AleSmith Barrel Aged Speedway Stout

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

2006 #187/233 thanks to fordest. Black pour with a thin khaki head that dissipates fast. Nose of smooth vanilla and roasted coffee. Very very smooth with roasted malts and great vanilla and bourbon notes.

54/228 Tons of chocolate, but lactic, some oak, and vanilla bean. Opaque with no head. taste is heavy coffee and vanilla, a bit of ok, semisweet chocolate. Body is a bit thin.

Bottle #48 - Pours dark oily balck motor oil. Minimal tan head. Massive wood, oak, coffee, molasses, chocolate, alcohol aroma. The flavor is awesome, massive sweet oak, chocolate, coffee, with good alcohol notes. Massive body, chewy with a large chocolate and alcohol aftertaste. The oak flavors just keep on giving. An excellent beer!

2006 Bottle #46/235 sampled with Mad_indian. Pours dark with a one finger thick persistant tan head. Aroma of bourbon, oak, vanilla, roast, chocolate, and slight pretzel. The flavor is slightly sweet upfront, vanilla, chocolate, bourbon, with an oaky roasted, bitter finish. Excellent body great brew.

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.

Incredible big thanks to mashmaster for that bottle. Bottle from 2006 - 132/233. Looks wonderful. The beer in the glass the same. Very dark, small creamy head. Could smell that wonderful soft-malty aroma all day long. Starts very strong and malty, not dry, soft as velvet, very complex notes of chocolate, coffee and liquorice. A little bit prickly-scratchy without being too much. Goes down warming and wonderful balanced. Very soft for a barrel aged beer of this strength. I love it!

Wow, was surprised to find this on a menu at The Linkery while having dinner at RBSG. Fucking aweosme! Pours pitch black, with a medium light brown head. The smell is of some nice bourbon, dark malt, and rich creamy chocolate. Rich and roasty, with an oily consistency. Big chocolate malt, roasty nuts, and bourbon all mesh together nicely to create the identty of this brew. The bourbon isnt overpowering which was nice, but had some good balance to it. Really tasty!

A lot like Founder’s Kentucky Breakfast. I enjoyed the beer, but thought the flavors were a little understated, not as big and flavorful as a beer like Bourbon County Stout.