A few years ago, I was introduced to Alesmith Yulesmith Winter, and was amazed. I had never had an ‘Imperial Red’ with so much hop and so much malt and so much love. Weeks after trying it, I was lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time, and visited the brewery, who happened to have this for growler fill. This might be the beer that would make a non-beer drinker think twice. An important thing to know is, Alesmith makes a Summer Yulesmith, which is an Imperial IPA. Both the Summer and Winter are incredible, five star beers, but I give the nod to the Red Winter version. I have had it fresh, and I have aged it, and I recommend it fresh.

Poured from a 22oz bomber into a pint glass.

Appearance: Amber/dark red. Huge, fluffy tan head. The head never really dies down either.

Aroma: Candied red apple, not the one dipped in caramel, but that red candy. Flowery hops and potpourri have a huge presence.

Taste: All the sugary characteristics of a mellowed double IPA, caramel, sugars, candied fruit and lots of malty goodness. You taste the hops just fine, but the sweetness takes the front seat. The head could be considered a ‘Yulesmith Milkshake.’

Mouthfeel: Sticky sweet, syrupy and creamy.

Overall: The alcohol by volume creeps up (9.5%) because it goes down so well. Hop nose has faded a tad because I did the tasting notes a tad far from the bottling date (November 2007). Get it fresh, and as the bottle suggests, share it with a friend.

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