AleSmith Decadence 2007

Formerly brewed at AleSmith Brewing Company
Style: Imperial/Strong Porter
San Diego, California USA

Bottle from South Bay Drugs. Once poured, the liquid created a dark brown that was nearly opaque with a topping of head similar to a spray of whip cream. My nose was instantly gratified once I took a sniff of the sweet roasted malt that sent coffee and chocolate reminders to my memory of smell. The flavor was even richer than I could have ever imagined from the aroma alone and I instantly began to fall in love with this porter by the moment. The initial taste is of bitter milk chocolate and has roast malt to a degree of perfection unknown to compare to other porters sampled, but I still am in amazement of the rich and smooth balance of dark malt profile right down to the palate and level of ABV present. Such an astonishing porter and I am in the belief this thought of an “ Imperial Porter” can be, and will be, an idea worth experimenting with for others.

OMG! Pours blackish w/ a tall, thick and creamy froth that just sits there like a Ford pick up truck on th side of the road. Snail tracks are revealed on the sidewalls as the head recedes. Superb lacing. The aroma is fresh and mildly roasted w/ dark chocolate and minerals. Full nectar w/ excellent carbonation creating a slighty creamy texture. Juicy chunks of dark chocolate and mildly roasted coffee bean are in the foreground w/ a committed hop bittering that burns a bit as the brew goes down. This thing is absolutely beautiful. A moderate sweetness factors in w/ flavors of leather, charcoal, and black cherry. 07 is very fresh tasting and very much alive. It finishes w/ lingering chocolate and citrus rind. Great balance. Beautiful, just beautiful! Donald Trump approved decadence.

Very nice. I drank this on my anniversary with my wife. Delicious aroma of roasted malt and chocolate. Creamy in the mouth. Taste is as above with a slight lingering hop bitterness. This stuff is great.

This beer truly lives up to it’s name both in taste and appearance. There’s a whole ocean full of oil in every bottle and no one can drink it but me! I half expect to find flecks of gold lining the bottom of my glass each time I drink this. In my humble opinion, an improvement on the previous Decadence Ale from ’06, and that’s a hell of a compliment, especially considering that it only improves with age.

Bottle. Aroma of semisweet chocolate, rich, nutty, earthy, and again, rich coffee, alcohol, sweet, lightly roasted cookie/cake malt. Decadence is a perfect name for this brew, and in the mouth that becomes even more evident. Incredibly rich incredibly vinous maltiness, coffee, cookie, cake, chocolate, decadence upon decadence. This is a monster, but a monster to be adored and cherished.

750 ml bottle courtesy of my 2008 Secret Santa. Many thanks, whoever you are. Black pour with a creamy beige head. Aroma is chocolate with light coffee. Full, creamy, silky palate. Couldn’t be any better. Flavor is chocolate, caramel, toffee, light coffee with a subtle hop profile. Also some dark fruit notes. Very nice mixture of flavors. One of the best brews I’ve had the privilege to drink since joining Ratebeer.

seriously, i stopped taking notes on this once i smelled it! something about cocoa, roast and vanilla with a bitter kick at the end... then it read ’buy more’.

Bottle. Pours opaque with a large, creamy, dark brown head, mostly lasting with good lacing. Aroma is heavy malt (cookie, roasted grain, chocolate, nutty), average hops (perfume), heavy yeast (leather, earth) with notes of alcohol, prunes, and dates. Full bodied, creamy and alcoholic texture, average carbonation, and a bitter finish. Average duration, moderate sweetness, acidity, and bitterness.