AleSmith Decadence 2008

Brewed by AleSmith Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
San Diego, California USA

750mL bottle. Poured rich, ruddy brown with an easily-resuscitated, tight-bubbled beige head. The aroma picked up brown sugar, toffee, and a decadent bouquet of ripe redder fruits, replete with seeds, meat, and tart skins.. honey and vanilla showed with warmth.. a bit too much apparent acidity, but still quite enticing. The flavor opened with tangy fruits skins, prickly alcohol, and dry, spicy yeast.. toffee, caramel and the aforementioned fruits anchor the core, and are complemented by a little blackstrap molasses and brown sugar.. finished with sour fruit skins and peppery alcohol. Heavier-bodied with tight, rolling carbonation on the palate.. the warmth was where I expected it considering the ABV.. the sourness wasn’t quite right, but it almost grew on me.

On tap at Hamilton’s in San Diego. Pours a deep dark brown color with a lasting one-finger tan head. Aroma is caramel malt and toffee, vanilla, dark fruit, and some mild tartness. Flavor is good, strong, and a little tart, with caramel and toffee, raisin and sweet cherry. Body is medium for a barleywine and there is a little tart acidic bite. ABV well hidden. Overall solid.

750ml bottle served in a Duvel tulip. Poured a dark amber with a finger of light tan head. Malty aroma with a slight sourness. Big full bodied beer. Lots of dark fruit. Unfortunately the sourness carried over in the flavor. I can’t tell whether there is an infection, but looking at other reviews, I’m not the only one getting this flavor. First Alesmith beer that I haven’t really enjoyed.

bottle thanks to markus. Pours amber, with medium head. Aroma of hops, caramel, sugary sweetness. Flavor of a typical barleywine, nice hop backbone, thinnish, not much alcohol. Good beer.

Bottle. Thanks to Hopscotch for bringing. Moderate aroma of cookie for the malt, cooked orange for the hops, with hints of brown sugar, honey, dark dried fruits and wine. Head is small, wispy slightly off-white, with fair lacing and good legs, and is mostly diminishing. Color is murky brown with lots of particles. Flavor starts lightly sweet, heavily acidic and sour, then finishes lightly sweet and again sour. Palate is medium to full, creamy with a soft carbonation and a dry and tart finish. Disappointing. This has to be an off bottle. It came off way too sour and painful to the back of my jaw to drink. I do see the potential for a great beer through the nice aroma.

Bottle. Toffee colored pour, somewhat clear and with a small amount of bubbles. Aroma is vanilla, english caramel malt. Flavor is the same, a little too sweet and the palate seems thin and watery (despite the high alcohol). Sort of fruity flavor also, which is weird.

Bottle... Poured deep, ruby/amber with a thick, beige head. Big molasses, little bit of hop bitterness. Dark fruit esters, ginger, and a wine-like alcohol flavor that had a raisin accent to it.

sample from the bottle at Dr. Bill’s Tasting at Falling Rock during GABF on 9/26/09... dark brown pour... medium body... citrus notes... malt forward body... some dark fruits... somewhat of an oak finish.