Decadent Ale
Northampton Brewery

 

 

 

On tap at the Brewpub
Comes to the table a medium mahogany color with a creamy off white head that leaves lots of lace on the way down. Burnt caramel and buttery nose with hints of dark fruit, sulfur, and light earthy hops. The flavor is a classic English earthy mineral malty profile with bits of toffee and diacytyl. Medium to thick body with a light level of carbonation and a sweet slick mouthfeel. Classic and probably close to style, but my sensitivity to diacytyl prevents me from enjoying this brew.

Served on draft at the brewpub. Ten ounces was the limit due to the "high alcohol content," which I thought was rather bogus since the last time I was there I was served a full pint of their "guest beer," Cambridge House Big Hoppy, which was just as potent as Decadent. I suspect this is produced in small quiantities perhaps only once a year, and is rationed.

a: Brown/Black, finger thick white head declined slowly.

s: Dark malt. Nice.

t: Dark malt. Very nice!

m: Moderate; along with the flavor, encourages small sips.

o: Wow. I like hopped beers too, but this definitely hit a malty soft spot in my beer-loving heart.

Enjoyed at the brewpub this English strong ale brings a dark golden walnut brown colored look. The light tan head is moderate and healthy as it holds nicely leaving a respectable trail of lacing. The aroma offers mild apple butter malt and a tasteful touch of leafy hop skunk. Fairly seductive. The tastebuds enjoy a light, leafy caramel tea sort of an idea. Definitely a bit lighter in taste and body than I anticipated. But not bad. There’s a little bit of an herbal undertow which is nice and just slightly skunky. But generally this is a very smooth blend of caramel malt that is highly drinkable. In fact I can hardly believe the abv is this high. Did I get the right beer? It’s enjoyable enough but in no way is this a big beer. Body is medium-light with a smooth, somewhat watery feel and mild carbonation. Good but not so memorable.

 

I've had lots of American strong ales, but not many English ones. This one was clear and brown, with only a thin ring of head evident.

Aroma was of strong rich malt. No hops noticeable. It was nice.

Taste was primarily strong rich malt. There was a slight bitterness, with a little spiciness. The aftertaste was bitter, but there was a bit of a solvent taste as well.

Mouthfeel was smooth, and there was a fair amount of body to it.

Drinkability has to take a little hit because of the solvent flavor at the end. It wasn't ethanol, and it definitely wasn't an ester or diacetyl.

This review is for 2004. Once poured Decadent Ale was a dark walnut color capped by a quarter inch head and was well-laced.It was well blended with elements of toasted chocolate, caramel and a good hop bite. Mouthfeel was dry and bittersweet. The chalky,dry finish was almost a little too astringent. I believe the 10%+ ABV lent a big hand to my enjoyment of this beer.

Sampled on tap at the brewpub.

This ale poured a clear, deep chestnut color with thin, tan foam. The smell was lightly malty with a hint of caramel and some sweetness. The taste was lightly sweet with a touch of fruitiness and some caramel. The hoppiness was moderate overall, but there was some hoppiness in the finish (though not bitter). There were also touches of phenols and tannins in the finish. The mouthfeel was very smooth with medium-full body and low carbonation feel. Overall it was fairly clean, and a bit warming. This was a nice ale, though not fitting neatly into any style.

Draught: This one pours a dark brown with tinges of ruby to the color. Mine had almost no head at all. There was a slight smokiness to the aroma. The more prevalent were rich malts, some hops, and perhaps some cherries. Also a whiff of alcohol. The flavor is very malty, without being overly sweet. Hints of fuits and only a touch of alcohol to the taste. It was a bit silky going down also. Very nice and warming.

This was the best one out of the bunch I tried at Northampton (hey, they didn't have a lager!). Anway, dark clear amber when served, with low to no head. I was intrigued by the faint choco-cocoa aroma that came wafting my way from the glass. Very tasty, the malt base has a decidedly warming finish. The hops add juicyness to the taste. Surprisingly easy to drink. I submitted a change to the style (it was either a stong or old ale, and the abv at 10%).

I think this is more of a Double Pale or Double Amber Ale, but the style has yet to be recognized.
It pours a dark leathery walnut color with a smallish beige head.
The aroma starts with a big malty smell. A floral hop emerges, as does a light smell of dark rum.
Dark roasted malt and sweet toffee flavors mingle with tastes of coffee and milk chocolate. A hint of prunes is noticed way in the background.
A potent taste of grapefruit and mild metallic bite are finished with a light taste of lemons. The dark rummy alcohol is well disguised, but you can get a feel for it in your lungs, and later the brain begins to suspect something happy going on.
I wish I could have purchased a growler or two of this Decadent stuff!