AleSmith Barrel Aged Speedway Stout

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

After a 15 floor walk up to jhenry04’s place, he shared this ’06 bottle that poured deep and thick dark brown with a few bubbles in place of a head. Nose is bourbon and surprisingly just a hint of coffee with some roasted malt added in. The flavor is a bit more rich with some complexity in the form of vanilla and a dry oak influence. Quite nice, and I am grateful to Jason for sharing this hard to come by bottle.

Bottle number 187/233 thanks to fordest. Pours a blackout color with a light tan head that sticks to the walls of the glass and seeps down slowly. Nose is bitter toll house dark chocolate chips, chocolate liquor, booze, and roasted coffee. Taste is liquid dark chocolate truffles, mounds bars, toasted coconut paste / extract, almond, bitter coffee, vanilla. Mouthfeel is thick like motor oil but goes down crazy smooth and fills the mouth with heat and its syrupy texture. "I feel like this beer is raping my mouth," was an accurate statement.

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.

Amazing coffee-malt-bourbon aroma comes from this oily black stout. Complex flavor mask the high alcohol content perfectly. I've never had a beer so well blended, aftertaste of coffee/bourbon works perfectly together. Thanks to egajdis for bringing this bottle to the RB Philly Gathering.

Bottle with Craig, Stella, Fin, Loz and Traci, at the "What’s This Label Supposed To Be Anyway?" tasting. Huge thanks to Craig for sharing this, and for holding on to this very special bottle until this tasting. (And a thanks to WeeHeavySD for parting with it.) Is was a privilege to be able to taste this, and even cooler to be able to try it side-by-side with the regular Speedway!

Deep black with just little shiny brown edges, modest layer of burnt tan fine bubbles. Bright fumey vanilla aroma, brown sugar, a fresh green oakiness. A little briney touch. Dark intense chocolate flavor with a nice pinch of salt. Rich mineral flavor on the back of the tongue, like oyster liqueur sans fishy flavor. Coconut sweetness. Very soft, the edges all seeming smoothed and polished by the cask time. A complete, unified experience of Imperial Stout. Compared to the regular Speedway: this has a nicer nose, but I miss the dramatic roasty bite.

On tap at the SD Strong Ale Fest 09. Pours a pitch black with thick, short tan head. Mix of bitter and sweet creamy chocolate, roasted coffee beans, vanilla, bourbon, plum, raisin, liquorice, and wood. Complex and balanced, with a nice smooth creamy mouthfeel.

Bottle shared by Dennis the Stone rep in the wee hours at BCTC late Saturday night when we had finished drinking for a while and were sitting around contemplating bed. Then this showed up and sleep was happily pushed back. Pours a deep dark black with a thin to medium tan head that falls off rather fast. Lightly boozy bourbon notes, huge coffee, and a touch of vanilla. Flavor is full of roast and coffee, along with some slightly oxidized plum tones. Finishes up with a nice roast fueled bitterness.

My bottle via a tremendous trade with Irishboy - Shared with HogTownHarry, GregClow, Tupalev,Jerc & Blankboy. Bottle 57/235. App: Deep black/brown colour with a brown bubbly head. Aroma: I could get the aroma at arms length - ohhh yeah. Nutty, creamy, cappuccino, chocolate and caramel, mouth watering. Flavour: Nutty-coffee, brandy, alcohol, cinnamon, mocha!! So much going on, simply incredible. Very very drinkable with a long soothing finish, a great beer sent by a great ratebeerian and shared with great ratebeerians.