AleSmith Decadence 2005

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

Bottle sampled at Sunset Grill in Alston Mass. with the Stegosaurus as part of our boston/salem tour. I never heard of this brew but he tracked it down and he hits the nail on the head. It is a good brew with a good balance of hops and malt, some sort of syrapy flavor and caramel.

Bottle. Mahogony beer with a thin off-white head. Low hop, rich malt, and slight spice aroma. Caramel malt flavor with good depth. Some raisin and berry fruits. Alcohol present and gives some good warmth. Medium body. Woodsy malt lingers with alcohol and spice. Some sherry tones.

This was a unique beer, and was not what I was expecting. When cold, the smell and taste were very bourbonesque, tasting as though it had just come from the barrel, but as the beer warmed up, it became sweet and malty, similar to their Grand Cru offering, but not nearly as overwhelming. The beer poured a dark, malty, murky caramel color with a small off-white head. Aroma started off as being very full of alcohol, but became much sweeter and caramel-like as it warmed up. Taste was very similar, very malty, with a nice but not overpowering taste of alcohol in the finish. I believe that this beer could use some more time to settle down, but is very drinkable now at cellar temperature.

Bottle sampled at Sunset Grill in Alston Mass. with the Mad Indian. brow with a slight reddish hue and a small off white head. Aroma of slight fruit, caramel, much like a good english strong ale. The flavor is slightly sweet, caramel, alcohol, and bitter hops. I was almost certain this was an English Strong Ale, also by the flavor. Good body, good brew, i think i expected a little more for a brew ive been trying to get my hands on for over a year.

Pours with a one finger cream head that fades quickly to a ring leaving traces of lace. Cloudy amber color. Light carbonation and medium bodied. Raisiny nose. Starts sweet, raisiny, smooth high ABV stays hidden until finish. However my drinking partner thinks it is more like a liquor drink than a beer. Pricey at $9.99 for a 750ml bottle from Hi-Time Cellars Costa Mesa, Ca.

2005 release bottle. I had this soon after the release and sadly only bought 1 more. I will be sure to update my rating with the second bottle. As I recall it tasted like a strong english ale similar to Wee Heavy but different. Well worth a try if you can get your hands on it.

Sheezz, I have had 3 of these and never rated it. Well, this is still very raw in my mind and my take years to settle down if at all. Tha ABV was very strong in this. The fruity flavors of the Old Ale was not really apparent.This wasn’t a bad brew just not what I expected from Alesmith.I have 2 more that will sit for a while.

bottle, enjoyed at the Sunset Grille in Boston - Poured reddish brown with a thin head that left some decent lacing. The aroma is malty with some dark fruit notes and a hint of alcohol. The alcohol is a little more noticeable in the flavor, but I didn’t mind. The sweetness, fruit notes, caramel, and other flavors come to the fore. The finish lingers pleasantly as the warmth hits your stomache. For some reason the flavor reminded me a bit of Fuller’s Vintage Ale 2001, though even sweeter. Decadence is very good.