AleSmith Decadence 2005

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 9

Rating from 2009. Huge thanks to moejuck for sending me this beer. I have been waiting a very long time to try it. After joining ratebeer the first half of ‘06 I realized by late in ‘06 I needed this beer but couldn’t find it anywhere in the SD county area. Thank you Joe. Pours copper brown with light copper edges and thin tan head. The aroma is yummy rich dark fruitiness with dates, prunes and mashed aged cherries blending together and mixing with a nice layer of caramel goodness and some booziness. The taste has smooth barleywine notes with a pulse of smooth sweetness from dates, figs, prunes, raisins and minced sugar stewed cherries. Toward midway a thin river of caramel is noticed just as blunted pine hops with aged bitterness come to the surface. It smooths out even more into the finish with dark sweet grape jam, smooth chewy malts and fading aged pine hops. This was everything I was hoping for. YUM!

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 8

Well past it's prime, but it still held up beyond my expectations. A viscous dark brown pour with a faint head and no lacing. Plums, raisins, cocoa and a surprisingly solid bourbon aspect. Almost a port wine drinkability at this time. Smooth and thick. I bet this thing was killer four or five years ago.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

.. like a caramelized plum, oh ya .. . medium brown tawny color .. . nice foam .. .quite hot still, but insanely drinkable .. . hot sherry and chocolate flavours . . nice and smooth .. . very balanced.. delicious .. could age longer .. . has a hint of boccie ..

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 6

Sampled December 2007
A vigorous pour produces a fat, one-finger thick, amber tinged tan colored head. The beer sits in my glass a dark amber hued, brown color, but shows an almost brilliantly clear, cranberry color when held up to the light. The carbonation is visually slight, with only a few lonely bubbles working there way through the glass at a time. The aroma has quite a dusty malt character to it, with lots of toasted grain notes and browned artisanal bread crust aromatics. It still has a sweet smelling character to it, which definitely accentuates fruit notes of berries and perhaps some raisin like aromas. The hot alcohol that was in this beer when I first had it seems to have toned down significantly as it just plays a role in the background; it produces some aromatics notes that make me think of molasses rum. The aroma has a bit too much of a grain husk like sharpness to it, but it still has vastly improved.

Sweet and viscous feeling, this beer definitely has a creamy mouthfeel to it. The slight carbonation adds just a touch of a sparkle towards the finish. Dark, toasted malt flavors play a big role here; sharp, roast grain husk notes, toasted bread flavors, something that almost seems wood like at times. This is still a bit hot in the finish, the alcohol definitely supplies ample warming character here, which isn’t actually all that bad on this uncharacteristically cold, AZ night. Slightly fruity, though not as much as the aroma would have suggested, flavors of raisins, a touch of berry notes and at times a hint of cherry. These notes are joined by complimentary flavors reminiscent of toffee, a hint of vanilla and molasses. The alcohol, along with the fruit notes provides something like the finish of a brandy. A solid, yet initially unnoticed because of all of the malt sweetness, bitterness is found in the finish, it lingers a bit and slowly wins out over the malt sugars. Most definitely a chewy, sipping beer; thick and rich, a beer to be savored slowly over an evening in front of the fire.

This has definitely vastly improved ; initially it was something I would only just want to drink a full glass of. It still has a ways to go though, and I still think that it will improve for at least another year, if not even significantly longer. The beer still needs to soften up a bit, and a bit of oxidation should add some needed complexity.

Sampled October, 2005
6/8/8/6/6 total of 3.4
Pours a clear rich amber color and is topped by a frothy amber tan colored head. The aroma is fruity and malty; a mix of sticky toffee, cherry, and sharp alcohol. The aroma seems a bit too strongly towards the alcohol side of the spectrum, at least initially.

The taste is quite sweet and full in the palate, and the finish has a strong, hot alcohol note to it. In the finish is also a roasted astringency that has notes of coffee. As my palate becomes used to it the beer loses its initial sticky sweetness; it still tastes strongly of caramel and toffee but becomes a bit more richer. This beer is definitely on the young side, in fact this needs at least 6 months, but probably more like 2 years before it comes into its own. This beer actually has quite a bit of potential, but I wish that the brewery had brewed this two years earlier for this 10 year anniversary. I expect my ratings for this to go up as time passes.

Purchased: Stuffed Sandwich, San Gabriel, CA