AleSmith Old Numbskull

Brewed by AleSmith Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
San Diego, California USA

Bottle. Deep dark brown color. Vinous, raisinny aroma with plums. Flowery and earthy hops. Porto flavor with raisin, alcohol, a firm flowery and earthy hoppiness, tannines and blackcurrant. Firm earthy hopbitter aftertaste, with pepper. All that and more in a beer oozing with flavors and aromas. Nice one!

750 ml. (silver foil... I am assuming it is 07’ or 08’) into snifter. Pours a great woody brown color with a reddish hue - clear with a medium sized creamy off-white head that holds). Complex aroma that has a superb hop character (sweet and bitter citrus grapefruit) that works in perfect balance with the doughy rich malt background, which has notes of butterscotch, oak, vanilla, and bourbon - some nice warming complex booze in the aroma too. The flavor does not seem as complex and interesting. It is way less hoppy and heavy. I can’t even really put my finger on it. It is sweet but not overly sweet - it is not doughy and chewy like the aroma. I am noticing a bit of citrus hops on the finish now, but still not nearly as much character as in the aroma. Though the flavor is a bit neutral and hard to explain, it is balanced and highly drinkable (for 11%). The booze is hidden well. Medium to full body on the palate with soft lush carbonation. Overall: definitely a great brew, but a bit confusing as far as the flavor. P.S. RB says this is 10% and I just noticed my bottle says 11%. There is also some weird black striation pattern on the inner circle of the cap... I don;t know what this means, but it doesn’t look intentional.

Bottle. Poured a cloudy brown color with a thin brownish head. Aroma of fruit and hops with caramel malt. Flavor had chocolate hints, with honey and a hoppy finish. Full body with mild carbonation.

2005 Bottle shared by illinismitty. Poured a hazy brown with an off-white head that left a thin layer lasting and light lacing. Nice hoppy and fruit aroma with a caramel malt backing. Chocolate flavor at first but slides to a hoppier flavor as warms. Medium to full body, slightly chalky, starts sweet but ends bitter. Very good!

Pours with a hazy/marky amber hue which sits below a small off white head that is mostly diminishing after a few moments. Aroma is of sweet malt, dark fruits, and some strawberries. I smell hints of honey and caramel as well. Flavor is of candy, honey, and of bitterness. The bitterness is pretty strong. Sweet beginning followed by a pretty strong bitter ending. Syrupy texture with light carbonation. I feel that it was overly bitter. Would have tasted better had it been toned down a tad bit. Not bad nonetheless.

Cloudy orange/yellow color with no head. Very low carbonation. Aroma is of honey & fruits. Flavor is of ethanol, honey, fruits, and slightly bitter. Alcohol is very well hidden.

2005 bottle courtesy of Zug4abby. Pours a murky amber orange with an off white head. This still has a nice nose of fruity ale esters, sugary malt, and cherry. Full bodied with a rich, somewhat chewy texture. Nice mouthfeel. Flavor of caramel, toffee candy, dark honey, and a very subtle smoke phenol countered by a very subdued hop bitterness (due to the room temp cellaring). The attenuation is nice, sweet without going over the top (like Avery). Warming finish without the booziness. Solid beer, but perhaps I sat on this a tad too long. I need to quite cellaring shit and just drink it. I bet this is even better fresh.

Oxidationfest Tasting at illinsmittys curtesy of Illinismitty. 2005. Burnt orange translucent pour with thin ring of off-white head. Reminds me in every way of the decadence, but a much hoppier, and not as much dark fruit. Sweet and bitter finish. Enjoyable, abut not as much as the decadence. Much hoppier than the barral aged.