AleSmith Barrel Aged Decadence

Bottle 239/280 courtesy of puzzl. Deep brown-orange beer, thin tan head. Aroma is loaded with rich oaky bourbon character. Lightly minty with a bit of chewy caramel. Prominent herbal aroma with dill and celery salt making the most prominent contribution. A bit of light fruitiness as well. Quite hot and boozy, but shows a bit of light licorice, orange peel and some softly oxidized fruitiness. Apricot and concentrated pear as well. Very woody and chewy with a damp tobaccoish flavour as well. It’s a good beer, but not a great one.

Bottle from Sprinkle, 239/280, 2nd bottling. The cap pops with absolutely no sound whatsoever, so much so that I got worried that this was bootleg. Doesn’t taste it though, nor does it look it, as AFAIK the paper Decadence labels were only used in this bottling. Strong bourbon oak aroma with a gentle vanilla behind with some marzipan and celery. Wet, lush flavor, old, lightly oxidized, with a fair bit of oak in front of a mellow old ale body. Definitely the best BA Alesmith I’ve had yet, certainly in that it isn’t absolutely dominated by bourbon. There is actually still some beer left in here. I wouldn’t call this easy drinking but still it’s not too bad going down. Quite tasty but not worth an arm and a leg.

Bottle shared @ mgumby’s: Bottle numbered 237/280. Muddy brown pour, thin white ring hugging the outside of the glass. Aroma is stale cider, low-laying apples, oak barrels. Flavor is strongly alcohol cloaked in bourbon, musky vanilla, and dark sugars. Complex and sweet, finishes quicker than I would have liked. Warm -- but not hot. Beautiful beer. The only thing better than this beer is hopscotch’s ringtone.

Bottle... This beer rocks!... Murky caramel-colored ale with a short-lived, fat-bubbled, off-white head. Apparently, hyphens rock too! The aroma is meaty and rich with gobs of caramel and a bourbon/wood swirl. Full-bodied and oily with lazy carbonation. Caramel-sweet and woodsy with a big note of vanilla and a lesser notation of coconut. Nice, hoppy, boozy bitterness and moderate acidity. Lengthy, warm, caramel and bourbon finish. Major kudos to pepsican for providing this rare treat!

#1500!! Huge thansk to hopscotch for sharing this rare treat with me! Pours a dark maroon/brown, with light bubbles hugging the edge ofthe glass. Smells of sweet caramel malt, light sweet booze, sweet molasses, and other dark fruits as well. Theflavor wasstill pretty fruity up front, then turned into creamy vanilla and whiskey. Very warming on the palate, and fairly easy to drink. The flavor characters seemed to blend quite nicely together. Finishes a touch hot, mild bitterness ensues. Really well done, the flavors seem to work together well. Thanks again Eric for sharing this highly sought after gem!