4 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
Capped 750 from The Davis Beer Shoppe in Davis, CA. Pours a very dark ruddy copper with a creamy beige head. Aroma is light smoke with indications of hop. Full bodied. Flavor is brown sugar, smoke and hints of maple. Some hop bitter, but not able to discern details. Arguably there’s some dark fruit, but given the feel I doubt it. It’s a pretty good sipper, and tho there’s heat, it’s not all that disturbing. Overall it’s easier to drink than to pick out the pieces. It finishes more towards dry than sweet. Just the slightest bit sticky - so make that more towards sweet than dry. This stuff keeps changing around.
4.1 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
750ml bottle. Rating #12. Dark ruby hued brown pour with a nice sticky light beige head, really pretty. Rich caramel malts with a nice sweet light (very light) smokey aroma, picked up just the slight bit of maple (toasted maple). Nice flavor, boozy, more caramel, light maple, no real smoke glavors to speak of, at least none that I could pick up. Realy tasty and very decadent. (2241)
3.7 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 16/20
UPDATED: MAR 17, 2012 Bottle; Pour is murky dark brown / amber with a fine bubbled khaki head in this glass. It retains well, with modest lacing in this snifter; the nose is heavy on the smoked notes, with some caramel / toffee obviously. I’m a fan of smoked brews but this one didn’t quite work for me honestly - I think it was too heavy on the smoked notes when looking at the barley wine character - I think the addition of maple syrup was a positive for the flavor profile for balance - but i was really hoping for more caramel / toffee / dark fruits from this one ; the lingering bitterness and smokiness was a tad too heavy for me, overall
4.2 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 18/20
Bottle. Pours a murky amber with a slight orange hue and a respectably frothy tan head. Aroma is smoke, roast, char, bacon, wheat, grist, and perhaps some light sweetness from the maple but it is buried deep under the smoke. As the beer warms I get more toffee and raisin character under the smoke. Taste is condensed smoke with char bitterness up front followed by sweetness (the maple I imagine) and then a fairly heavy duty barley wine profile with raisin, toffee, some hop bitterness, and alcohol whispering through the finish. Mouthfeel is even and coating. Exceptionally well crafted and certain to age with the best of ’em. Well done Alesmith!
4.4 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 18/20
Pours a crystal clear amber with a fluffy beige head. Aroma hits with a great mix of smoke and toffee with maple and some boozy notes rounding it out. Flavor is hoppier than expected, alcohol warmth, light smoke and toffee. This one is going to age gracefully.
4.1 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
Already delicious but will mellow and meld so much with age! Visually stunning body with crimson, scarlet, ruby, and garnet glowing below a tightly packed eggshell head. Tons of rauch smoke, char, and ash accompanied by vanilla, raisin, plum, caramel, and toffee. Flavor shows a bit of alcohol...present but not overly distracting. Mrs. Butterworth, brown sugar, molasses, fig, vanilla bean, and honey all there. Still a bit sharp and biting but time will tell. Another winner!
3.7 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
Served from a 750 mL bottle from Baron’s. The appearance is a beautiful deep copper hue that is crystal clear. There is a frothy beige head that laces its way down the glass. Some earthy hopy tones, some alcohol and a slight amount of maple with a sweet brown sugar edge. The flavor enters with some thick maple syrup without a lot of sweetness. The entry is very full bodied with a full malt backbone with the smoked malts riding the edge of the tongue. Good torched brown sugar flavors. Very malty without an overpowering sweetness. AleSmith always does a good job of removing the residual sugars.There are some oak and black pepper notes in there as well. Although all of the flavors aren’t necessarily my personal favorites this is another well done Decadence by AleSmith. This beer pair really well with some pork chops.
3.8 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
Bottle. Medium Brown color with thick tan head and lacing. Aroma of maple smoked bacon and sweet maple syrup. Taste is sweet brown sugar and maple candy with a smoked bacon. Smokey flavor is not too strong. Fairly thick mouth feel.
4.1 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 18/20
Taster at the brewery: Deep dark brown color with a small beige head. Aroma is light maple syrup and a hint of smoke. Flavor starts rich and malty followed by maple syrup, a light smokiness and a light bitterness in the finish with a hint of alcohol. Full body is rich and smooth with soft carbonation.
3.5 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 14/20
9 mar 2012, bottle. Maple and earthy barley wine. Med body and mildly fizzy. Maple syrup and blue cheese. Interesting. Nice but not great.
---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone
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