A Profile of AleSmith Brewing
Sep 05 '01 (Updated Nov 03 '02)
The Bottom Line AleSmith is among America's best brewers, but also among the least known. This is not a brewery that likes to shout, preferring to let their ales do the talking.
AleSmith Brewing Company, San Diego
Microbreweries in my neck of the desert are very few and far between. So I usually try to make a point of visiting brewpubs whenever I manage to get away. I spent a little time reading and planning for my visit to San Diego, and although the downtown area does boast a fairly generous quantity of facilities, the majority of these seem to belong to what I call brewchains. In that I am talking about Karl Strauss, Hops!, Rock Bottom and Gordon Biersch. For the most part these are all pretty much the same formula, an interesting food menu with a selection of microbrews, served in view of the brewing facility. What these chains do successfully is bring microbrews to the masses, encouraging mainstream drinkers to try something different. To this extent they tend to be mildened down versions of some of more artisan independently crafted brews.
There’s nothing wrong with that and I’m all for these more original styles being made more readily available. However I tend to be a little more demanding, and in a trip to San Diego I wanted to try the brews I can’t get anywhere else.
I decided to check out AleSmith's website for a little initial information and was intrigued by the premise of “classic beer styles of Belgium and Britain”. Most microbreweries are adapting British ale styles, but Belgian ales are a little more unique.
I’d already been persuaded enough, but the words “award winning ales”, and “our hand-forged ales are wrought to perfection”, were more than enough to reinforce my intrigue and check out the brewery firsthand.
So, with my family packed off to the zoo, I took a “how to find us” map and ventured up the I5 to La Jolla. The brewery turned out to be a little off the track, just east of La Jolla in an industrial warehouse district of Miramar. Expecting to see brewing tanks of some kind, I actually drove right by and it took me another turn around the block to pull into an outlet of what from the front looked like an office development.
The scaffolding and busy workforce outside did make the brewery look smaller than what it was, and I did feel as if I was walking into a travel agent’s office. Pausing for a second to look at the notices in the window, I initially caught an employee’s eye and thought I’d better go right in. I exchanged a few apprehensive words before realizing that the man I was talking to was Skip Virgilio, owner, headbrewer, and apparently from the look of things everything else.
Skip, I discovered, had learned his trade at Pacific Beach Brewhouse. When he heard that the brewery was closing down in 1995 he immediately set about opening AleSmith Brewing Company. Explaining himself as “Self-taught in the art and craft of brewing”, the company’s website also goes on to explain that Skip was the first brewer in San Diego history to bring home a gold medal from the prestigious Great American Beer Festival.
The website offers as comprehensive a guide to the brewing process as anyone else’s, but of course nothing beats going in and seeing things at first hand. I peered over Skip’s shoulder from the reception area to see what was going on in the brewing equipped warehouse behind. Instead he led me off into a storeroom at the side where bags of ready malted grain were waiting to be milled.
The whole process then passes through a series of tubes leading first to the mash tun, which due to lack of fermentation space was empty at that time. From there the rest of the brewing process was visible. An electric pump transfers the wort from the mash tun to the brew kettle where the hops are added. The resulting mixture is then quickly cooled through a heat exchanger passing to the fermenting tank, where it meets the yeast. There’s also a secondary fermentation, which for some ales can take several months.
I had heard that there was no real bar or tasting room, just a small tasting area. But glancing around I couldn’t see it and just assumed it was no longer there. It did turn out to be a bar roughly 4 feet high and about the same width, stationed in front of four taps, which were hooked into the wall of the storage room behind. Well this was me out of the engineering process and back into the more familiar drinking process.
Three of AleSmith’s ales are regularly available on draft, AleSmith X, Anvil Ale (ESB), and Golden Anvil Ale. There’s also a fourth tap handle that rotates and happened to be pouring BlackSmith’s Blonde (ambiguity as I would have anticipated BlackSmith to be a porter or stout) at that time. It was such a pity that I had to drive around for the rest of the day, allowing me only brief tasters of each brew.
My first taste was what seemed a little like an amber ale. There was a slight piney aroma, while the flavor offers a nice refreshing balance of tangy Cascade hops and a smooth malt backbone, giving this something of a Pacific Northwest feel. This turned out to be Golden Anvil Ale a silver medal winner at the World Beer Championships in 1997 and 1998.
Next came an ESB, titled Anvil Ale, which was the brewery’s first beer and flagship, formerly known as AleSmith ESB. Having drunk Fuller’s ESB the night before my first impressions were that this was every bit as good and indeed very similar in style. It had a good fruity and toasted malt palate, a clean fruity estery flavor and adequately balanced hop. Most notable awards for this beer include a gold medal at the world beer championships in 1997 and silver in 1996 and 98.
