AleSmith Decadence 2005

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

@Freakin’ Frog, Las Vegas
Hazy dark amber color. Extremely malty aroma. Strong mouthfeel, a bit oily, sirupy malty, with an English level of bitterness, quite similar to a Fuller’s Vintage, thicker and more warming.

For my first rating after a long hiatus, I wanted something a little out of the ordinary, so I opted for a bottle of Alesmith Decadence that I have had aging for over a year. Poured it into my snifter with no head at all, a deep mahogany/ruby coloring, and very clear when held up to the light. The aroma was sweet, vinuous, resiny, with just a hint of alcohol. Initial sip was sweet, with mildly spicey afternotes and just a hint of alcohol burn. Not at all grainy or overbearing, and just enough hop presence to keep it from being cloyingly sweet. Overall a very pleasant drink for a chilly spring evening, preferrably shared with good company since it is rather potent and comes in a 750ml champagne bottle sizing.

Bottle. Pours out a beautiful garnet color, deep and rich. Snow globe floaties are suspended throughout the liquid. Decent off-white head forms and peters out to a ring but leaving good lacing behind. Aroma is malty and moderately rich. Bits of esters sneak in, slightly over-ripe bananna comes to mind. Body is medium with touches of thinness showing at times, probably my biggest knock against this beer. A bit boozy also at nine months of age. Flavors run malty, a touch of bananna show in flavor also. Hops are still very noticeable, although nicely blended. Decently done.

Thanks to Odeed for this brew. A lot of caramel, and nuttiness in the aroma with a bit of raisen. Taste is very malty, with a lot of nuttiness, with chocolate, caramel, and a hint of butterscotch.

Why was I smelling and tasting dimethyl sulfide in this one? Having this beer at a tasting surrounded by a number of other beers of the same type, I was considerably disappointed in this one. Overly sweet, moldy tasting wood and peat, with a fuesal burn of alcohol and far too much residual sweetness. Sorry fellas, but I just can’t drink the kool-aid. Alesmith makes some stellar beers, but this one falls short.

Here I was thinking I was going to blow attendees of a MN beer tasting away with two bottles from the hard to get Alesmith Brewing Co. (X and Anvil). But, somebody else brought Decadence, which was far better than either of the others. Caramel, molasses aroma; rich, very nice with some bourbon barrel notes. Really nice color; no carbonation. This may have been the best beer of the day. High alcohol, caramelly; lovely. Outstanding.

Had it shortly after release and just realized I hadn’t rated it yet. It has a nice smooth thick texture but the flavor is kind of mellow and uncertain. Perhaps this one would be better aged for a year or so. Not bad, but not what I expect from Alesmith.

i remember telling my friends about how the first time you have any beer ever, it tastes awful, but if it’s this beer, you just might like the taste. utterly delicious, hoppy, smooth as all hell. i want more alesmith... Rerate: not nearly as good as i had thought. definitely an old ale.