AleSmith Decadence 2005

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

Sample courtesy of Bockyhorsey at the hellbilly holiday tasting. Hazy deep chestnut color with a small ring of head. Aroma of sweet ripe fruit and alcohol. Flavor of roasted caramel malt, dark fruit, a bit of coffee and chocolate. Some bitterness shows up on the finish. Really good stuff. Thanks Bill!

Bottle aged approximately one year. Raw, fresh and messy in the nose, it certainly has that unpasteurized, unfiltered feel to it that is so appealing about alesmith. Unfortunately, the hops are decidedly obnoxious and burst forth with cherry, lychee, grapefruit and orange peel notes, dominating the aroma and limiting the malt presence to a sugary chocolate-meets-caramelized raisin. The flavor, then, is not surprisingly heavy on the hops and Im amazed at how bitter and bold they are after a year in the bottle. Oranges and ruby red grapefruit dominate the opening, with a wash of toffee in the middle that is in turn enveloped by staunch bitterness and alcohol on the end. Low carbonation, and fat malts lead to a typical hop lovers mess but as usual, I dont approve. Would be more interested to try a bottle with 3 years of age on it now. Interesting, anyways, and wholesome, but too messy for me.

Sample courtesy of bockyhorsey at hellbilly*s holiday tasting. Pours a hazy amber with a light tan head. Nose is fruity malty alcohol. Taste is molasses, dark fruits, brown sugar and toffee. Medium fairly flat mouth feel. Very good. Thanks Bill!

Bottle thanks to Sam at Stuffed Sandwiches - bottle shared with bman1113vr. Pours with a dark amber hue that sit belows a small light brown head that is mostly diminishing. Aroma is of dark fruits, berries, molasses, caramel, and alcohol. Flavor is sweet in the beginning, and slightly bitter in the end notes. There is a warming alcohol sensation as one sips this brew. Beer also coats the mouth pretty well. Syrupy texture with lively carbonation. A great treat indeed!

Bottle thanks to Sam at Stuffed Sandwiches for what I consider a steal at 17 dollars. Pours with a light brown bubbly head and a murky dark amber body with some yeasties. Acceptable lacing, but nothing special, but good for an 11 percent 4 year old beer. Aroma of dark fruits, berries, chocolate caramel and a slight vinous note. Very decadent. Taste is caramel, berries, toffee, dried and dark fruits with a vinous and yeasty note. Currants and raisins dominate as it warms. Syrupy and creamy mouthfeel that completely coats while the alcohol warms you. Bubbles were in the background and didnt detract from the amazing drinking experience.

25 oz bottle, consumed Aug 2008. Pours a beautiful clear amber to dark copper body with a small fizzy beige head that faded to a thin ring. Lotsa carbonation visible. The nose is richly malty with dark caramel, burnt toffee, cocoa, figs, and marzipan. Some very light sherry like oxidation, and a touch of alcohol. Reminds me in alot of ways of aged North Coast Old Stock. The flavor reminds me of NC Old Stock as well. Big rich and deep toffee and caramel maltiness with perfect attenuation, it’s not cloying or tiring on the palate at all. I really love the aged character of this, it has really mellowed and smoothed out incredibly from when it was fresh and rather hot. The alcohol is reallty minimally noticable. Finishes with a little cocoa and fig fruitiness, maybe even a touch of coffee. The feel of it is just so smooth and easy drinking it’s extremely hard to believe that this is 10% ABV. Sometimes I’m a big stickler for carbonation and the soft gentle nature of this suits it well. I had to break out an 04 NC Old Stock to drink side by side with this, and while the OS is a bit darker and has a bit more toffee, the comparison has some validity. Wish I had more of these to cellar.

Thanks to Beer_Hawk for sharing this one! Pours a clear dark amber with a lasting off-white head. Complex aroma dark fruits, caramel, raisin. The flavor follows the aroma. Very tasty sipper that is holding up (improving?) very well. Yummy.

Bottle. Poured brown with an off-white head that settles out with time. Good mix of caramel malts and fruits with a slight hint of alcohol. The flavor finds caramel, chocolate, and some fruits with a very slight alcohol presents. Medium to full body that is sweet up front and bitter in the end. Very nice!