 Ughsmash (2614), Waukesha, Wisconsin, USA
May 1, 2008
Big thanks to Mike for sharing the bottle! Poured very deep brown with a nice cap of tan head. The aroma picked up sweet, toasty chocolates and molasses with other dark sugars present.. well-presented and enticing! The flavor had warmer dark chocolates and other burnt dark malts at the core with sweeter chocolates amplified by alcohol warmth on the edges.. toasty, longer finish. Medium-plus bodied and warm on the palate with high roastiness (near-burnt).. grainy and calculated on the palate. Excellent stuff!
Stine (1175), St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
May 15, 2008 Updated: May 16, 2008Dark chocolate hue with a still, finely laced mocha foam. Huge, vinous, rich aroma of chocolate covered cherries. Pure. Graham crackers and sherry. Woodsy sweetness that seems a bit papery at times. Plastic wrapped caramels. All the elements are there but it tapers off a bit seeming a little hollow. Flavor likewise rushes out with this massive, juicy, full creamy roast. This vinous quality of fig and cherry is consistently present, offering a pleasant cooling touch. Seems insubstantial, though; the depth of this dark fruit, roast and chocolate character is concentrated, but shallow, forming a brittle surface on a thick, alcoholic, mineral toned bitterness of coffee-hued dark malts.
Served at cellar temp (c. 55 F in my basement) room temp and oxygen exposure (c.63-64) is treating it a bit better. Chocolate malts are waxing more syrupy, alcohol seems to ride a silky wave of port, while the berry skins and sugar of temporanillo table wine bolster those mineral hints of bitterness more sufficiently. Pruney alcohol caps the mid palate with an erudite, english polish. Not harsh, but pleasantly imitative of the finest spirits. Palate is cool despite this pointed alcohol presence, and gorgeously pillowy and full; soft, barely there carbonation. Light roasted Asian and African coffees finish; spicy, robust, and juicy roast. It’s really surprising and cool how positive this alcohol presence turns out to be. Thanks Andy!
MaltOMeal (182), h-town, Texas, USA
May 14, 2008 bottle. Pours a dark brown with a thin tan head. Nose was sweet caramel & malt. Taste was roast coffee that I had not noticed in the nose. Mouthfeel was medium and a little chalky. Doesn’t feel like a porter as much as a stout. Pretty good.
Rciesla (166), Brick City, New Jersey, USA
May 13, 2008 Bottle. Pours dark brown with small tan head. Aroma is malt, chocolate, and caramel. Flavor is just that but with a burnt rostiness that i’m not crazy about. However the beer still has a nice creamy mouth feel.
nbutler11 (7), Edwards, California, USA
does not count  May 12, 2008 This beer truly lives up to it’s name both in taste and appearance. I half expected to find flecks of gold lining the bottom of my glass. In my humble opinion, an improvement on the previous Decadence Ale from ’06.
ChazMania (260), Pasadena, California, USA
May 12, 2008 Bottled. Big thick chewy mother of a head on this puppy. Killer aroma, nice and malty. The flavor is precisely what I need on this cool (ridiculously cool) May afternoon. I’m enjoying this while playing my guitar. Full bodied flavor, warms my innards as it goes down and it coats my tongue with chocolatey caramel deliciousness. Me likey.
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