AleSmith Decadence 2007

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

This barrel aged imperial porter has stood up well to age, and blew me away. Abundant roasted malts with hearty chocolate, coffee and bourbon. Thick and full bodied with an impressive smoothness. Good looking pour still showing a frothy head and strands of lacing. Wouldn't sit on it any longer, but still drinking great.

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

2007 750ml bottle .. pours a deep brown .. low foam .. low lacing but sticks .. . light molasses, burnt sugar, and light dark fruits .. . a nice brew to be sure .. . . Gasman? I don't get it.

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Pours with a black body topped by a medium thick, light brown head with a good amount of lacing. It’s slighlty sweet with roasted coffee and bitter sweet chocolate notes as well as an underlying malt note and alcohol esters. Full Bodied, warming and a touch dry.

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

Bottle: Poured a pitch-black color ale with a medium light brown foamy head with great retention and very good lacing. Aroma of deep coffee notes with some creamy black chocolate and some lightly bitter roasted malt. Taste is a very well balance with a very nice coffee notes with some delicate black chocolate and a perfect creamy texture. Full body with good carbonation and some well hidden alcohol. This is very sublime and probably the best I had from this very fine brewery.

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

Bottle shared by the most generous slobby sloth around, what a guy! Pour was dead on for the style, deep dark black, topped with a substantial tannish to chocolate colored head, which left behind strong lacing. The aroma was milk and cocoa chocolate, some hot alcohol notes. The flavor followed with an interesting 1-2 punch of milky chocolate, followed by a cocoa dry chocolate. Alcohol was tamer in the flavor profile for sure, and licorice and roasted malts joined in support of the overall flavor profile. Mouthfeel was full, yet it was a little more airy and chewy than I thought it would be, nothing motor oil-like about it. Good stuff again, AS! And, a great big thanks to ya, Bert!

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

This beer poured with a with a very dark brown to black body, nearly opaque with a medium sized rocky medium brown colored head that left patchy lace all the way down the glass. The aroma is rich chocolate malts with some roasted tones and a touch of hoppy bitterness. The mouthfeel was soft, smooth, and slightly oily. The flavor on this one starts off with big sweet milk chocolate, french vanilla cappuccino and bitter hops with a slight smokey character throughout.

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

A vigorous pour produces a three-finger thick, frothy, brown tinged, tan colored head in my 25cl tulip glass. The beer is a full black color, that shows a brilliantly clear, deep ruby hue if held up directly to the light. The aroma is a mix of sweet fruity brandy notes, light smoke, light roast and burnt raisin notes up front. Underneath this are very rich malt aromatics that take on umami-evoking thoughts of concentrated richness. Toffee malt notes, salty cocoa and richly caramelized sugars form a solid aromatic backbone. Other notes of smoked prunes, darkly toasted bread crust and dark chocolate are also noticeable. This just has a really rich aroma to it, much more complex than I was expecting.

Sweet tasting up front, but only lightly so. A rich, chocolate flavor couples with a soft creamy mouthfeel up front. This offset by a sharp roast note, corresponding burnt grain bitterness (hop bitterness too) and a salt, almost peat smoked character in the finish. The roast profile in the recipe actually does a good job of mimicking the flavors of smoke, especially towards the finish. Quite rich tasting, though it is a touch drier than one might expect from a beer this rich tasting. A touch of warm, almost spicy alcohol mars the overall creaminess of this beer towards the finish. This only becomes more accented as the beer warms up and it finishes with a slightly astringent, burnt note that really lingers on in the palate after a bit.

I definitely like the mouthfeel that this beer achieves; creamy, soft, inviting, yet not overly viscous or heavy. This really does start to get more sharp, almost harsh as it warms up, which isn't all that pleasant. Still it is a pretty good beer and it should actually mellow out with a bit more age on it. Definitely more drinkable than the 2005 version was freshly released.

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

This is my triumphant return to rating! I graduated Summa Cum Laude, mother fuckers! JohnC, thanks for the graduation gift -- you’re awesome! Poured a dark, opaque brown -- almost black. Very nice porter -- roasted malts, hops -- balanced with dark fruits -- and the alcohol will bite you, but is hidden well. Very satisfying.