AleSmith Barrel Aged Decadence 2005

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

2005 vintage Old Ale: After all the waiting and cellaring of this beer, i finally got the courage up to open a bottle. Still very boosey, but it was thick as all get out. Nice dry fruit taste with some woodsy aftertaste too. I did taste some vailla also. Bourbon still overpowers the taste in my opinion. Like I said, it is very thick and should be sipped. Dram=nk it at room temp, maybe that had alot to do with the bourbon taste. Still extremley complex.

Bottle 60 of 124. Pours a deep brown almost black with nice carbonation and leaving a small beige ring. Nose picks up tons of vanilla, bourbon, dark fruits, light booze and light oxidation. Flavor holds a good amount of bourbon with again some light oxidation and quite a bit of heat. Raisins, dates and plum were the prevalent fruits in this brew. Mouth feel and carbonation really stood the test of time in this beer, if you have a bottle of this, drink it in the next 3 months!!

Dr. Bill’s ’09. Thank you Peter. Pours a viscous, very dark brown-black with a dark honey-gold rim and virtually no head--just a few dark tan bibbles. Aroma is incredibly deep and rich with Bourbon, vanilla, oxidation, earth, treacle, dark caramel, and a trace of smoke. The flavor is as fresh and vibrant as ever with a lot of sweetness and Bourbon aspects. Those fade after the attack leaving a massive collection of various roasted malt and barrel-aged flavors to sort themselves out on the palate throughout the massively long finish. The body is big and round with a lot of strength but kindness too as it feels like its taking it easy on you, yet holding nothing back from the experience. This is a superb offering. What a treat.

I am not sure what bottle number this was as it got rubbed off the back. I was only able to get one bottle of barrel aged beer at the release but I had a couple small glasses from another bottle so here are my thoughts. Dark brown-red in color and murky as a swamp. Smells sweet, whiskey, vanilla aromas. Flavor was strong whiskey,more vanilla, and a barleywine hiding in the back. This was definitely a beer to be sipped and savored, everyone who partook enjoyed it.This was a very good old ale, very decadent and now I don’t know when the hell I will drink my lone bottle. Serving type: bottle Reviewed on: 09-29-2007 17:39:03

Big Thanks to Solan for sharing this at CCB with us. Pours a deep dark nutty woody brown with a foamy head- fizzy and diminishing. Aroma is fairly oxidizid but stil very nice overall- still a boatload of sweet brown sugary bourbon- vanilla, char and oak with lots of caramel sweetness from the old ale- slight soy and wet paper oxidation- and some shaved pencil dry wet earthy woodiness. Flavor is bourbon, oak, vanilla, char, light toasty nutty chocolate, oxidized meatiness, soy and sherry, tons of nuts and fruitiness- raisin, plum, sugar coated dates, and some earthy booze filled figs- bourbon is still pretty big overall and there is a considerable oxidation- but still pretty damn good.

Thanks to SoLan for affording me the chance to finally try this gem. Tasted side by side with the regular version, which was still holding up beautifully after nearly 4 years of aging. The pour is dark and lightly hazy, caramel brown in color with a slight reddish tint. A swirly, frothy head of khaki foam coats the surface with a thin layer. Dense sheeting morphs to drippy legs that leave just a few trace spots behind on the glass. The aroma shows a bold, slightly abrasive bourbon overtone, very woody overall, with an underlying base of smooth caramel and toffee malts. Vanilla and dark fruit play a big role, though the bourbon dominates. Flavors are quite delicious, with the caramel and toffee taking well to the persistent, woody bourbon, while floral, fruity yeast notes finish things off. Medium-full in body, slick, and lightly carbonated, the palate suffers a bit from the searing alcoholic heat. Still, it’s a fantastic brew overall, perhaps just a bit less impressive than it’s non-barreled cousin.

thanks cmubeerman. hardly any head. pretty watery consistency, plum red color, pretty. SOY BOMB aroma. fair amount of barrel, lots of nuts. a bit of toothpaste upon suggestion. alcohol is pretty well hidden. pretty dark fruity, but not really thick. a bit spicy too. tast is a little thin, maybe even. the dregs were actually the best pour in the bottle.