AleSmith Decadence 2006

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

Poured from a 750. Magenta-toned red pour. Obvious but pleasant aroma. Grapefruit, honey on cornbread, maple syrup and a tacky South American temporanillo. Seems to forebode a somewhat thin fruity sweetness. The flavor develops more broadly and firmly than this implies. Black cherries, crusty crème brulee sugar, delicate brown spice, and hazelnut. Restrained astringency. Slick and thick mouthfeel. Smacks of a dull floral lining. Warm, earthy, and definitely still young. Thanks for sharing, Ryan!

Jimmack Invitational 07. Deep cloudy amber in color. Aroma is alot of carame as well as fruits-sweet cherries. Taste is sweet caramel, light sherry notes, dark fruits, pretty sweet but is balanced nicely by floral and citrus hops. Finishes lightly fruity and bitter, with a lingering caramel sweetness across the tongue. a great beer.

Bottle from either Naven or bmartin08 - thanks to both! - Darker red color with a medium off white-pink head. Aroma is big with a heavy caramel malt and smooth hop aroma that is very inviting. Flavor is a little harsh at first with a lot of sharp caramel flavor, but it gets really good as it warms. Sweet, dark fruit flavors really come out and are complimented by a nice thick hop bitterness. Really nice mouthfeel with a smooth finish. Could have been better, but its really good regardless of typical preferences.

Thanks both Matt and John for the bottles of the brew, I will enjoy one now and cellar one for later. Served in my NB worthy glass:

The first pour is a deep coppery hue with a fading head that left a solid ring of foam and very good lace. The 2nd pour developed a larger head but still faded slightly. The aroma as notes of massive caramel and syrup vapours along with pear, mango, resiny hops, and hint of clove esters. I even found a hint of aromatic tobaccos and leather every once in awhile.

The taste sweet and much like a fine liquor with a subdued fruity undertone. The midsection leads towards a barrel aged vinous character, lush and powerful yet not cloy. The finish is surprisingly dry and spicy which adds to the depth of palate and enjoyment. The mouth feel should be a tad more viscus but otherwise works well.

Overall this is quite the interesting beer but fell just short of world-class. It will be interesting what some age will do it it. Beer geek worthy indeed.

Bottle at LCRBM3. Hazy red/brown with thin beigehead. Peanut butter and hop and resin. Sweet hop and boiled sweet and peanut butter in mouth. Bit too sweet, no real balance or idea where it’s going.

A Mes rate: Bottle at LCRBM3. Dark chocolate brown with a very slight brown head. Nice colour. Thick aroma of syrupy malt and heavy alcohol. Notes of fruit and maybe cognac too. Very good. Flavour is even better. Chewy malt up front but bags of character underneath. Lots of different fruits and an wonderful resinous hoppy texture. Excellent bitterness in the finish balances it out really well and leaves you smacking your lips wanting more. Pretty drinkable considering the ABV. Great beer. Love the Evil Dead references too.

thanks drew. dark. smells like the winter yulesmith or numbskull. a cross between them. dark mustard brown head. malts and balance. tastes so balanced it tastes like nothing. pretty hot though. really carbonated body. kinda tastes on the middle/back of the tongue. more... it’s really good.... and that’s one lousy note i wrote.

Bottled, consumed 9/12/07. Pours a lovely deep ruby/brown shade with a large tan head (hints of pink?). The foam is dense and settles in much the same way as Guinness, but much faster and with larger bubbles. The beer has lively carbonation; bubbles stream constantly up the sides of the glass. Malty and brown are the words that pop into mind when the nose is sampled. Hints of... maple syrup? Port wine? are also lurking. The flavor is unexpectedly thin, almost as if the beer is evaporating off the tongue. Honey and molasses are present, as is a brown sugar sweetness. Well, until the swallow. Then the malt of this beer pops out, accompanied by candied fruit I can’t quite put my finger on (cherries? red grapes?). The finish is amazingly clean with almost no astringency and only a fleeting alcohol warmth. A vinous aftertaste flirts with the tongue and quickly vanishes. How can a 10% beer be so light and drinkable?