AleSmith Brewing Company
“I’m sorry, it’s too messy back there for a tour and pictures,” we were told when first arriving at the AleSmith Brewery, “They were brewing Speedway Stout. There is coffee everywhere.” We consoled ourselves with a run down the tap list while we waited for it the floors to be mopped.
But “messy” might be a great way to describe the beers that come out of AleSmith: Speedway Stout, which it’s bracing coffee finish. Horny Devil, a 11% belgian wheat beer spiced with coriander. A scotch ale, grand cru, barleywine – more than half of AleSmith’s lineup are high alcohol, intense, complex, messy beers. It’s no wonder it’s a mess when they finish brewing – there is simply too much being packed into these beers for it not to spill over onto the cement floor.
It’s not all giant beers though. Alesmith also makes “X” a extra pale ale which has a light graham cracker malt, and a huge citrus hop aroma. One of my favorite everyday IPAs.
After a bit of cleanup, we were treated to a tour by Peter Zien, the owner. He’s a regular renaissance man who besides brewing, also roasts coffee, makes cheese, and if he has time, I’m sure cobbles his own shoes. He proudly showed us their ingredients, their equipment, and their process. Much of it is done the old fashioned way – those 750ml bottles holding his big beers? they’re filled 4 at a time, by hand. Hidden inside a generic looking business park is his brewery producing beers with the volume turned up to 11. No wonder it’s messy.
