AleSmith Decadence 2007

Formerly brewed at AleSmith Brewing Company
Style: Imperial/Strong Porter
San Diego, California USA

Bottle (750ml). Shared by blankboy with =gregclow, jerc, mabel & tupalev. Deep amber-brown pour, slightly muddy-looking, large creamy tan head - mmmmm. Slightly lactic aroma of lush cocoa, heavy roast, funky, yeastiness moderate alcohol - damn nice. Taste - same, slightly more bitter from hop finishing - slick, slightly thin, nicely acidic - long roasty, increasingly alcoholic finish. God that’s good. Thanks, Paul!

75cl bottle. Very dark brown color with a creamy beige head that lasts and laces. Smells strongly of chocolate liqueur. Bittersweet chocolate. A pretty straight forward dark chocolate and smooth alcohol flavor, with some almond nuttiness. Richly flavored, with a lingering sweet aftertaste, but manageably sweet. Full, creamy body with low carbonation and a little stickiness in the finish. Not a velvety as speedway, but it feels nice in the mouth. Goes down pretty easy for it’s strength, but there is some slight alcohol hotness on the tongue after a larger sip. Just about what I expected from an imperial ported from alesmith, very nicely crafted and balanced, with a ton of flavor.

The Big Bottle, thanks to Bulletrain76. Great nose, chocolate, with a hint of espresso, lovely dark color. With such a great beginning I was concerned the flavor might not be at that level, but I was not disappointed!. Very clean taste at the end. Overall one of the best.

Pours a deep dark black with 3 fingers of huge sticky soapy light brown head. Aroma of sticky brown sugar, dark malts, coffee, chocolate and rasins. Flavor is rasins, caramel, bitter chocolate, coffee, a touch of sweetness but far less than you would guess based on the smell plus a surprising dose of hop bitterness at the finish that entirely twists your palate and fights with the forementioned touch of sweetness and shows you who is boss in this brew. Tasty brew, and can’t wait to see what some age does to this one.

Bottle. Pours pitch black with a dense two-finger tan head that lingers for a while leaving a thin layer along the top with big clumps of lacing along the way. Sweet malts and baker’s chocolate dominate the smell with some definite hints of raisins and plums on top. Taste is big on roasted dark malts and coffee with dark chocolate playing less a role than in the aroma. There is also a faint hop bitterness in the finish. Mouthfeel is medium and slightly lighter than I expected with very good carbonation. This is a very good porter and very drinkable for the ABV.

Beautiful dark brown pour with a creamy tan head that leaves nice lacing. Lots of roasted malt and grain in the aroma, along with chocolate and alcohol. Sweet fruity chocolate, coffee and caramel in the flavor. A bit of hops and alcohol on the finish. Very tasty!

Bottle. Pours a deep brown/black, tan head. Aroma is a sweet chocolate, maybe a touch of roast. Flavor is again chocolate, roast and a touch of caramel and anise. Creamy on the palate, nice body, not too thick, not too thin.

750, thanks to Yonkers65! Pours cola brown with a lacy tan head. A Sweet medium body and medium carbonation. Sweet taste of brown sugar, roasted nuts. Pine and chocolate nose and finish.