AleSmith Grand Cru

Grand Cru
AleSmith Brewing Company
San Diego, California
10.00% ABV
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale


C: Cloudy
H: Amber
N: Booze Heavy, Malt Strong, and lots of Yeast Odors

Miguel: This one is a gift that Kirk Diggler gave me for my birthday last month.  And as we opened it up we got some more knowledge dropped on us by Fresh Beer Webguy about the meaning behind the name Grand Cru.  That guy isn't a certified Cicerone for nothing.  This particular Grand Cru is of the Belgian Strong Dark persuasion.  A malty nose with hints of caramel in it and an obvious Belgian yeast character.  The taste is a lot of the same with some dark fruit added in.  There is a booziness about it that becomes even more so when it warms up.  While I think this is a solid beer I wouldn't say this is AleSmith's best effort.  They have numerous others that I believe are much more worthy of a name like Grand Cru.

Score: 3.7224

The Ferm: Holy Booze Batman.....this beer is HOTTTT! Tons of yeast in the attack followed by a large amount of dark fruit. But wait....the BOOZE comes back the tail-end of the taste is covered in Booze Burn. Very good beer even though it is hot. I could see this aging extremely well. Overall not my favorite AleSmith beer, but good!
Score: 3.802

Overall: 3.7612

AleSmith YuleSmith (Summer)

YuleSmith (Summer)
AleSmith Brewing Company
San Diego, CA
8.50% ABV
Style: Imperial IPA

C: Cloudy
H: Yellow/Gold
N: Sweet Honey, Fruity-Hops, Hint of Caramel

Eduardo: This beer looks like it was an old Christmas beer since it is labeled holiday. However the holiday it is apparently referring to is the 4th of July.
Wow. Impressive carbonation. I’m not sure I’m going to be in the majority here but I get vanilla yogurt here. That’s not a bad thing.
Nice balance. Very smooth. Nice fruity hopiness presence.
Very dangerously drinkable at 8.5%
Drink fresh if you can get one.
Score: 4.43

The Ferm: Big thanks to Eduardo for sharing this bad boy.....Christmas Beer...NOPE! This is the Summer Version of the beer that does have a Winter Sibling.
The Beer poured with a ton of carbonation, in fact it was almost too much carbonation for an Imperial IPA. Regardless of the amount of head that came out on a "proper pour", the nose was dominated by sweet hops, sweet citrus fruits punch you in the face, and then laugh at you as they do not settle down. The flavor follows right through, and is a pleasant blend of citrus hops, light malt build that balances well with the sweetness. Fantastic Imperial IPA. This is a GREAT SUMMER IIPA. Drink now though!
Score: 4.41

Overall: 4.42

Alesmith Speedway Stout 2009

Speedway Stout 2009
Alesmith Brewing Company
San Diego, Ca.
12.00% ABV

C: Pitch black hard to tell how clear it is, but nice chocolate head
H: Black
N: At cold temp. nose is not there at all, warms to a coffee, roasty malt, slight boozie

KirkDiggler;
A: At fridge temp = nothing really stands out, warms to coffee, and subtle roasted malt aroma
A: Pours black w/ a thin cocoa/tan colored head, no lacing.
F: I really, really, love the fact that I get chocolate milk upfront when drinking this beer and has a creamy espresso finish.
M: Creamy and smooth with light carbonation
O: I believe that Speedway Stout is a great breakfast /brunch/dessert stout. Delicate in aroma, smooth in taste and mouthfeel, and at 12% abv, it can creep on you if not careful. Be sure and share with friends. Good for any occasion.
Rating: 4.000

The Ferm; The attack of the Speedway Stout is light on chocolate and heavy on coffee, it doesn't seem overly complex. Though pretty straight forward, the body feel of the beer is dead on, it is smooth and creamy. The carbonation is spot-on for a stout, and helps with the consistency of the body. I was impressed with this beer because of the hype it gets online, well it followed through just fine. Dare I say that it almost taste like chocolate milk (if you add a lot of chocolate syrup to your cup)???? I heard the availability of this beer is insane in San Diego, like you can go to 711 and pick up a bottle. If thats the case, do you think that The Cerveza Chica would be down to relocate?
Score: 4.0111

Overall; 4.00556