AleSmith Decadence 2011 Maple Smoked Barleywine - AleSmith Brewing Company

spdyfire83

Ireland

3.75/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

271st Review
75cl bottle to wine glass
Vintage: 2011

Thanks ricoch3t for this birthday gift!

A: Medium chestnut brown. 2+ (light tannish mocha) fingernail head on soft pour.

S: Smells of roast pig, smokey, and maple. Deep, rich, and complex. Hints of caramel sweetness and dark malt. Quite interesting and inviting.

T: Taste follows smells, but mostly smokiness here with a touch of sweet maple and caramel. Very smooth, but the ABV is quite distinct (could stand to mellow a bit).

M: Full bodied with loads of carbonation.

O: A really fun beer to try and one that I think would go excellent with breakfast - a huge stack of pancakes, sausage links, and eggs. The only things that could make this a bit more enjoyable would be: 1) slightly less smokiness, and 2) age to let the booziness mellow a bit.

Serving type: bottle

08-12-2012 16:20:46 | More by spdyfire83

Zbeetleman

California

3.25/5  rDev -15.6%

05-15-2013 04:51:41 | More by Zbeetleman

Gobzilla

California

4.25/5  rDev +10.4%

05-05-2013 10:29:53 | More by Gobzilla

pperez38

California

3.75/5  rDev -2.6%

05-02-2013 10:27:15 | More by pperez38

Kelp

New Hampshire

3.5/5  rDev -9.1%

04-29-2013 06:07:06 | More by Kelp

kk73

Hawaii

4.25/5  rDev +10.4%

02-25-2013 20:41:19 | More by kk73

alamode

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +10.4%

02-17-2013 18:03:55 | More by alamode

ehammond1

California

3.48/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Bottle (2012)

Alesmith Brewing Company
San Diego, CA

(Aged for 1 year)

A gorgeous barleywine. Flawless, in fact. A near-clear burnt amber with a very persistent, moderately-sized creamy khaki-colored head. Leaves messy, irregular spiderwebs of lace down the glass. Gorgeous.

The aroma is very, very nice, which actually makes the flavor seem worse in comparison because the flavor isn't nearly as nice as the aroma. Sweet toffees and caramels, mild maple sweetness (though I'd probably name it "honey," without the obvious prompting), and a nice, hidden smoke character.

The smoke is far more present in the flavor than in the aroma, which is disappointing to me, as I'm not the hugest fan of smoke-forward beers. Sweet maple and caramels combine, along with a bit of an alcohol kick.

Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.

Good, but I wish the smoke was tamed further in the flavor, as the aroma is quite nice.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2013 06:34:55 | More by ehammond1

kscaldef

Oregon

3.5/5  rDev -9.1%

02-12-2013 02:41:49 | More by kscaldef

MystikCelt

New York

4/5  rDev +3.9%

02-11-2013 00:26:55 | More by MystikCelt

thebouch01

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +3.9%

02-10-2013 04:50:19 | More by thebouch01

dtx00

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -2.6%

02-09-2013 02:51:45 | More by dtx00

brez8791

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -9.1%

02-02-2013 02:48:47 | More by brez8791

bluesplit63

Connecticut

4/5  rDev +3.9%

01-31-2013 02:02:12 | More by bluesplit63

MudDrinker

Ohio

4/5  rDev +3.9%

01-18-2013 00:15:05 | More by MudDrinker

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +3.9%

01-16-2013 14:18:04 | More by Knapp85

DoubleSimcoe

New York

4.5/5  rDev +16.9%

01-13-2013 22:43:08 | More by DoubleSimcoe

drummermattie02

Texas

2.75/5  rDev -28.6%

01-11-2013 16:42:58 | More by drummermattie02

JRod1969

New York

4.25/5  rDev +10.4%

01-11-2013 01:14:08 | More by JRod1969

dgilks

Australia

3.83/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Clearish red-amber colour with a smooth, light tan head. Good head retention and lacing.

Smoky and fruity. Sweet. Alcohol. Interesting but a little one-dimensional.

Sweet malt with lots of alcohol. Plenty of bitterness. Nice smoke notes. A little simple but it works.

Medium body with moderate carbonation. Simple and quite creamy.

A lovely barleywine. Simple but good.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2013 08:16:25 | More by dgilks

kaelingirl

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev -2.6%

12-30-2012 23:58:01 | More by kaelingirl

beagle75

Iowa

3.1/5  rDev -19.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 3

Poured from a 750 ml bottle into a goblet.

A: Clear, dark amber color with less than one finger of diminishing ginger-tinted foam head. Scant lacing remains on the glass.

S: Ripe mixed fruit, bubble gum, and a double dose of wood smoke all add interest to an abundant caramel backbone. No alcohol is detected.

T: Begins off-dry, with an early burst of carbonic acid that scatters the refined crystal malt. Woodsmoke is present in the middle where acidity still causes problems but begins to recede. The finish is mildly bitter, with previous smoked malt that tapers off slowly in the presence of pernicious carbonic acidity. No alcohol is detected.

M: Medium to thick viscosity, extreme acidity that burns the palate and sinuses, with moderate carbonation.

D/O: Although flawed, this beer makes an effective argument for the incorporation of wood-smoked malt into a weakly-hopped barleywine. Acidity is beyond annoying here, presenting a legitimate barrier to enjoyment that goes so far as to be painful at times.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2012 23:49:27 | More by beagle75

ryan1788a5

Massachusetts

4.05/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

750ml bottle poured into a large snifter.

A: Pours a nice burnt sienna color. Mild haze. The cream colored head settles into just a thin wisp after a little while. Spotty and scraggly lacing coats the whole glass.

S: Robust malt scents of chocolate covered caramel chews, nuts, and a slight woody presence. Good layer of smoke and campfire. Sugary maple. Dried fig and golden raisins.

T: Cocoa powder, milk chocolate, bread crust, nuts. Slight spicy alcohol burn. A thin blanket of smoke covers everything. Dried fig and golden raisin. Caramel and sugary maple. Brothy. Drying finish of wood, light smoke, powdery chocolate, and dried fig.

M: Thick, chewy body. Very filling and mouth-coating. Light carbonation. Deliciously smooth. Great mouthfeel. Warming alcohol. It seems as though you could spoon it out of the glass.

O: As its name would suggest, this beer is indeed decadent. The dessert-like aspects of it are quite appealing, right down to the thick but silky-smooth mouthfeel. Great restraint and great balance too; the smoke and maple complement nicely and never threaten to steal the show. A year in the cellar really seems to have smoothed it out, and it's hitting its stride right now. Drink it up if you happen to have a bottle stashed away.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2012 09:47:39 | More by ryan1788a5

TXhomebrewer

Texas

4/5  rDev +3.9%

12-24-2012 14:35:43 | More by TXhomebrewer

Thorpe429

Illinois

2.83/5  rDev -26.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Served in a mini snifter. Pours a moderate brown color with a moderate off-white head that recedes fairly quickly. The nose brings a moderate dosage of smoke alongside just a touch of maple and some caramel and bread sweetness. Flavor has smoke again, and it is a bit overbalanced toward this. Malt in the background. Hints of maple. Body is medium and rich with quite a bit of sweetness. Interesting, though not something I’d necessarily want to come back to.

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2012 19:02:17 | More by Thorpe429