Next came the AleSmith X, an extra pale ale. Although not the brewery’s flagship it certainly seems to be the most widely available, and probably the brew that will gain most widestream appeal. This is a light colored pale ale, with a nice light sparkling palate. It’s noticeably hoppy both in aroma and flavor, carrying a subtle underlying sweetness. I took a bottle of this home and you can read a full detailed review at:
http://daryl.epinions.com/content_2097258628
Even though I’d been very impressed so far, the best was still to come, although this was probably due more to my intrigue for Belgian ales. BlackSmith's Blonde is a pretty light and extremely quaffable ale, a little hoppy again while adding an interesting coriander flavor as well as notes of orange peel. Skip described this as a cross between a hoppy west-coast style ale and a blonde Belgian ale. Interestingly this ale, as well as other AleSmith Belgian ales, is fermented with a yeast from a Trappist monastery.
Other AleSmith Brews
Seasonal Specialty Draft Beers
The 20 plaques on the wall behind the bar are evidence of the many ales brewed by AleSmith at some time. A selection of these are listed on the website:
Blarney Stoned – a Steinbeer
AleSmith IPA aka Irie Pirate Ale
Cole’s Porter (January)
AleSith Evil Dead Red Ale (Halloween)
YuleSmith IPA (Xmas)
Nautical Nut Brown Ale
AleSmith Pale Ale (summer)
Bottle-Conditioned Ales
AleSmith's bottle-conditioned beers are distributed on a limited basis around Southern California. These are the real original ales of AleSmith, aimed at “educating and challenging the palates of consumers with styles not commonly brewed by American microbreweries.” These beers are served in attractively screen-printed, champagne corked bottles. I took the Horny Devil home (but don’t tell my wife), which is a Trappist style ale, and an updated version of the beer that won Skip the GABF gold medal while working at Pacific Beach in 1994. This may sit in storage for a few months before I actually get around to drinking it.
Other selections include:
AleSmith Grand Cru
Stumblin Monk (a tripel)
Old Numbskull (barley wine)
J. P. Gray’s Wee Heavy Scotch Ale
Ale Smith Weizenbock
I have yet to taste any of these but Southern California beer journalist, Rich Link rates them very highly. There’s a link to his article at the end.
Overall Thoughts
This was not only a great education in the brewing process, it also provided a great vision of how some of these smaller companies work. AleSmith has obviously decided not to head for the mainstream markets. The choice of the lighter AleSmith X as the most available product may be an effort towards wider appeal, while compromising nothing in terms of quality and craftsmanship. Personally I would like to see their ESB getting onto retail shelves too.
Instead headbrewer Skip Virgilio, shows his passion for the finer ales of the world evidenced in the range of bottle conditioned ales. He has also shown his passion for brewing in the wide range of ales brewed throughout the company’s 6-year history.
This is one brewer that I really would wish the sincerest success, firm in the belief of their desire to do things right. If you should happen to come across an AleSmith brew, it comes with my highest recommendation. From the sight of the brewery at work, my tastings, the awards and medals, as well as my readings of beer fans and experts, Skip Virgilio is a brewer who knows how to make interesting and high quality ales.
Alternatively, if you’re in the La Jolla area and have an interest in brewing, take a trip out to the brewery. You won’t find a sports bar or food menu, but you will find a passionate and caring brewer with a few fine ales to taste. Skip is very welcoming to visitors during regular brewing hours, and I found his casual friendly approach most helpful in giving me a better understanding. Next time I’m in the area I’ll certainly be popping in to see what’s on tap.
Additional Information
AleSmith Brewing Company is located at:
9368 Cabot Drive, San Diego, California 92126
Tel: 858-549-9888
Find further information about their many awards and notes on their ales, or even order a few bottles from the AleSmith website:
www.alesmith.com
Rich Link’s article at:
http://celebrator.com/200010/link.html
Testaments form other drinkers at Ratebeer.com:
http://www.ratebeer.com/ShowBrewer.asp?BrewerID=432
note: reviewers at this site rate 13 of the 15 listed AleSmith ales at 4 points or higher (that’s 5 stars to the epinions reader)
Or read my review of AleSmith X Extra Pale Ale:
http://daryl.epinions.com/content_2097258628
If you’re looking to buy their ales check:
http://www.hitimewine.com/beer_list.htm
http://www.beeronthewall.com
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