United Nations of Beer

AleSmith Decadence 2007

by UtahSteve
(Ogden, Utah)

This review is my for AleSmith Decadence 2007 (9.9% ABV)
AleSmith Brewing, San Diego, CA, USA

The 2007 Imperial Evil Dead Red Ale weighs in at 9.9% ABV and comes in a 750ml crown-capped bottle.

Decadence is brewed annually in celebration of the brewery’s anniversary and will be an over-the-top rendition of a more traditional style and should be different every year.

Luckily I have two bottles of this one and I will definitely let the second sit for a lot more of the recommended 6-36 months; twelve months is not nearly long enough.

After pouring this one into my glass there is an immediate odor of malty sweetness. The color is a hazy reddish brown with a quickly diminishing light brown head.

There are numerous competing aromas, including but not limited to spicy alcohol, tobacco, oak, raisins, red wine, butterscotch, brown sugar and molasses.

The flavor is VERY sweet and vinous to the point of being cloying and there is no initial hop aroma, flavor or bitterness. Upon refilling my glass there is some hop aroma. Maybe the malt overpowers the hops or they are not intended to be present.

The mouthfeel is full and the texture is very sticky. There is no lace. I will reserve complete judgment until after another year has passed and I have tried the second bottle, but my first inclination is that this one is too sweet for me.

My recommendation would be to wait for Alesmith to brew your favorite Decadance style and buy that one.