hoppy for my taste, but definately a well-balanced beer.

Bottle. Outstanding hop aroma of citrus, pine, mango, and pineapple. Smells a little chalky. The mouthfeel is about perfect (smooth and just the right amount of carbonation). Flavor has significant malt with all the nice hop flavors mentioned before but a little too resiny. Probably my favorite IPA.

Pours a reddish brown with a thick head. Aroma of hops and malt. The hops have a strong citrus element in the aroma and lend a grapefruit finish that meshes well with the peppery, yeasty, sweetness of the beer. Best IPA of the 25 or so I’ve tried.