Decadence 2007 Imperial Porter - Bourbon Barrel-Aged
AleSmith Brewing Company

Decadence 2007 Imperial Porter - Bourbon Barrel-AgedDecadence 2007 Imperial Porter - Bourbon Barrel-Aged
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From:
AleSmith Brewing Company
 
California, United States
Style:
Imperial Porter
ABV:
10%
Score:
96
Avg:
4.37 | pDev: 10.98%
Reviews:
61
Ratings:
79
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Apr 20, 2015
Added:
Mar 13, 2009
Wants:
  105
Gots:
  9
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by PatronWizard:
Photo of PatronWizard
Reviewed by PatronWizard from California

4.63/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
I've had the '07 Decadence and thought it was good, but nothing to scream about. Wasn't even really clamoring for the barrel aged version. Then OlieIPA and Aimstatus bring it to my house as part of a sick line up. And I drank ....

Pour produces a big frothy head. Creamy looking, big and small bubbles. Standing up at the edges. Black fluid. Looks pretty damn good.

Big bourbon scent. I mean huge bourbon scent. Kinda masks the other aromas. Like being socked in the face with a chamois that had been soaked in Gentleman Jack. A little boozy, but I'm excited now.

Taste is simply awesome. The bourbon is there in a big way but not quite as much as the nose would suggest. Right under the bourbon is a big bite of really rich chocolate. Decadence.

Incredibly smooth, right down to the beautiful warming sensation in my bellay. So aptly named. This is straight gluttony. Ridiculously good.

A big ass beer right here, not for wussies. It's actually shoving me around, pushing me around, showing me who's boss. I love big ABV and I question the honesty of the 10% on the label. I would guess 12%. Either way, HolyRolyPolyOlieIPA Batman, this stuff is great.

In a too-good-to-be-true evening line-up that included '09 Kate, '08 Abyss, Choklat, and Black Butte XX (another kickass imperial porter), the barrel aged Decadence was the one that made me pop a chub.

Overall: decadence
Apr 24, 2009
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.18 by diamondlie from Connecticut

Apr 20, 2015
 
Rated: 3.75 by GRG1313 from California

Nov 05, 2014
Photo of Alieniloquium
Reviewed by Alieniloquium from Florida

3.4/5  rDev -22.2%
750 mL bottle poured into a snifter.

Appearance - Deep amber. Small khaki head.

Smell - Bourbon. Cardboard and some light sherry. Some caramel.

Taste - Lots of bourbon. Cardboard and sherry again. Caramel and some intense oak.

Mouthfeel - Medium low carbonation. Oxidized.

Overall - Well it's boozy and very bourbony. And probably well past its prime.
Sep 09, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by zestar from California

Jul 19, 2014
 
Rated: 2.75 by IrishColonial from Texas

Dec 14, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by BarrytheBear from Wisconsin

Nov 02, 2013
 
Rated: 4.25 by madtowndmb1 from Wisconsin

Nov 02, 2013
Photo of UCLABrewN84
Reviewed by UCLABrewN84 from California

4.01/5  rDev -8.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Bottle pour at Woodshop 8 held at The Hermosillo in Los Angeles, CA.

Thanks to aussy13 for sharing this one.

Pours a murky brown with a foamy khaki head that settles to wisps of film on top of the beer. Small dots of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of dark roasted malt, cocoa, bourbon, and wood aromas. Taste is much the same with bourbon and wood flavors on the finish. There is a mild amount of roasty bitterness and an alcohol kick on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp and medium bodied mouthfeel. Overall, this is a good beer that has held up well until now but has a slightly better smell in my opinion.
Oct 28, 2013
 
Rated: 4.5 by drummermattie02 from Texas

Apr 22, 2013
 
Rated: 4.5 by Azrael

Feb 08, 2013
Photo of ehammond1
Reviewed by ehammond1

3.71/5  rDev -15.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5
Bottle (2009) (608/817)

Acquired via trade
Thanks, itk1!

(Aged for ~4 years)

Very dark brown, very nearly black, with a small to moderately-sized dark brown head of small bubbles. Leaves the glass oily and spotted with stick. Pretty barrel-aged porter.

The aroma is the weakest aspect of this beer, and I believe age has not helped matters here at all. Especially at the cold temperatures, the main attributes were strong oxidation, leather, and some root vegetable characteristics, unfortunately. That being said, as the beer warms, truly nice layers of chocolate and a very mild bourbon and oak presence emerged. Overall, especially after reading how extraordinary the aroma was apparently in other bottles, the aroma was not great and was hurt greatly by time, is my estimation.

The flavor, however, was still quite nice, and not nearly as oxidized as the aroma. Nice layers of chocolates coat the mouth, along with a mild bourbon and oak character. There's some leather and oxidation as well. Alcohol is incredibly well hidden. Enjoyable, but not other-worldly.

A very full, rich, decadent, sticky sipper. Very nice.

Glad I got to try this one, but age did this bottle no help. Drink now if you got any of these leftovers sitting around!
Feb 02, 2013
Photo of Gobzilla
Reviewed by Gobzilla from California

4.42/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
A: poured almost black in color with dark brown highlights and a thin head that left a little lacing sticking to the glass.

S: plenty of sweetness in the aroma such as caramell, toffee, and brown sugar with great bourbon barrel character that showed nice vanilla notes but also with good roastiness and some booze there as well.

T: great bourbon barrel vanilla character on the palate which added nice dimension to it alongside caramel, toffee, and brown sugar sweetness, hints of coffee, good roasted malts and plenty of booze for the age of the bottle.

M: the brew was medium in body with fair amount of carbonation which had a sweet, roasty, slightly astringent, boozy and creamy finish.

O: I'm glad to have tried the base beer allongside the BA aged version. Honestly thought both were solid but I like the robust flavors the barrel brought out so I'll go with the BA version.
Dec 01, 2012
 
Rated: 4.75 by t0rin0 from California

Aug 12, 2012
Photo of brystmar
Reviewed by brystmar from Texas

4.5/5  rDev +3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Opened alongside the regular '07 Decadence at a tasting last night. Thanks to RoyMunson for the trade!

Nose brings bourbon, toffee, cocoa, oak, a roasty base, and booze to my nostrils. Same notes in the taste, though there's an added layer of depth from the barrels. A kiss of sweetness midway through. A few of the other flavors in here reminded me of a Scotch Ale.

Although I enjoyed both thoroughly, this was certainly more complex than the base beer. The barrel character did wonders to the (already spectacular) base, creating a top-notch BA porter. Wish I had another bottle :(
May 13, 2012
 
Rated: 5 by whartontallboy from New York

May 13, 2012
 
Rated: 5 by ZX6Chris from California

Mar 21, 2012
 
Rated: 3 by Rempo from Indiana

Nov 20, 2011
 
Rated: 5 by jlb502 from California

Nov 20, 2011
 
Rated: 4.75 by xnicknj from Pennsylvania

Nov 20, 2011
Decadence 2007 Imperial Porter - Bourbon Barrel-Aged from AleSmith Brewing Company
Beer rating: 96 out of 100 with 79 ratings