Rating: 5/5

Decadent (10th Anniversary Ale) by SKA Brewing is a 10% ABV Imperial India Pale Ale

Commercial Description: (skabrewing.com)
It’s a Celebration.

Imagine celebrating some huge, momentous occasion and then imagine drinking the liquid equivalent of that celebration every day.

Citrus aroma prevails. Mounds of fresh hops and caramel malts explode upon the palate. Originally produced to celebrate our tenth year in business, this Imperial IPA hides nothing of our tendency toward self-indulgent behavior.
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Never have I seen an IPA with a wax covering. Most beers with wax I have seen involve some special reserve stuff. Damn, this must be special. Even more special, as my friend Aaron from www.beermetaldude.com hooked me up with this awesome brew exclusively from Durango Colorado. So basically, this review would not be here without his contribution and SKA Brewing for making this. This is my first SKA Brewing, and special release, beer for review and your reading pleasure.

Aromas:
Citrus, piney, grapefruit hops, honey, biscuit bread, caramel, floral notes, lavender hints, mango, passion fruit, pineapple hints, papaya, oranges, tangerine, prickly pears, toffee, peach notes and herbs.

Flavors:
Peach, caramel, oranges, piney, grassy, floral and grapefruit hops, mango, passion fruit, dragon fruit, prickly pear, oranges, tangerines, papaya, melon, pineapple, toffee, hints of rye, biscuit bread, herbal notes and coriander hints.

Aftertaste:
Caramel, peach, grapefruit, herbal, dragon fruit honey, piney and flora hop linger. No alcohol in the taste which makes this great. A sipping beer with a medium mouth feel and some refreshing aspect.

Overall:
Damn, the best stuff I like from Imperial IPA, well, at least the tropical and caramel malted ones. This is perfect for those that like IPAs with a moderate amount of bite with some good hop profile and malty caramel support. The balance is simply great. If you are looking for a more herbal, garlicy, oniony type of IPA it has some minor elements to it. Still, Double IPAs are no joke. A 10% ABV awesome beer is no joke either. Great stuff from SKA and hope to try some of their other beers some day too. 

Anime Corner:
Stitches from Sengoku wars and Misaki Mei from the “Another” series were chosen to represent the Skeleton presenting himself and introducing himself to a beautiful lady bringing a bouquet of hop flowers. In this case, the artwork represents how much the skeleton cares for the lady and likewise as Stitches holds the the skeleton. This beer is a representative that love goes beyond the boundaries of death but also, good flavors like IPA that is past its prime can become a totally delicious beer. Not to say that this beer is not fresh, which it really is, but!! Good IPA sometimes end up becoming some good Barleywines. Remember that, beer is not about having the freshest as possible, but even if you don’t, having it now or a long time down the road, it means life is short, so enjoy the beer whenever you want regardless of time.