AleSmith Brewing Double IPA

Beer Name: Double IPA
Brewery: AleSmith Brewing Co. (San Diego, CA)
ABV: 8.5%
How sold: 12 oz bottles; on draft
Where bought: Belmont Station (Portland, OR)
Price: $2.90 for 12 oz bottle

Date Bought: May 13, 2017
Date Opened: May 24, 2017 
When brewed? Limited-time, seasonal beer. Usually released in spring, found until summer.
IBU: 105

What's on the Bottle: "Every year, we anxiously await the sunny season to unleash AleSmith Double IPA, originbally known as 'AleSmith Summer YuleSmith'. Its flavor imparts orange, grapefruit and tangerine hop notes with earthy, spicy and resinous pine undertones. A sturdy malt backbone balances out profound hop bitterness to create a refreshingly assertive and vibrant beer that offers a bold expression of fresh American hops. This IPA's citrusy aroma pairs well with many Mexican and Thai dishes, while its bitterness complements the sweetness of rich pork dishes like BLTs or spare ribs. Brawny, intensely flavored cheeses like Danish blues and aged cheddars are also effective foils to the aggressive flavor profile of this Imperial IPA."


Where distributed: As of May 2017, AleSmith Brewing distributes to 24 U.S. states and five other countries (Australia, Denmark, Japan, Scotland, and Thailand). They distribute to the Pacific Northwest. See if AleSmith ships to your area!

REVIEW:

Appearance (5%): Poured mostly clear golden into a pint glass. Off-white head. Some lacing on the glass. 4.5/5

Smell (25%): An abundance of tropical citrus tangerine and orange. Complementing malt backbone. 4.75/5

Taste (40%): Tons of tropical citrus, with complementing malt. Aftertaste is more orange and tangerine. Perhaps the octane and malt try to take over just a bit, but the citrus remains the star here. Listed at 105 IBU, but drinks more like 70 to me. Extremely drinkable. 4.5/5

Mouthfeel (10%): Medium-bodied, generous carbonation. Virtually no dry tongue. 4.75/5

Overall (20%): An outstanding to world-class IPA. Several months ago, I reviewed Alesmith's IPA, giving virtually perfect marks to it. This is basically a slightly higher ABV version of that beer. It's the same amazing tropical flavor, just pumped up a bit more. It stays a seasonal beer for now, which perhaps is a good problem to have because then I'll just go back to buying the regular IPA. Very high ratings on BeerAdvocate and RateBeer. Another spectacular beer here and, for me, well worth the price. 4.75/5

Final Weighted Rating: 4.638/5