AleSmith Decadence 2005

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

having had this brew on cask, bottle and draft, i will rate as I see fit. Cask, which i will rate, to me, rendered the beer as it had aged a year. Pours a brownish/amber hue with an off-white head. Aromas of caramel, coffee, smoke. Flavors of roasted malt,honey, nuts, brown sugar, yummm.... medium bodied, and with the cask, the alcohol isn’t noticeable. This is like a hybrid of old numbskull, a hint of speedway and some wee heavy for good measure.

I was hesitant to open the bottle I had just purchased, because I’d been forewarned about its youth....I expected some real alcohol heat, along with a fading head, and a too sharp flavor profile over all...boy, was I surprised! TTHe nose, and the palate pretty much fell into alignment...there was a HUGE aroma, replete with dates, figs, prunes, butterscotch, chocolate, mandarin orange slices, and even a touch of anise lurking in the background. The flavor was similar, augmented by the AMAZING mouthfeel, which was velvety, and silky, and served as a beautiful conveyor of all those rich, ripe, and luscious flavors...this ale may age really well, but believe me, it is READY to drink right now...incredible balance for the amount of malt and hops employed in the brew kettle...there is a definite hoppy finish that goies on and on, but it is so interwoven with the malt that it is almost impossible to determine where the malt ends, and the hops begin. Yes, there is definitely aging room for this sophisticated behemoth,,,there is still a bit of excess heat from the alcohol, and the flavors could stand a bit more melding, but over all, this is my FAVORITE Alesmith brew...lots of sophistication, but just as much OOMPH to balance that off. Eat your heart out, Greg Koch...this ale is generations ahead of ANYTHING Stone might dream of producing for the next lifetime.

Poured a hazy dark amber color with a thin off-white head. Sweet caramel malty aroma with notes of peaches and grapes. Flavor continues with the mlat and fruitiness. Semi-dry finish with a nice warming sensation. Slight taste of alcohol at the end. I am very glad have have more to keep trying as they age. On the hot side but still very tastey.

Dark brown color with a thin white head. Strong whiskey-like aroma. Fills the palate immediately upon sipping. Strong alcohol flavor with huge malts.

Original Rating (7-2-7-3-12=3.1): Strong alcohol, doughy yeast, biscuity malts and marzipan in the aroma. Opaque burnished copper coloured body with low, off white head that recedes to swirling partial cover and ring. Strong alcohol, marzipan, grassy orange, herbal, hops and assertive bitterness to the flavour. Medium body with lively carbonation. Strong alcohol warming. Seems too young and like it may improve with some aging. Bottle sampled at DenverLogan’s pre-GABF party 2005.
Rerate (5-2-5-2-10=2.4): Alcohol is initially overpowering in the aroma but once it fades (or the nose acclimatizes), a grapey and berry-like fruitiness can be perceived. Clear copper-amber coloured body with low, off white head that diminishes rapidly to ring. Alcohol is abundantly plain in the malt forward, fruity flavour with assertive bitterness at the back end of the taste. Sweetness verges on cloying. Strong alcohol warming to the medium body with moderate carbonation. Not ready yet, or just not good? Only time will tell. Bottle sampled with beerbuzzmontreal, ClarkVV, Goldorak, MartinT, muzzlehatch, Olivier_MTL, Rastacouere and Yowie.

Well, I was able to age this for a whopping 6 weeks. I swear, I have zero will power when it comes to holding beers I haven’t tasted. . This one pours cloudy chestnut, with a very thin tan head. Nutty, mildly fruity aroma. flavors of plums, prune, cherry, pear and maybe some black walnut mingle throughout. Some alcohl heat, too, but not as much as I feared. Perhaps that 6 weeks of aging really did help.

Frothy tan small head. Light chestnut color. Roasty flavor. Slightly carbonated and spicey throughout. There is a bitterness from the alcohol that increases at the finish. It lacks a little bit of volume in the body of it’s flavor.

Pours a cloudy amber color with a ring of offwhite lace. Aroma of spices, caramel, alcohol and candy. Similar flavor of spices, caramel and hops, there’s a dominant sweetness that lingers through the whole tasting process, it finishes bitter. The body has a light to medium thickness with a liquorous texture and low carbonation. Decadence ? Nah, that’s not decadent at all, it’s ok but a huge let down.