S'mores
Decadent Ales

Canned ?/28/20, opened 5/8/2020

Dark brown motor , taupe pencil thin carbonation , settles to a ring and thin layer

Fragrant aroma of chocolate, graham cracker , marshmallow, cinnamon

Taste - whoa! striking ,sharp almost astringent , hint of graham cracker , hint of cinnamon

Bitter - tried three sips

Nope , not a beer for me

16 oz. Can
BB: Dec?

Poured into a Tree House glass a pretty nice cloudy pale yellow/orange color, pretty nice carbonation, with a pretty nice thick/creamy one-finger plus off-white head, which also leaves some pretty nice sticky lacing behind. The nose is hoppy, malty, with a pretty nice citrus complex (orange, tangerine, mango, peach, apricot), nice touch of vanilla, cinnamon, chocolate, marshmallows, graham cracker, nice little diesel like. The taste is pretty nice hoppy, malty, with a pretty nice citrus complex (orange, tangerine, mango, peach, apricot,), with some chocolate, vanilla, cinnamon, marshmallows, graham cracker, pretty nice diesel like. Medium body, ABV hidden very nicely, with a nice little dry/bitter finish. Overall, this is a pretty tasty brew. Orange Julius! Addictive! MilkShake! Nice to see it around here.

On tap at Mule Bar

Different. Not bad different, not good different. Just different.

5 oz pour on tap at Lures Bar & Grille. Individually the different components of this beer are fine, but put them all together and I don't get "S'mores" at all. Sorry, for a gimmicky beer this is not worth the 8.6% abv or the calories.

 

Really unique beer. From the name and the design I thought it was going to be a stout or porter or some kind - not used to chocolate, coffee, cinnamon and stronger vanilla flavors in an IPA. No date on can. Pours a slightly hazy yellow-orange color with some fluffy white head and very spotty, scant lingering lacing. Some nice aromas of muddled fruity hops, milk chocolate, medium roast coffee, vanilla, malt, caramel and bread. Tastes similarly, again a little sweet and different from what I expected from an IPA. Smooth, mild mouthfeel and just the right amount of carbonation. Decent, just a little odd and didn't quite pull it off.

L: Slightly hazy light amber color, one finger off white head, thin lacing, light carbonation.

S: Sweet, marshmallow, hops.

T: Sweet, marshmallow, cinnamon, hops. Delicious.

F: Medium bodied, loads of flavor.

O: Delicious desert DIPA.

There is a marking on the rim of the bottom of the can but it is illegible.

Appearance: The body of the beer is a gold-orange an is very hazy. It has a short creamy white head with a combination of dense bubbles and larger ones. Good head retention and lacing.

Aroma: It smells a bit like white candy sugar and peaches with a light bit of grapefruit. The aroma is pleasant and soft.

Taste: It has a strong candy flavor, like powdered sugar and rock candy on a stick. There is a light bit of a nectarine flavor which is nice.

Mouthfeel: The body is light with no real bitterness, which it appears is in line with the brewer's intent. It is very easy to drink.

Overall: The can states that this is a "Double India Pale Ale with Marshmallows, Graham Cracker, Madagascar Vanilla Bean, Cinnamon and Chocolate added." This beer is missing all of the aforementioned flavors, with the exception of the marshmallow an possibly the vanilla, given the sugary taste of the beer. As good of a beer as this is, it is very disappointing that so many ingredients were wastefully used to create something that doesn't taste the way it is advertised. I would recommend it to people who enjoy sugary IPAs but not to anyone looking for a beer that tastes like s'mores.

 

 

A: The beer is hazy yellow in color and has a light amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a quarter finger high white head that quickly settled down, leaving a thin layer of bubbles covering the surface and some lacing down the sides of the glass.
S: Light to moderate aromas of marshmallows and citrusy hops are present in the nose.
T: The taste follows the smell and has a bit of sweetness along with notes of graham crackers and hints of vanilla. Some hints of chocolate also become noticeable once the beer begins to warm up.
M: It feels a bit more than medium-bodied and smooth on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: You can definitely get the S'mores flavors in this beer, but it seems like they would have worked a lot better in a stout than in a citrusy IPA.

Serving type: can

Huge fluffy off-white head from a turbulent pour, requiring two rounds to fit a 16 oz can into a standard Duvel tulip. Retention and lacing are similarly excellent. Body itself is lemon yellow and lightly hazy without floaties, allowing only silhouettes to penetrate. It has the appearance of an unfiltered DIPA, but not the crazy opacity of a NE IPA.

The first impression on the nose is: DIPA! Fresh Mosaic tones of grass, pine, mild dankness, orange, grapefruit, and pepper. Beneath the dry hop, vanilla and cinnamon are faint but present. I was initially sure this beer would be a gimmick (hopefully a tasty gimmick), but this nose is excellent. Graham cracker, marshmallow, and chocolate? Perhaps, but I don't think you would be able to pick them out without already knowing they're added to the beer.

On the palate, this is creamy, smooth, and juicy, with the vanilla (and perhaps marshmallows) adding a deep sweetness to the juicy hop tone - orange creamsicle immediately comes to mind, more so that other beers specifically aiming for that exact flavor. Ruby red grapefruit, lemon, mango, and passionfruit, along with mild pine and dankness, and moderate grassiness. Pepper and mild dry spice, but the cinnamon is very restrained - quite an achievement for a spice which normally dominates.

