AleSmith Barrel Aged Speedway Stout

Brewed by AleSmith Brewing Company
Style: Imperial Stout
San Diego, California USA

2006 Vintage, bottle 202/233 thanks to BigErn! Finally cracked this bad boy open at an Imperial Stout tasting tonight and it had to be my favorite of the evening next to some other big players. Pour was thick, black, oily with little carbonation and a smooth and boozy vanilla aroma. Flavor was perfect, silky vanilla, bourbon, chocolate, coffee and tiny bit of smoke and woody mellow booze on the finish. This one outshines the original version in every way. Well done, and I can only hope to acquire another bottle someday.

2006 Bottle #65/235. Very big thanks to cbkschubert for his generosity. Poured a deep midnight black body with no head. Aroma is chocolate, coffee and old wood. Flavor is the same as aroma with a more predominant wood flavor. Very flat and I think it may have been a little past it’s prime but it was still a tasty treat.

25.4 oz bottle, 2007. Rating #1400. Near black with a frothy tan head. Nose is molasses, coffee, vanilla and dark chocolate. Medium body with buzzy carb. Seems a bit thinned by the barrel. Taste is sweetened coffee, raisin and chocolate liqueur. Licorice drying with some green-ness.

Bottle shared by Clarkvv. Pours a dark black opaque color with a foamy dark tan head. Nose is light bourbon and wood with lots of the chocolate and dark malts still in tact and playing a role. Palate is very smooth and filmy with a big kick in the swallow. Flavors of light bourbon and wood with chocolate and dark roasted malt notes.

750 to pint. Nose is amazing, chocolate, nuts, and more chocolate. To be honest the front end is clean but is very overbearing throughout. As it warms this stout changes flavor tremendoulsy. A very good stout but not in my top 25.

Bottle saved from 2003 and shared by danielcurtis81 at his wedding reception. Pours pitch black with thin fading tan head. Nose contains some sweet chocolate and bourbon. The flavor is soft and smooth, a little sticky and creamy, not much to be said for carbonation but that just makes it taste more like a fine liquor. Very complex taste with bourbon, vanilla, sweet chocolate/cocoa, faint oak, caramel/nutty. Everything about this beer was simply amazing and it blew me away considering it was 6 years old. Best aged beer I have ever had...this is truly an example of how flavors improve with age. Dan, thank you so much for sharing, and I hope for your marriage to improve with age just like this brew!

2006 bottle shared by northernbrews at the Sept. 09 Metro Detroit tasting. Jet black pour with no head. The aroma was chocolate and roast with heavy oxidation and hints of oak, vanilla and bourbon. The flavor is more of the same with a distinct soy sauce like quality. Oily, full body. Sadly this seems to not have aged quite so well.

Metro Tasting. Huge thanks to Matt for sharing this. I have been waiting to try this for a very long time. Poured pitch black with only dark tan bubbles for head. Aroma was bourbon and chocolate. Taste was bourbon again, chocolate, some roast, and some oxidation notes on the finish. Hmmm... not sure what to say here. I was pretty stoked for this. A bit dissapointing overall. I liked the ba numbskull much better.