AleSmith YuleSmith (Summer) India Pale Ale

Brewed by AleSmith Brewing Company
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
San Diego, California USA

2007 bomber, pours a cloudy golden amber with a towering pillowy off-white head, excellent lacing. Impressive aroma of grapefruit, floral, citrus, and some slight caramel. The same lineup as most IIPA’s, but blends and works well together much better than most, making the aroma assessment pleasantly long and drawn out. Taste is incredibly spot on for this style, with near perfect hoppiness, and supporting the aroma very well. Palate is quite smooth, creamy and full, with a clean finish. Yet more proof that AleSmith makes the world a better place!

Bomber, courtesy of Yonkers65 -- thanks!

Pours a nice yellow-orange with a huge offwhite head. Spectacular hop aroma, floral and grapefruit, wonderfully leafy and juicy; I’m feeling generous but today this one nearly pulls a 10.

The flavor is less impressive; a strong powerful bitterness (resin, orange peel) mingles with a somewhat vegatal off-taste as the malts step up and try to make themselves known. The flavor avoids the sweet caramel IIPA trap, but it doesn’t have the juicy loveliness of say Moynan’s hopsickle. We do get an impressively bitter, Ruinition-style long end of the finish. Mouthfeel is warm and a little bit sticky , but not too much so for an IIPA.

Overall, it’s a very nice beer, but it’s not necessarily the holy grain of hops that I thought it might have been. So far as inaccessible-in-Washington hop bombs from San Diego go, I’d prefer a Green Flash IPA any day.

bottle thanx to drmatt. pours hazy gold with with moderate head that sticks well. aroma is strong grapefruit and crystal malt. taste is rindy grapefruit and lots of crystal malt. very balanced and isnt overly bitter. good but a little underwhelmed.

Draft at Stone Brewery. Good hop aroma of citrus, floral and tropical flavors. Good balance of hops and malt and enjoyable overall.

Rerate from a bottle. Nice balanced aroma, with a solid malt and hop presence. Flavor was just as well balanced and really tasty. Just going to drop my rating by .1 On tap at Stone. Poured a copperish color, pretty good sized head. Flavor was really good, with lots of citrus, grapefruit, and floral. Hops strong but not overpoweringly distracting. Very good.

Pours a murky orange brown with a huge off-white head. Big grassy hop aroma. Flavor of citrus and pepper fill the mouth. Starts with the perfect amount of bitterness and end slightly malty. Dry finish. Alesmith does it again.

Tried from tap at Stone brewery. Wow, the commercial description is dead on, I couldn’t have written it better. A fine bubble 2-finger head. Elegant summer grassy aromas fill the glass. Well balanced bitterness, yet with a heavier weighting towards bitterness, perfect for an IPA. Very very easy to drink. I’ll have another. Great great beer. Rerate: Had the rare opportunity (7/26/07) to try the first batch of Yulesmith summer at http://www.ratebeer.com/events-detail.asp?eventID= with DenverLogan, and Quaff members. 3yr old bottle I believe. 500th batch celebration bottle with blue and white label. Some subdued hops. Oxidation at at a nice very low level. Very mellow and infinitely complex. Light amber color. 9,3,7,3,17: 3.9.

Bottle shared with the Mad_indian, from a trade with Ohiodad. Pours an unclear orange/amber with a large off-white head. Aroma of caramel malts and citrusy hops. The flavor is exceptionally smooth, sweet caramel, citrus, and well blended hoppy bitterness. Beautiful!!!