AleSmith Barrel Aged Decadence 2005

Formerly brewed at AleSmith Brewing Company
Style: Old Ale
San Diego, California USA

(11/3/07, 750ml bottle, #98/124, thanks kmweaver) Minimal beige head atop cloudy mahogany body. Aroma is moderately sweet, Bourbon/vanilla, chocolate, fig. Taste is moderately sweet, chocolate, lemon, some Bourbon, raisin. Medium-full body, low carbonation.

Bottled. A murky orange-brown beer with a thin tan head. The aroma is sweet with notes of alcohol, wood, and bourbon. The flavor is sweet with notes of alcohol, wood, and bourbon, on a thick caramel back ground. The alcohol leaves a slight burn in the throat.

Pours brownish copper with a thin layer of white bubbles. Aroma is a nice blend of soft brown sugar, cinnamon, pastery crust, and brown booze. Flavor is a warm, toasty wood, slight smoke, brown sugar (but not really sweet), creme brulee, booze, and toasted marshmellows. All balanced not to sweet and not to boozy. Slick silky palate medium-full body. Finishes as a warm blend of the previously mentioned flavors. Excellent beer.

750ml shared by kmweaver. Murky brown and soft appearance with barely a head forming. Thick, viscous legs crawl down the glass when swirled. Nose of bourbon, oak, caramelized apples, brown sugar, and semi-sweet whisky. Solid, resinous, rich and delicious. Up front there’s semi-sweet tobacco, caramel and plum along with the more obvious bourbon and oak notes. Very huge, lingering, tingling and warming finish – that’s the remarkable thing about this beer – with a lingering note of toasted oak wood. Fantastic stuff.

Bottle # 213 / 280. Deep reddish colour with a beige head. Malty, fruity aroma with notes of alcohol and vanilla. Malty, alcohol and vanilla sweet flavor with a light note of hops.

Rating #1000 (ignore mj’s arguments to the contrary; he is a stinky liar!). 750mL bottle, #98/124, most recent bottling. My wife and I flew across the country for the BA release, so I figured the rarest of the release (and the only one I haven’t had) would be a good way to go for #1000. Glad I got to enjoy it with good friends last night. Pours a murky amber brown color; slightly oily with yellow edges; thin, light tan head with patchy lacing. Huge amounts of sweet, sour-mash bourbon in the aroma; creamy butter and toasty charred oak; a warm, nougaty and caramel core underneath; the original base beer isn’t completely hidden (like in the BA Wee Heavy). Full, generous mouthfeel: intense, chewy bourbon character; strong, warm sour-mash bourbon, toasty oak; dried fruits and caramel coming through from the old ale underneath; significantly better composed that the BA Wee Heavy, in my mind; oily, and weighty in the mouth, with the viscosity of a smooth cordial; no harshness or roughness at the edges; as always with the BA Alesmiths, just a gorgeous bourbon character. Lengthy, bourbon and toasty oak finish, with a little bit of chocolate coming through.

Poured from a 750 ml bottle, number 98/124. Partially clear chestnut brown pour; still. Charred brownies, vanilla ice cream with stawberries and caramel are most prevalent inital aromas; alcohol is present in a truly tender and lovely complimentary tone of amaretto and bourbon. The bourbon flavor itself is brash and dominant, being tangentially nuanced by creme brulee crust, caramel, currant; the heat is thorough but not unpleasant. Almost uncarbonated; rich and silky in the mouth. Finishes with sweet bonfire smoke and burnt meat, blossoming into extended waves of maple and honey, though this is more a quality of texture than of taste. Reserved. Delicately done, though bold; the oak and bourbon are seamlessly integrated. Thanks for sharing, Ken! 8/4/7/4/15 3.8

Poured from a 750 ml bottle, number 101/124. Clarity fully submerged in this glassy chestnut brown pour. Maple and vanilla sugars in the aroma with hints of subterranean raspberry brownies; soft, feathery, warm. Flavor has a more pronounced peppercorn quality and certainly more snippety carbonation effects throughout; hints of baked peach cobbler, toasted coconut, heavy salted molasses and caramel, and a wholesome foundation of cinnamon bread and peppermint bourbon-ness. Palate has gained a lot of sparkle and body even given a few extra months; whisk of musty peat and floral honey in a winsome, soft finish. Gorgeous. Thanks for sharing, Zac! 8/4/8/4/16 4

#257 Medium brown, no head. Aroma is caramel, toffee, bourbon, vanilla, oak. Taste is toffee, a bouquet of fruit, bourbon, oak.