AleSmith .394 Pale Ale

AleSmith .394 Pale Ale. San Diego style pale ale. A collaboration with Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn.

6% ABV. Alesmith Brewing, San Diego, CA. Hand-forged Ales. 

Here's a beer that I'm trying for the first time for reasons utterly unknown to me. I should have ordered a keg of it when it first entered our market, many years ago,while I was in the business of ordering kegs for a bar,  but never did. Because I like Alesmith and I enjoy pale ales, there's no reason that I should have missed out on buying a 6-pack in the intervening years. But now that they have it in 19.2 ounce cans, that's when I finally plop down $3.99 to give it a whirl. Wait ...four bucks for a single 19 ounce can when a 6-pack is 9.99? I did not play this one correctly. Anyway, who cares, let's drink it. 

Clear, bright golden/amber hue, large and lasting pure ivory head. 

In the nose: bursting with citrus and a dose of caramel malt on the side. 

In the mouth: Crisp, clean, light bodied, smooth. Lightish bodied. Slightly malty. Just enough caramel malt. Sweet and bitter in perfect harmony. Super drinkable. Yeah, I'd drink a few of these at a Padres game, if that ever happened. Why not? 

In early 2014, Tony Gwynn’s team approached AleSmith to create a distinctive beer for the baseball legend. A meeting was called at the Gwynn household, which included a sampling of AleSmith beers to identify Tony’s preferences. He wanted the beer to be “light with a kick” which he elaborated further to mean full of hop character and light in body and color. The result of the Gwynn family’s feedback on test batches rendered a golden pale ale full of American hop flavor and aroma, with a subdued bitterness and a malty sweet finish. AleSmith San Diego Pale Ale .394 pays tribute to the city that Tony loved and the career-high batting average that he achieved in ‘94. Discover what happens when a Hall of Fame perfectionist crafts a beer with a world-class brewery. A portion of the proceeds will go to the Tony and Alicia Gwynn Foundation (TAG).