AleSmith YuleSmith (Winter) Imperial Red Ale

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

Serve in Snifter, Trappist glass

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Winter release. Poured into a snifter, this beer takes a dark auburn color with a fluffy, dense, off white head of 3 fingers. The retention and lacing are absolutely insane here, the glass is nearly covered with sheets and streaks of foam and the head maintains a half finger of height the whole way through. It looks like a beer that was left out during a tan snowstorm. Aroma explodes out of the glass: plum, honeydew, caramel, earthy and floral hops, grapefruit, sap, spice, everything you can think of. Amazing and intriguing. The taste here just reinforces the perfection of the aroma. Delicious caramel/brown sugar malt contends with an interesting floral hop flavor for dominance but this fight ends in a draw. The balance is impeccable; the sweet malt is never cloying and the hop presence is never too bitter. Each sip demands the next. Perfection. Mouthfeel is exemplary. The carbonation and body are so perfect you don’t even notice them. Everything is precisely engineered in such a way that it allows the flavor and aroma to shine through without distraction. Unbelievably smooth. My only regret about this beer is that I didn’t buy every one the store had. This is a beautiful beer. I could drink these until I collapsed. Bravo, AleSmith.

Hazy golden body, yellow head. Aroma of caramel, resiny hops, grapefruit, citrus. Flavour has all the citrus fruits and some exotic and yoghurt aroma. Really nice balance. Alesmith is good with these IPAs.

Thanks to Andy for sharing this. Out of season perhaps, but delicious. Loaded with hops on many levels. My favorite of the recent alesmith tasting.

Bottle sample at a tasting at Rotem’s place. Thanks beerandbeyond. Cloudy amber with a heavy, sweet and fruity aroma. Tastes sweet and first, then bitter, then alcoholic. Thin body, soft carbonation, long and bitter finish.

Red/amber color with a decent white head. Aroma is hops and pine with some slight caramel. Flavor is strong hops balanced by big malt. Piney and a little sticky with a finish that has hints of caramel and toffee. Excellent beer.

Bottle/22oz - Pours a dark orange-amber in color with a medium foamy light tan head that faded to a thin covering over the beer. Some nice lacing on the glass. Aroma is big on the pine resin and citrus hops with just enough malts to tone it down a bit. Flavor... HOPS... mostly pine resin. Some malt present, but overwhelmed by the hops. Finish is lingering bitterness and very dry. Based on the other rating, I am a bit disappointed. A very good red IIPA, but not at the top of the heap... IMO...

Bottle from Perry’s Liquor. It pours hazy red-amber, with a thin off-white head. The nose is fresh pine, caramel, toffee, spice, coconut and some citrus fruit. The taste is pine, resin, leather, earth, spice, red fruit and coffee, with a long warming-dry finish. Medium-full body, low-medium carbonation and slightly sticky mouth-feel. Nice.

650 ml bottle. 8.5%. 2010 version. From bierkompass.de.
Hazy golden colour with average to big off-white head. Fruity sweetness, divine hoppiness and low bitterness in aroma. Very nice bitterness, mild maltiness and gentle fruitiness in flavour. Nice bitterness in aftertaste. Very tasty.

UPDATED: APR 6, 2012 A - pours clear deep burnt orange with high white head. S - aromas of citrus hops, piney. M - full bodied brew, creamy feel, sweet brew with lingering caramel malts ending. T - citrus and pine hops on the nose. Nice sweet caramel malts and grassiness on the palate. Lingering sweeter ending. O - very good imperial red ale. Well balanced and full bodied. 7/7+

Bottle (2011). Pour is amber beige head with nice lasting head. Aroma is grapefruit, orange, pine, caramel, spice. Taste - caramel, grapefruit, caramel malt and spices. Ends bitter, but nicely balanced with malt. Medium carbonated. This beer was a very positive surprice, I have to try it again.

Bomber courtesy of Ibrew2or3, pours a bright amber with a small khaki head. Aroma of citrus, pine and caramel, lots of hops. Taste has an earthy maltiness, slight nuttiness, caramel, big hop presence which seems a little flat under the malt presence, nice bitterness all the way through. All around very nice.