San Diegos own Alesmith IPA

There’s a reason that Alesmith Brewing Company continues to stand near the top of the almighty beer mountain in San Diego. Their selection of beers may not be in the dozens like other breweries, but the brews that they do put out are always stellar, well executed, and without question, world class. This includes their no frills, perfectly balanced IPA. It’s so good, and so perfect that it doesn’t even require a catchy name, or some fancy packaging. It’s simply Alesmith IPA.
Cracking open a 22oz bottle of this stuff is always a major treat. Whether you are sitting in a dark, tavern-like bar, or have it wrapped up and ready to rock and roll in a beer bomber koozie, having this brew is always a treat. Immediately upon cracking it open, you will get some nice grapefruit aromas escaping from the top of the bottle. The smell hits even harder once being poured straight into a glass. There’s more grapefruit, but not a big time hop bomb like many IPA’s. 
The color is a beautiful burnt orange and honey-like, and after a nice hard pour, there is a pretty decent sized white head that lasts for quite some time. Sitting in the glass, it’s truly a thing of beauty. It’s your typical West Coast IPA, and it’s been brewed to near perfection. After staring it down for a moment or two, just admiring the beauty of this masterful beverage, it was time to say hello.
The taste is everything you would expect in a traditional West Coast IPA. There’s some nice piney notes that come through, the pineapple or some other type of citrus dances on the tongue, and the light bready malt balances it all out perfectly. There’s no doubt about it, that this brew right here is a classic and a must try for anyone and everyone. Yes, you might have some other IPA’s that a big, bold, loaded with hops and pack a major punch. However, Alesmith IPA is the type of IPA that just seems to exude this incredibly sense of confidence. It’s as if the brewers took note of older brewing traditions that did not require any types of gimmicks. This is just a clean, although a little bit hazy, well-balanced beer that continues to be one of the flag ship beers by one of the very best breweries in San Diego (and the country for that matter).
At 7.25% abv, this is the perfect beer to take on a trip, to a party, or to a pre sporting event tailgate. Wrap it up nice and cozy in a hop-covered Bomber Jacket, kick back and enjoy a beer that does not have to try very hard to be world-class. Thank you, Alesmith! Your IPA might not be a monster imperial with eight different hops, but this is what makes you a classic. 
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