Beer of the Week: Alesmith IPA

Summer is winding down and with a wave of seasonals headed my way, I want to drink a year-round beer that caught my eye before getting into a more festive spirit. It was actually more than one beer that caught my eye, it was a trio. Alesmith Brewing Company has made its way to Sonoma County with their X (Extra Pale Ale), Anvil ESB and IPA. For the purpose of this piece, Alesmith IPA will be my Beer of the Week. 

AleSmith IPA
Deep golden to light amber color, and a nice off-white head, with good retention when properly served. Starts off with pleasantly strong hop flavors, balanced by a firm malt backdrop, then fades to a dry finish with a lingering hoppiness.

Awards
Multi-award winner, including Silver at the California State Fair and the World Beer Championships, and People’s Choice two consecutive years at The San Diego Real Ale Festival. Great American Beer Festival 2005 Bronze.

Qualities
Medium straw color, pale tan head. Rich malty aroma with a HUGE dose of hops. Medium-full body with sweet malty flavors and a delicious abundance of aromatic a bittering hops.

Original Gravity 1.072
Alcohol by Volume 7.75%

In case you’re not familiar with Alesmith and may have seen me jump out of my shoes in seeing it at the beer store, Alesmith is known for quite an impressive list of big beers. Speedway Stout, Old Numbskull, and te Yulesmith seasonals are all incredible beers that any beer geek would consider betraying loved ones to obtain. To see some of their “regular” beers available in the area only tells me that more is sure to come.

Don’t let me mislead you into thinking the trio I found at the store was anything to scoff at.  According to RateBeer.com, Alesmith IPA is the best IPA out there. At a score of 4.09, it is only 1 of two actively brewed IPA that scores above a 4.0. If you’re not familiar with the RateBeer rating system, the 4.0 territory is typically reserved for Imperial Stouts, Barleywines, Barrel-aged beers, and other high gravity sipping beers.

Enough about how great this beer is supposed to be, how about getting to how the beer tastes. Upon pouring the beer you’re greeted wth a citrusy hop aroma mingling with the malt sweetness. The flavor is lead by the hops, piney with a citric twist, but with a substantial malt body that keeps the beer balanced and tasty. The hops linger on the tongue like pine scent leaving behind a sharp bitterness that reminds you that this beer is not for beginners. With a little warmth, a European spiciness comes out of the hops in addition to earthy yeast esters that step to the plate as well.  Don’t be impatient, take this out of the fridge for 30-45 minutes before opening and you will be rewarded for the wait.

So the question remains, is this the best IPA I have ever tried? This is where rating websites can miss the mark slightly. I couldn’t tell you the answer to be honest. If I were in a place with Alesmith, Blind Pig, Stone and Racer 5 and was in the mood for an IPA, you would probably get a different answer every day of the week. Where these rating websites get it right is that if I were to list my favorite IPA off the top of my head (aka the 4 I mentioned earlier) they would all fall within the top 15. In the end, Alesmith IPA is a wonderfully complex IPA. Initial impressions will win over the West Coast IPA crowd with big hops, lots of malt flavor and substantial 7.8% kick. As you spend some time with this beer though, you’ll notice is has an old soul with hints of old school hops and yeasty notes that are the hallmark of an English IPA.