AleSmith Barrel Aged Decadence 2007

Brewed by AleSmith Brewing Company
Style: Imperial/Strong Porter
San Diego, California USA

Thanks smokepot23 for shooting this my way, much appreciated Joe. Very excited about this one. Pours a dark black that allows some light with a one finger creamy tan head. The nose is great, oaky, tons of vanilla, chocolaty, tannic, rich, bourbony, some alcohol. Fantastic barrel character in the flavor and aroma. Lots of vanilla in the flavor as well, bourbon, spicy oak, chocolate, smooth and rich. Warming tannic mouthfeel.

Shared by Emacgee! Thx Ethan! Unfortunately I never got to try the base beer. So far of the few BA Alesmith brews i’ve had this is definitely my favorite. Dark brown pour with a thin tan head. Woody nose, with notables hints of bourbon, chocolate, and caramel. Perfectly carbonated and wonderfully complex. Flavor is similar to aroma. Charred oak, vanilla, chocolate and bourbon.

Bottle shared by Brad/Mike, huge thanks guys. Pours dark brown with some light penetrating through, and a thin, soapy, tan colored head. Aroma is bourbon, choclate, vanilla, light oak. Flavor is mostly bourbon, chocolate, some vanilla, caramel, ashy. Palate is mostly full bodied, mild carbonation, finsihed sweet and overly boozey. I assume this will get better with age, but bourbon balance is way off right now.

Name: Barrel Aged Decadence
Date: April 24, 2009
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting
Vintage: 2007
Appearance: brown, wispy tan head, drippy lace
Aroma: sweet bourbon and chocolate aroma, sweet dark caramel and vanilla, light oak, lasting bourbon fumes
Flavor: rich bourbon flavor, lots of chocolate, big oak adds drying balance, sweet vanilla comes through to combat the oak, bitter chocolate finish
Overall: chocolate covered caramel candy with the bourbon center, still to fumey
Aroma: 8/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 17/20
Rating: 4/5.0
Drinkability: 6/10
Score: ***+/4

Big thanks to Andrew for sharing this. Poured opaque black/brown with a small tan head. Aroma was vanilla, chocolate, Ash and lots of bourbon. Taste was much the same, smooth vanilla and chocolate notes, burnt wood/ash, and a whole lot of bourbon on the end. The lingering finish was quite hot.

Big thanks to toncatcher for this! Pours dark brown or black with almost no head. Aroma is heavy bourbon that really overwhelms the porter. Flavor is very heavy alcohol, roast coffee, vanilla, wood and chocolate. Too much booze for me and it is a little overwhelming.

750ml bottle (323 of 817)..huge thanks to andrew for sharing this bottle. pours a dark reddish brown pour, somewhat transparent, with a thinnish and quickly dissipating light brown head..... aroma of heavy bourbon, roasty and ash, chocolate and even a little vanilla at the very tail end.... flavors bourbon, softer hints of vanilla, chocolate malt, peat and a little ashy. finish is somewhat bitter and hot. carbonation a little high.

Bottle from the Alesmith brewery release in 2009. Opened on my birthday with Katie. Another fine creation from the Smithy! Pitch black center with lighter edges, with a small brown head that develops nicely on pouring. Medium carbonation. Pleasant aroma of smoked malts and dark chocolate cake with nuances of anise, black licorice, vanilla, bourbon and a hint of dark fruit. Flavor is more satisfying than the aroma, loaded with chocolate malt, sweet caramelized brown sugar and vanilla up front. Warm bourbon, light peat and oak barrel notes touch up the character after each sip. Full-bodied, chewy palate that Alesmith always delivers with these types of brews. Overall, a pretty damn stellar beer. A bit hot on the finish, but I can see this mean little bastard aging beautifully in the years to come. Can’t wait to try it again down the road!