AleSmith Decadence 2005

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

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.

I had this on cask for the anniversary party at Obrians. Very very tasty. My friend Jon had a glass before me, and his was rougher and had a more prevalent alcohol flavor to it than mine did. Beautiful beer. Mouthfeel was pleasureable. Sweet but also alcohol at the back of the throat. All around good beer. Now if I can just get Jon to send me the bottles he has saved for me....

Sampled 11/06--with 15 months of bottle age, and again 08/08 with 3 years bottle age. Burnished bronze-gold with copper-mahogany highlights and the full color spectrum in between as it thins out to the edge. Very low carbonation at this age. Roasted malt aromas caramel sweetness with vanilla and oak gives way to a multi-dimensional flavor profile with many layers of malted grain, roast, sweetness, aging characteristics (maderization, etc.), and an incredibly long, full chromatic toffee finish. Lower carbonation and age intensified the body characteristics: lovely, nimble mouthfeel with well-integrated bitterness and an assertive alcohol character that is superbly balanced and mellowed with age.

Bottle from Brewery. Dark amber pour with very little head. Aromas of caramel, darkfuits, molassas, and sugar cane. Flavor were outstanding. Alcohol was evident and pretty hot. Maybe that will mellow with age. Flavors of molassas and caramell came through with a nicely balanced hop presence in the finish. I love this stuff. Very Decadent.

A beautiful dark mahogony body with a light ivory head. Aroma is amazing, nice alcohol hotness with some caramel and dark fruits. Taste is smooth, plums, bananas, cherry with some nice molassas. Ending has a slight spice with a very nice smooth ending. Great beer and I’m glad I held onto this one.

upon hearing that there was a new alesmith anniversary ale i immediately placed an online order for it. pours dark red/brownish in color. taste is spicy, sweet, chocolate, and alcohol. this is a really warming beer that seems more fit for a cold windter night than a 70 degree cloudy day in which i chose to drink mine. never-the-less this is a great beer that will only improve with age. something that i enjoyed quite a bit, and sadly wish i had just placed an order for 6 of these instead of just 2. alesmith is a world class brewery and if you make a top brewery in america list and alesmith is not one of the top three, then you better reconsider your listings. great beer.

Huge thanks to Jimmack, Secret Santa, for this beer! I popped it open in honor of my Redskins actually making the playoffs, since it seems like a decade since that happened. Poured a pretty ruby, surprising creamy head. Aromas were intense, loads of caramel, some toffee, alcohol, and a bit of dark fruit. Full on flavors of caramel, toffee, molasses, dark fruits, raisin, and faint apple. Balancing hop bitterness to finish it off. This seems like one of those big beers that needs some time to come together, and the flavors have finally melded. Give this another few years and I bet it would utterly floor me. Great stuff.

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.