Monday, July 4, 2011

Alesmith Summer Yulesmith

I had almost given up on Alesmith's Summer Yulesmith.  It is one of the original double IPAs that captivated my attention and palate in the mid-2000s.  It was big, sweet and bitter, everything you'd want in a DIPA.  But over the past few years, even though I'd mark my calendar for Yulesmith's mid-June release date, I'd lost my affinity for it and other big DIPAs, finding them too cloying, syrupy, and boozy.  I almost didn't buy this year's Summer Yulesmith, but thought I'd try it just to write a snarky post on the demise of the DIPA.  Well, the joke's on me, as this year's Summer Yulesmith is excellent.

Summer Yulesmith is a sharp-hopped, piney IPA, with a clarity that has been lacking in past years.  The thick, syrup taste is gone, replaced by a refreshing bitterness.  The alcohol is present from the start, so Yulesmith won't sneak up on you.  It's a big beer, and tastes like one.  Because this year's Yulesmith lacks the stickiness of the past, it is much easier to drink.  I really enjoyed this beer.  But I was so sure I was going to not like this beer, I didn't even take a picture.  I am guessing Alesmith tweaked this year's Yulesmith.  Drinking it in early July means it's still fresh, which may have had something to to with how good I found it.

Alesmith makes two versions of Yulesmith, Summer, which is a DIPA, and Winter, an imperial red ale.  I had ceded the winter version as the better of the two, but this year's Summer Yulesmith may make me rethink that.

2 comments:

Dave said...

I totally forgot about that beer but man is it good. Blew me away the only time I had it.

Rational Realist said...

It's good you'd forgotten it, because the last few years' releases have been forgettable. This year's release was excellent.