Decadence 2016 Imperial California Common Ale
AleSmith Brewing Company

It held up very well for ten years, and was very amber in color and very malty in taste.

 

 

 

 

 

Purchased at Arrow Wine for $15.99. 9.5% ABV. About 1-year old when I drank it.

Alesmith calls this an imperial common ale (a steam beer). The aroma of a steam beer with that slightly sweet, a bit fruity imperial edge to it. 4.25

A – Pours a clear amber with a three-finger off white orange tinted head. Good lacing. 4.0

S – Malty aromas, brown bread, faint honey. 4.25

T – Brown bread, nutty, caramel, but no sweetness, low bitterness only at the end. 4.25

MF – Creamy with a medium body and a slightly sweet transitioning into a dry lasting finish. 4.25

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Poured from 750ml bottle into Chimay goblet.

L-Light to medium brown pour, tannish/off-white head which disappeared quickly.

S-Caramel malts, toffee, hops.

T-Hoppy floral notes with a well rounded sweet malty base. Hop aftertaste, but not cloying or oily.

F - Dry, faint carbonation

While it has definite hop flavors, it's not overly bitter or palette nuking. A malt driven IPA/old ale.

Pours mostly cloudy. The deep amber, veering towards brown, has a nice cap of thick foamy tan head head with great retention. It leaves smears of small sticky lacing as the glass goes down. The aroma is light but has some nice fruity hops, courtesy of the Northern Brewer hops, with just a faint whiff of caramel (toffee?). The taste really brings it all together, though, with a great balance of the hops and more robust malt body with the caramel, plus some darker fruit. There is a nice hefty weight to it, a good deal thicker than a traditional common, mostly smooth with just a little hint of carbonation.