Thanks go out to the groovy one for the chance to try this beer. Cracked it at The Brick Store with the intention of spreading the love around amongst several BA's, but ending up drinking the whole thing with only brickstoredave sharing the "burden" with me! The reason I mention this is that this is a reflection of the drinkability of this beer - it was exceptional, and went WAY beyond my expectations in that regard. 750 mL, gold-foiled and capped champagne style bottle. I was concerned about...
Notes on beers brewed by
AleSmith Brewing Company
Alesmith Old Numbskull
Heavy, gorgeous looking 750 mL bottle with that "thick" silver foil on the neck and blue screen printed label details. $13.99 for Marty's in Boston. Looks impressive in terms of presentation. Shared this one with Dave at The Brick Store. Poured out as a unattractive, dirty brown turbid body with no lace and virtually no head either (as expected considering the ABV). Looks VERY ordinary, I would even go as far as to say disappointing. Another unattractive note is the fact that there seems to be...
AleSmith Wee Heavy
750 mL, heavy glass bottle capped and finished with that thick, high gauge silver foil. $13.99 from Marty's on my March 2008 trip to Boston. Poured into the Terrapin 22oz snifter. Head was disappointing, but based on the ABV not all that surprising. No lace. Quite frankly the color and look of the beer is very disappointing too. A nasty, turbid brown body which on closer inspection looks really watery. Nose is all sweet malts with quite a whiff of alcohol. The alcohol, although strong is also...
AleSmith Grand Cru Ale
Thanks go out to Rustydiamond for hooking me up with this via South Bay Drugs - nice piggyback shipment Lance, thanks buddy. Impressive 750 mL bottle, thick and heavy glass and thick gold foil on the neck. Nice presentation. Bottle lacks the champagne dimpled bottom. No vintage noted on the bottle, but must be fresh (Late '07/Early '08). No cork, no cage, just capped. Poured into te Ommegang chalice the head is small and lacks much depth, and the body is a light, brownish/red. Little lace....
AleSmith Horny Devil
Updated notes 01/18/23 (pictured) The 2022/23 version is advertised as 10% on the bottle, the original being 11. The appearance is exactly as notes below. Great golden clarity with a fizzy head that fades to nothing very quickly. The nose is VERY strong immediately - noticeably so. Plenty of alcoholic, Belgian yeast based fruit and sweetness. I do still like this beer, but it seems a little one-dimensional to me now. The tastes are similar to what I remember, but the body now seems thinner to...
AleSmith Speedway Stout
750 mL, elegant, screen-printed bottle with dense silver foil on the neck. Capped. Thanks go out to someone(!) as part of a great trade - apologies but I forget who, this was a long time ago. Vintage? I'm not sure. I went for the UK pint glass - I like my stouts as pints - the full 20 oz mind you, too! No girly tulip for me. (Different bottle pictured) Another MASSIVE beer with a MASSIVE hype - we'll see. Jet black, viscous pour, but to be honest the head and lace is disappointing. Creamy...
AleSmith IPA
Additional notes (03/25/23) (Pictured) Now in cans (UGH), but very similar sixteen years later from the original notes. In fact, almost identical, which is such a great compliment to Alesmith and the beer. The only thing that upsets me is the (contemporary) misuse of the term , "West Coast IPA". It's so interesting to me that I used it in the original review, all that time ago, in the correct manner. Original notes (07/01/07) 22oz bomber courtesy of Damian (BA Solomon420). Thank-you. Pour...
YuleSmith (Summer)
Summer Version (11/02/07) === Thanks to Hoppymeal for the trade. Summer version. More of the typical West Coast DIPA appearance with a huge rocky head and massive, sticky lace - exactly as expected. Still typical, with large resinous hops, big alcohol and tenuously held together with the malts. Original Review (05/09/06) === Thanks to Tom (warriorsoul) for the trade. Winter version. Mid-orange pour with a nice head and some serious, sticky lacing. Some good carbonation. Very solid, highly...