AleSmith Barrel Aged Speedway Stout

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

bottle (49 of 228)....holy crap i can’t believe i’m getting the opportunity of sampling this beer. a huge thanks to andrew for busting this bad boy out at an Evening w/ Pantanap #3....pours almost black with roasty brown edges (this would get a 3/5 from andrew!). a thin tan head that eventually turns into some wispy swirls.... nice barrel aged qualities make up the nose. some bourbon, vanilla, and molasses. a little soy too. this one really showed some nice age to it....the one thing about this ba impy is that it totally maintained the qualities of the original speedway which is one of my faves. roasty chocolate, big coffee notes stay true to form and interplays well with lighter bourbon and vanilla notes......so good.

bottle. it has a very black color with a large head. the aroma is of roasty dark fruits. the taste is of spicyness and roasty dark fruits. very creamy and nice.

Thanks to eyedrinkale for bringing this and sharing this at richlikebeers 2005 YEHA! Unfortunately, Mike was sleeping when his possession was cracked open and shared with the masses. Thin dense head that recedes quickly to a thin dark brown foam. Rich and complex aroma with bourbon, vanilla, coffee, roasted grains and alcohol. Essentially black in color. Big whisky flavor which subdues the strong coffee notes that are normally there. Dark chocolate and a decent bitterness are present also. Thick and chewy and coats the glass. Velvety smooth. Warms as it goes down. Creamy and slightly bitter finish. Heavy sweet and awesome. Thanks for sharing Mike!

I usually get a chance to get my hands on about 5 ounces of this per year. So 5 years in, I have consumed about a bomber of it. Thanks to the few of you who have shared. The last bottle (from a sharing BAer at Maproom) had crazy writing all over the bottle, signitures or something. I just don’t find this as satisfying as the normal Speedway Stout. Again, I thought that too much bourbon was left behind in the barrel, thinning out the stout and pushing too harsh a bourbon flavor upfront. The Speedway’s complexity fights it’s way through, wonderful coffee roastiness and touches of anice in the finish. It just doesn’t seem to work as well as bourbon barrels work for Numbskull and Bells Stouts.

Re-rate 2004 bottle.When I think about how much better this was than a Dark Lord it makes me shutter.

Bottled. Black as pitch with a small fast disappearing brown head. Smooth and very full mouthfeel. Roasted and malty with notes of toffee, coffee, chocolate, vanilla, wood and hops.

Bottle. [#6 Blind tasting session @ Sk8viking] Small light brown fizzy head that mostly diminished. Fair display of lacework. Pitch black color. Aroma of molasses, coffee, chocolate, roasted malt, licorice, vanilla, oak, brown sugar, almost port wine like. Very complex aroma and none of the alcoholic notes that I thought was apparent in the AleSmith Speedway Stout. Very full bodied with an almost oily thick texture and a flat carbonation. Moderated sweet malty flavor with light bitterness. Sweet thick warming bourbon like finish. 07-09-2007

Blind tasting at sk8vikings porter / stout tasting, beer no 6. Pours deep brown to black with a lacing brown head. Thick chocolate and liqourice aroma. Thick and smooth mouthfeel. Liqourice and chocolate flavour. Clear alcohol presence. Warming with with slight bitter note and chocolate note.