Follow Sean Inman to the best in craft beer
For many months we have seen anniversaries go by without any celebration due to the pandemic, now we are starting to see more pop up which brings us to AleSmith which is on year 26. Follow their social media to see details on their plans as they arrive.
Next up from the prolific AleSmith is a hazy IPA that is a jam.
Well, actually a marmalade.
This new release from San Diego pours a light yellow color with not much in the way of haze on view. Getting mango and pineapple on the nose, so checkmark for tropical.
Very light body with a solid kick of bitterness that does linger a bit. Getting a bit of raspberry and orange flavor after the bitter. The end brings a touch of alcohol heat mingling with malt character.
There is a nice juicy mouthfeel and indeed tropical but the haze and the softness I associate with it are not. Nix that word from the label and this beer is spot on.
Another AleSmith collab is dropping soon, this time Tower of Flower with Beachwood Brewing. Julian has been busy!
The new release will be a double dry-hopped west coast-style IPA with Galaxy, Cashmere and Nelson hops.
Speedway Stout, the classic big stout from AleSmith has its first variant of the year and it is caffeinated, “Speedway Stout Special Variant #1: Speedway Stout Espresso and Madagascar Vanilla – a signature edition of their imperial stout infused with tons of Madagascar vanilla and a bold espresso blend, bestowing intense notes of chocolate, coffee, vanilla and dark fruit.”
AleSmith has a new IPA collaborator, Alvarado Street Brewery, Oso Under a West coast IPA with hops from down “under” Australia and New Zealand hops (Galaxy, Vic Secret & Nelson).
Earlier this month, I reviewed some Black is Beautiful beers which was started by Weathered Souls Brewing, to end the month, I wanted to review a collaboration done with AleSmith.
Pours a clear yellow with a fluffy head to it. Citra and Nelson hops. Aroma is neutral with a taste by bit of citrus detected. Harsh orange and lemon taste. Very wet mouthfeel to it. Alcohol really shows and still tastes like a higher alcohol beer.
Not often will this beer blog mention the country Greece, but 2020 is a different year already because AleSmith the revered San Diego brewery has joined up with the Greek Seven Island brewing team to create a double-digit Triple IPA with an ethical name, Ethos. Hoping this is part of their 12oz series and will hit L.A.
If I had been given the following True/False question, I would have gotten it wrong.
Have AleSmith and Pizza Port collaborated on a beer?
Now they have, which means that trick questions are now more logical. And of course it is hoppy, we aren’t living in a bizarro world.
This month, AleSmith Brewing is opening Anvil & Stave: A Barrel-Aged Beer Experience inside their already open tap room. Once inside you will be able to blend your own barrel-aged beers.
Final details are not set in concrete but you be offered a menu from the vast stockpile of bourbon and other barrels and allowed to “design” a blend much like ordering a taster tray. Give me 25% of this + 30% of this + 15% of this, up to 100%.
The finished product would be handed to you from behind the bar and you would sit and enjoy. There remains the possibility that you would be able to do the actual pouring work at some point but that, of course, might require a different set of rules and procedures.
Either way, this is a great way to appreciate what the master blenders are doing. There will be trial and error which would be a good name for a blender, now that I think about it.
AleSmith Brewing is coming out with a new, designed to be cellared beers under the Vintage Series banner and the first beer out of the gate is….
…. “the release of AleSmith Private Stock Ale, an imperial English-style brew that is suitable for aging for up to 20 years.”
More from the press release:
“We are very proud of our ability to brew strong beers that can be enjoyed fresh for their big flavors, aromas and presence. Though magnificent straight out of our brewery, the beers in our Vintage Series are also built to stand the test of time,” says AleSmith CEO and brewmaster Peter Zien. “Each of them is ideal for laying down under proper temperatures and conditions for many years to come. Over that span, be it one year, one decade or more, they will slowly and steadily change, taking on new flavors and textures, with certain characteristics becoming amplified while others fade into the background. Cellaring is the brewing industry’s next frontier and we want to help our fans to successfully enjoy the metamorphic journey some of our finest beers take.”
Does it mean you have to buy 20 bottles of each and try each year?