AleSmith Barrel Aged Decadence 2005

Formerly brewed at AleSmith Brewing Company
Style: Old Ale
San Diego, California USA

Serve in English pint, Snifter

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thanks cmubeerman. hardly any head. pretty watery consistency, plum red color, pretty. SOY BOMB aroma. fair amount of barrel, lots of nuts. a bit of toothpaste upon suggestion. alcohol is pretty well hidden. pretty dark fruity, but not really thick. a bit spicy too. tast is a little thin, maybe even. the dregs were actually the best pour in the bottle.

Bottle from the 124 bottle batch. Murky bud mud pour with a small white head. Caramel and dark fruit aromas. 7 years later and still all kinds of bourbon notes with muted caramel and dark fruits. Smooth but with plenty of booze that didn’t bring any real heat, but just sort of masked the other flavors. Medium body with decent carbonation.

750 ml bottle shared by Drew. Thanks, man! Bottle 90/124. Pours a rich deep brownish hue, good rich murkiness, haze, with some brownish glow on the edges. A frothy tannish head dies to a loose film with a thicker ring, laces ok. Aromas are rich oak, Bourbon spirit and vanilla tannins, touches of toffee, caramel, and cocoa. Some good firm touches of dried fruit, barrel works well, with crisp toast and sweet toffee. Initial is medium bodied, offering a touch of thinness. Sweet toffee, caramel, and touches of vanilla. Gentle brown sugar, biscuits. Firm barrel presence comes in, a gentle heat and firm oak, some coconut, toasted barrel. Sticky sweetness, thinned out by a firm but not overwhelming barrel. Some touches of maple, vanilla, and sticky smooth finish. Well integrated, with a great body, barrel presence, touch of oxidation. Great beer that has definitely stood the test of time. Some dried fruit, mellow marmalade, with toasted coconut and barrel keeping time. Well done.

259/280 big thanks to TheBeerSommelier. Beer poured into a snifter a very murky brown with a nice amount of cream colored head that leaves a ring. Smell is somewhat boozy but not over powering it lends more of a sweetness to the beer. Taste is tangy upfront with a very sweet finish and no boozy after taste. Drinking very nicely. Thanks a ton Matt!!!!

Bottle thanks to ygtbsm94, tasted 05/21/2011. Pours thin, no head, deep brown with ruby highlights. I’m informed that this is the amber color of a well-aged wine. Rich nose of sweet caramel, vanilla, oak, bourbon shining through, with slight oxidation/mustiness coming through, and alcohol more apparent as the beer warms. Taste has caramel, brown sugar and toffee, with strong barrel character, hints of pepper and tanins in the the finish, boozy overtones in the finish. Creamy and thick in the mouth, smooth. This bottle had aged very well, hopefully others have as well, a fantastic experience.

Sampled at the DC Ratebeer Gathering. Bottle 66 of 280. Pours a lightly oily, copper amber with one ring of beige head. Great nose, brandy, apples, rum, cane sugar, tropical fruits. Flavor is sweet, caramel, apples, pears, brandy, cane sugar, rum, tropical fruit. Full bodied, sweet, brandy finish.

Thanks to CaptainCougar for this one- Bottle 66/280. Brownish ruby pour with a small head. The nose holds giant caramel, blood orange, cherry cheesecake, and loads of molasses. The flavor warms up to show big caramel, cherry, molasses, wood, oak; not as sweet as the BA Wee Heavy. Very very nice.

Bottle #66 shared by CaptainCougar. Thanks! Pours a clear berry-red color with a thin tan head that fades quickly. Rich malty aroma with notes of toffee, toasted malts, berries, oxidation notes and leafy hops. The taste is toffee, berries, toasted malts, earth, caramel and faint whisky notes. A bit of booze. Medium-full bodied. Soft carbonation. Very nice.

dark nut brown, near purple, thin cream ring for a head. Heavy fruit skin, dates, prunes, light roast and oxidation. Flavor is more bitter roast, lightly rem of wee heavy 05, bit more vanilla and caramel, bit burnt through the end. Soft carbonation, bitter through the end. Quite nice, English, like jw Kees without the body.

Holy dump thanks to CaptainCougar! Massive bourbon vanilla notes with mounds of caramel, and hefty payload of toffee, and a metric ton of booze. Huge thick rich palate with a very sweet finish, sporting very little effervescence.

750mL #66/280 massive thanks to CaptainCougar. The pour is clear, tawny, deep reddish brown. Flatter with yellow bubbles. Nose is woody, red wine, cinnamon, wet wood, rich and tawny. Toffee and caramel. Taste is tart, salty, red wine sharpness and acidity. Very nice old wood character. Very nice but not superlative. Easy to enjoy at least. Mild mint.