AleSmith Decadence 2008

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

Hmm. I was told at Bob’s tasting that this beer tends to get infected. I did notice a tart note, but I actually didn’t mind it. Didn’t really taste like a barley wine to me, but oh well, I didn’t think it was bad by any means.

Bottle. Amber brown pour, little carbonation and a good boozy and a little sour aroma. Flavor was fruity, funky with a little dry sweetness. Not bad.

A light color with faint white head. A hoppy aroma with mild sweetness typical of an american barleywine. Sweet with a hop bite on the body; caramel and toffee.

I love pretty much anything ale smith produces. This one included with one draw back. It looked great as it poured nice dark brown with a foamy medium head. Has a strong stout /malty smell about it, some carmel notes too. Tastes in slightly sweet with toffee and carmel notes as promised, but there is a slight metallic feel/taste to this one that just is not for me. Thus the one negative for me, but other I still enjoyed it very much.

what the hell is wrong with this beer? Sour and really nasty. tastes like some sour milk mixed with a rodenbach beer. WTF? I am hoping what I had was infected and the beer wasn’t supposed to be this way. I will rate it middle of the road in hopes of trying a good one.

Bottle thanks to bu11zeye. The smell is apples, fruits, caramel, toffee, candy, and alcohol. The look is amber red to beige colored. The taste is sweet, candy, alcohol, sticky fell, fruits, and tart. Not quite ready.

Appearance: Pours out a faintly hazed, deeply hued garnet body with a bubbly, off-white head. Smell: Heady, aromatic mixture of baked dark breads and sugary cooked caramel sprinkled lightly with spice and drenched in tart fruit notes and some alcohol wafts giving an impression of substandard, bargain bin brandies. Taste: Starts off with malty sweet tastes of deep dark caramel and brown sugar with a notable toasted breadiness and just the faintest bit of roast. What’s also notable is the distinct ripe fruit flavors of tart Michigan cherries (or perhaps Luden’s Throat Drops), sour apples, and red currants. Subtly spicy, earthy hops and bitterness. Underlying acidity all the while. Spray of warming alcohol hits the tongue. Malty, semi-dry finish with final touches of tart fruitiness and peppery alcohol hints. Mouthfeel: Essentially full-bodied. Medium-plus carbonation. Drinkability: Well, it certainly seems like there are some tones of infection present, but, thankfully at this stage it is not the entire embodiment of the beer. So, I’ll simply shrug, say "oh well", and make a mental note not to acquire anymore bottles of the Decadence ’08. Oh well!

75cl bottle picked up at the brewery in july. Dark red-brown color with lasting foam. The aroma is quite woody with a big dose of cherry and some sweet caramely malt. The flavor is dry and vinous with lots of cherry fruitiness and a woody, almost tannic flavor. Dry and leaner in body than you would expect. Acidity is high, but not really a sour ale. Definitely not a modern barley wine though, as it lacks the rich malt of the style. Weird stuff to tell you the truth. I kinda got into it, but couldn’t help wishing that they had just made a rich, malty, and not acidic beer.