AleSmith Barrel Aged Speedway Stout

Bottle #127 2004 vintage, from CQuiroga, shared with SuIIy on 4/10/07. Also had it at BCTC ’06, courtesy of Egajdzis
DaSilky1 traded me the first bottle of this I had, but it was opened at the PP 12 hour fest, so Chris gave me this in replacement, what a guy!
Perfect appearance, as you’ve come to expect from AleSmith. Bottle conditioned carbonation produces a large tan head that is very well-retained and laces quite well. Dark, dark brown-black body has a medium clarity.
STRONG stuff, just like Speedway, of course, with coffee and vanilla beans in the nose, plentiful vinousness (very important) and dry roastiness on the finish. No tacky caramel and chocolate sweetness and nicely attenuated, as is the regular beer. Bourbon is very, very reserved in the nose, and only moderate wood dryness reaches the nose, on the finish, adding continued dryness. Alcohol is lightly perceptible after warming, and adds more intimidating strength.
Spanish coffee and dry chocolate open up the flavor, with soft vanilla and light, dry toffee notes through the middle. Lots of wood, but it’s not overly harsh and is offset by a very unfiltered, well-malted texture. Coffee is dry and extremely tastefully added, lending a beany-like hardness that combines with some vinousness to provide that wonderful complexity in the base beer. Very low bourbon character, one of the few Imperial Stouts to actually remain balanced in the bourbon department. Dry wood, cocoa and some light fusels on the finish. Love the attenuation level on this stuff. Tightly carbonated as well, giving a very strong, nearly creamy texture.
I love regular Speedway, and the bourbon being correctly done is just the icing on the cake. Not quite as good as the best bottles of Speedway I’ve had, but right up there.
Thanks Chris and Todd.

Again very distillate forward nose with just a touch of bourbon laced bakers chocolate. Very oaked forward palate with a lot of mid palate alcohol heat. Notes of both bourbon and dark rum with a very soft cocoa and molasses finish.

(Bottle 84/228) Knoxville tasting courtesy of Springslicker, thanks Jay. A double deep dark brown pour without much of a head. An aroma of chocolate cake with bourbon frosting. The aroma makes your mouth water like a fresh baked cake as well. A very warm beer with a flavor of oaked bourbon and espresso with chocolate syrup with a light hint of butter. Good carbonation good full palate a palate that I wish all beers could match. The summary in my notes was "wtf else can I say". It was great. thanks again Jay

sorry i am not a stout guy. i gave this a good try and it was worth it. for a hop head.

2004 Vintage (Bottle #84/228)... I think my mouth actually dropped open when I saw this on the table at the Tennessee Spring(ish) Tasting in Knoxville, TN on 3/10/2007! I very special "Thank You" to SpringsLicker for sharing this rare bottle! I really didn’t think that I would ever get to try this gem. Thanks again Jay for your thoughtfulness and generosity... AleSmith Barrel Aged Speedway Stout is black and opaque in the glass. It has a dense brown head. The aroma is saturated with both vanilla and chocolate and then accented with some hints of bourbon and coffee. If the aroma isn’t enough to make your mouth water, then the rich, robust, and complex flavor will! An exquisite and carefully balanced composition of milk chocolate, coffee, bourbon, oak/wood, roasted malt, and some deep fruit flavors all work in harmony to please the senses. The finish has flavors of coffee and mocha. BA Speeway has a rich and full body with a silky smoth and creamy texture. I think it might be just a tiny bit less heavy/smooth/creamy than the regular Speedway Stout though. Overall, this is a near perfect example of a barrel-aged beer (and Imperial Stout in general!). This beer lives up to the hype and exceeds my expectations. Hopefully I will be fortunate enough to somehow experience this beer again sometime in the future. I can only dream...

Thanks to Springslicker for sharing this bottle with us at the Tennessee Spring(ish) Tasting! (2004,Bottle 84/228) Poured black with a tan head. Wonderful roast aroma of coffee, chocolate, hazelnut, and bourbon. The flavor found a delicious blend of milk chocolate, coffee, roast, and bourbon. Light alcohol but nicely masked and unnoticeable unless you really pay attention. Medium to full body, creamy texture, and a roasty coffee aftertaste. Unbelievable! I’m glad I have its close sister (bottle #86) in the closet to have again some time.

Bottle 84, at the Knoxville Spring(ish) tasting. Holy crap this is good. I’m indebted to Jay for bringing this. Pours opaque black with tan head. The aroma is bourbon (but not overwhelming), espresso, cinnamon, molasses, and pinot noir. The flavor is just as impressive as the aroma. Bourbon, pinot noir, oak, bitter chocolate, espresso. The finish is woody and earthy, and has a coffee element that sticks into the aftertaste. Some prunes come out from time to time, as do tar, blackberry, and ash. The alcohol is very well masked. A very complex beer that melds together beautifully. This is high quality stuff. I wish I could get some more.

Sampled at the Knoxville tasting courtesy of Springslicker, thanks Jay. After just having tried and disliked one barrel aged beer (Angels Share), the group decided to pull out this one. Bottle #84/228. Having read so many good things about this beer over the course of four years at ratebeer, I was incredible excited to get to try this beer, this, holy grail for many a person who has drank this beer. It pours black with a brown head on it. The beer is black, there is no brownish hints, no dark brown bullshit, this is black. The aroma is fantastic, the best aroma I have ever smelled on a barrel aged beer - slight hints of vanilla, coffee, chocolate, raisins, slight alcohol notes. The taste is smooth, rich, creamy, absolutely not overdone with bourbon in the least. This beer is phenominal. Lives up to all of its high expectations, and then some. These guys need to give pointers to all of the barrel aging brewers that have their beer tasting like bourbon. With just the slightest bourbon notes, this becomes better than regular speedway. Believe what you read about this beer, it is very true. Thanks to Jay for letting me sample this rare ass beer.