AleSmith YuleSmith Holiday Ale (Summer)

I picked up a bottle of AleSmith YuleSmith Holiday Ale from Al's of Hampden. The Holiday Ale is brewed twice a year, once for the winter holiday season and once for the summer holiday season. The summer version is an Imperial/Double IPA. The beer pours a golden color with a foamy and massive head. The aroma consists of lemon, pine, pepper, orange, and apricot. The taste is smooth and powerful before exploding with hop flavor. There is a bit of sweetness on the front end with caramel and toffee and some light hints of apricot and orange. The flavor transitions into lemon and pine and a toasted caramel finish. The after taste is sweet and lightly dry, and the brewer's yeast is very prevalent. The alcohol content is 8.5% ABV. AleSmith has again impressed me with another excellent beer offering. This Imperial/Double IPA is perfectly balanced and not overly sweet or overly hoppy. I hope this review makes your mouth water, and if it does, there is only one way to quench your summer thirst: with a YuleSmith Holiday Ale.