AleSmith Barrel Aged Decadence 2005

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

25 oz bottle. Pours a very dark amber body with just a slight ruby glow when held to the light. Just a hint of fizzy head that completely vanished. A good bit of visible carbonation. The nose is quite different from the original. All that hefty malt complexity is replaced with just big amounts of bourbon, vanilla, and alcohol vapors. Still some toffee and caramel, but it’s not as deep and rich. The flavor is quite nice though, the bourbon is nowhere near as prominant as it is in the nose. This is a good deal more oxidized than the regular version was. I really kind of like the oxidation though, with the bourbon and vanilla, it just gives it another layer of depth. I don’t care for the fact that you can’t get the complexity of the malt nearly as much as you do in the regular. Much like the regular version, this has really mellowed, even more so than the regular. I had this a few days before it was released at Dr. Bill’s 12 hour beer fest and it was intensly boozy. The mouthfeel is just about perfect, as the regular version was, very smooth and soft with great carbonation. Even with the bourbon, it doesn’t seem like 11% ABV. An very good beer, especially for a bourbon barrel beer, but this really doesn’t hold a candle to the beauty of the regular version.

Thanks to Beer_Hawk for sharing this one! Bottle 152/280. Sampled side by side with the regular 2005. Pours clear dark amber with an off-white head. Complex aroma of dark dried fruits. Very smooth and highly drinkable. Very Tasty!

Bottle. Poured a cloudy brown with a one finger whitish head. Aroma of oak, vanilla and alcohol. Flavor is oak, bourbon with a good malt backing. Medium/full body with soft carbonation and a smooth mouthfeel.

Bottle 215 of 280. Pours brown with no head at all. The aroma presents some toffee with all kinds of alcohol vapors. There’s so much going on in the flavor that is comes off as a muddled mess to me. Full body with just enough carbonation that I can’t say its flat. Very warm finish. Disappointing. The regular version of this beer was so good, I really wish they hadn’t made this one.

Bottle 152/280 tasted side by side with the regular ’05 Decadance. Pours brown (a few shades darker than the regular) with an off-white head that settles out. Big oak aroma with vanilla, fruits, and light alcohol. I could have sat there smelling this all night. The flavor has a great mix of malts backed with oak and bourbon. Medium body, sweet throughout and very smooth. Another excellent BA from Alesmith!

Sample at J Gumbos Aug 2008 Indy tasting - Been holding this and the regular 05 for the right tasting and this was it. Aroma is oak, bourbon, caramel, toffee and brown sugar. Not getting the dark fruit of the base brew. Flavor of smooth chewy malts followed by the bourbon and oak that just seem to fit so perfect. The balance is spot on. I’m not sure if it’s luck I cracked it when i did, but I wish I had more. Palate is creamy and smooth with the alcohol pretty much non-existent.

Bottle from Steve, thanks! 2005, #152 / 280. This one I have been looking forward to since Sean announced his tasting. 2005 Decadence is one of the best Alesmiths I have had, so making this one a tad more complex was right up my alley. Pours out a dark brown color without much of a head on it. Smell is full of figs, dark fruits, bourbon, oak, vanilla, and a touch of alcohol. The taste is really something to behold. Very easy to drink, thick, subtle hints of bourbon - not overpowering in the slightest. Very smooth, no hops at all. Just a fantastic beer. We did this side by side with the 2005 Decadence and I have to say that I like the original better because it has held up longer. Much more time on this one will yield a bourbon bomb. It is drinking really nice right now though. Great beer. Thanks for this one Steve.

Bottle from Beer Hawk, #152 of 280. Thanks hombre! Pours orange amber with almost no head, a tad darker than the regular version. Aroma of sugary malts, rum, cherry, and alcohol. As with all of Alesmith beers, great earthy mouthfeel. Texture is slightly syrupy, but with no stickiness. Flavor of vanilla, caramel, rum, and toffee. This has much more attenuation that the regular version, which I think helps mask the faded hops and hide the alcohol. I liked this one better than the original. This has held up well, but is probably not worth holding onto much longer. If you have it, drink it now.