Graham cracker manages to come through a bit on the finish as the hops fade and the sugary vanilla has been absorbed, blending nicely with a pale malt bill. Any chocolate is devoid of bitterness, and is quite restrained; again, I wouldn't have been able to tell these were present at all without being informed of the ingredients, but if they don't quite stand out, that is perhaps to the benefit of this beer.

The smooth sweetness complements the hop tones incredibly well. This is a dangerous high ABV DIPA that immediately begs for another sip. I'm astounded that this is so good.

Lively mild carbonation bite up front, just enough to ready your palate for the sugars and hops. Very smooth, medium bodied and almost creamy, but not on the order of a NE IPA. Overall bitterness seems fairly low, especially compared to more traditional DIPAs at this ABV (G-Bot seems like a straight up dinosaur by comparison).

I will reiterate: I expected this to be gimmicky, and instead I am absolutely blown away by how great this beer comes across. All of the gimmicky ingredients are incredibly well incorporated to highlight the Mosaic double dry hop, which is without question the focal point of this beer - both on the nose and the palate.

With marshmallows, graham crackers, Madagascar vanilla beans, cinnamon & chocolate added.

Pouring from a 16 oz. can into a whiskey glass, this beer pours out a rather clear gold; surprising clear for all the adjuncts this thing listed. It forms a pinky worth of tightly packed, off white colored bubbles to rest on top.

The nose has an evident marshmallow like sweetness along with slight cinnamon.

The taste comes in with the smooth marshmallow like vanilla.

The sweetness is thick and coats the mouth. Soft, sticky and smooth.

Overall, I don’t pick up much chocolate on this but it’s still a smooth offering.

 

When are s'mores not smores? When they're tropical s'mores and they are made by Decadent Ales. Then s'mores are greater than s'mores. Speaking of which, I think I'll have s'more.

S'mores starts the break the brain by pouring a glowing and hazy gold color that radiates with tints of yellow and straw. As it voluminous froth builds, a bouquet of tropical, herbal and citrus aromatics also spill onto the nose. Tantalizingly sweet, a pastry rich flavor and creamy feel is smoothie-like with hints of key lime pie filling.

Creamy with vanilla and marshmallow, the Mosaic hops spring to life with a passionfruit, lime and mango flavor that bridges into orange, pineapple and papaya for a surprisingly fruity middle palate. Trending smooth and bitter, a hint of strawberry and churro nearly out duel the moderate bitterness of green tea and gin late in taste.

Medium full and continuing creamy sweetness, only peps of granola show through the fruity hops and the creaminess. In fact, the beer tastes more like Neapolitan ice cream, the astronaut version, instead of anything s'mores. S'mores needs chocolate even if the tropical flavors are also present. A long and creamy fruitiness lasts nearly as long as the spicy bitterness in a medium long aftertaste.

Tall can, purchased at the brewery in Mamaranack, NY

Pours fully hazed, delicate cap, leaving fine lacing.

Heavy pineapple and orange juice on the nose.

Complex brew, typical pungent tropical fruit notes up front, later a wiff of sugary marshmellow and an oily, sugary chocolate note in the finish...hmmm, interesting, different...not really my favorite...it would be better w/o the whole s'mores thing going on IMHO...I could do w/o the gimikey aspect....

Single can from Whole Foods in Harlem. Split 2 ways - pours a hazy but not milky yellow golden with maybe half a finger off white head. Aroma is sweet citrus, vanilla, a bit of sweat, and hint of cinnamon and graham cracker - perhaps the power of suggestion.
The taste is an IPA curveball after the aroma - there is definitely a bit of that orange creamsicle, but strongly vanilla, marshmallow sweetness, cinnamon, and graham cracker. Sweet without being cloying. Very little bitterness.
Creamy mouthfeel - hints of the 8.6% but not overly boozy. Finishes smooth and sweet.

Date: No canning date, consumed 04/27/19.

Appearance: Decadent's S'mores has a pleasant deep hazy orange hue with some bight gold around the edges, a solid pour produces a minimal white colored head.

Aroma: Thankfully the hoppy DIPA characteristics come through first with a pineapple and blueberry centered citrus aroma. Up next the S'more like adjuncts assert as advertised, sugary and creamy vanilla marshmallow fluff aroma pops with some light chocolate notes backing it up. Unfortunately, I'm not picking up any of the graham cracker in the aroma. S'mores definitely does have any interesting aroma, I just pray that it isn't too sweet, yeah right.

Taste: Interestingly, I get a not insignificant amount of chocolate up front followed by that substantial punch of sugar laden ultra decadent marshmallow cream. The vanilla bean is also evident, but does not stick out as it often does due to the marshmallow. It's still fairly chilled right now and I am fearful that it will become outright cloying as it warms. However, the hop bitterness does push against the sweeter adjuncts more so than they did in Tropical Mango Smoothie and Strawberry French Toast. After warming for a few minutes, my fears have been realized and things have just gotten far too sweet. Some of the mosaic qualities come forward but are unfortunately masked by the rising sweetness. The beer is more carbonated than I would have figured considering the lack of head. Also, the mouthfeel is quite full thanks to the creamy marshmallow. Decadent beers are clearly made by inspired people who care, but they just suffer from a lack of restraint. This beer could have been something totally original if they had reduced the sweetness by half (or two thirds) allowing the DIPA elements to shine first. Decadent is like the kid who wants a bowl of cereal and instead of choosing a relatively sweet treat, they mix one part Count Chocula, with one part Lucky Charms, followed by one part M&Ms, all swimming in a giant bowl of chocolate milk.