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AleSmith Gifts Fans with New Beers this Holiday Season

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San Diego craft brewing stalwart revamps its annual yuletide double red IPA and puts a new, Polynesian spin on its flagship coffee imperial stout

San Diego, California (November 5, 2015) — As the weather shifts from summer scorchers to a milder autumnal atmosphere, AleSmith Brewing Company is prepared to release not one, but two limited-edition beers built to complement this time of year: AleSmith Double Red IPA and AleSmith Hawaiian Speedway Stout. While both are warming brews well-suited for lower temps and get-togethers with family and friends marked by feasting on holiday fare, these beers couldn’t be more different.

AleSmith Double Red IPA will soon begin its annual migration across the country in kegs and stylish 22-ounce bottles. While a lack of name-recognition may lead beer enthusiasts to mistakenly peg it as a new brew, this is actually the 19th-straight year the brewery has released it as an end-of-the-year specialty. Originally dubbed AleSmith Winter YuleSmith, only the name of this crimson-hued imperial India pale ale (IPA) has changed. Fans of this cult-favorite can still look forward to familiarly formidable hop aromas and bitterness balanced by malt-driven caramel notes.

Brand new to the San Diego-based brewery’s portfolio is AleSmith Hawaiian Speedway Stout, an island-inspired riff on the company’s award-winning, flagship coffee-infused imperial stout. Toasted coconut flakes, vanilla beans and rare Ka’u coffee beans procured from the Big Island combine to pay tasteful homage to some of Hawaii’s most delicious indigenous ingredients and evoke imagery of sun-kissed shorelines at the time of year when such visions are needed most. A specialty beer if there ever was one, this semisweet, tropical, scrumptiously roasty island beauty will begin arriving on draft at select bars and restaurants nationwide later this month. It will also be available in 750-milliliter bottles sold exclusively online at brownpapertickets.com (along with our rare oak- and bourbon-tinged specialty, Barrel-Aged Speedway Stout) beginning Monday, November 9 at 11 a.m. (PST).

This year marks the first time in AleSmith’s 20-year history that it has been able to make beers of this nature available in such a widespread manner. Thanks to the company’s recent relocation into a 105,500-square-foot facility more than ten-times larger than its original brewery, its brewing team can now produce seasonal beers in greater quantities. Craft beer enthusiasts can look forward to future variations on AleSmith Speedway Stout and other specialties with wider distribution moving forward.

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QUICK BEER FACTS

AleSmith Double Red IPA

  • Style: Imperial Red India Pale Ale
  • Stats: 8.5% ABV, 48 IBU
  • Packaging: Draft & 22-ounce bottles
  • Distribution: AZ, CA, CO, CT, IL, MA, MN, NY, OH, OR, VA, VT, WA

AleSmith Hawaiian Speedway Stout

  • Style: Imperial Stout with Coffee, Vanilla & Coconut
  • Stats: 12% ABV, 70 IBU
  • Packaging: Draft & 750-milliliter bottles
  • Distribution: AZ, CA, CO, CT, IL, MA, MN, NC, NY, OH, OR, PA, RI, VA, VT, WA, WI

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ABOUT ALESMITH BREWING COMPANY: Forged in 1995, AleSmith has been recognized by consumers and critics alike as one of the world’s foremost craft brewing companies behind accolades that include medals won at prestigious national and international beer competitions as well as being named Small Brewing Company of the Year at the Great American Beer Festival. AleSmith is celebrating its 20th year in business while simultaneously completing the first phases of its expansion into a 105,500-square-foot, state-of-the-art brewery featuring a new 80-barrel brewing system that will allow the company to increase its production ten-fold. The expansion will also include an expansive, two-story tasting room complete with an outdoor beer garden as well as private rooms and a museum dedicated to San Diego Padres legend Tony Gwynn. AleSmith’s line of acclaimed beers, which includes Speedway Stout, Wee Heavy, Olde Ale and .394 Pale Ale, is distributed in 19 U.S. states and three countries. The company’s social media channels include Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (@AleSmithBrewing), and its official website URL is—http://www.alesmith.com.

Brandon Hernández is an award-winning San Diego-based beer and travel journalist who has authored a pair of guides to the county’s brewery-owned venues. He has covered the brewing industry for 16 years, contributing thousands of articles to newspapers, magazines, and online outlets, and spent nearly a decade working for craft breweries. He is currently the executive editor for San Diego Beer News, an on-air correspondent for FOX 5 San Diego, beer industry contributor for The San Diego Union-Tribune, and the food-and-beverage editor for luxury publication Ranch & Coast Magazine.