AleSmith Barrel Aged Speedway Stout

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

’04 Vintage shared by OhioDad at the last Columbuis tasting--another generous offering from the best Dad ever! Pours black with a tan head. Aroma is nice--lots of chocolate and roasted flavors. The bourbon is there--but not as strong as expected. Palate is perfect--creamy, rich and full. Taste is dominated by chocolate and roasted malts. There is some heat--but not as much as expected in a beer of this type. This is the most well balanced barrel aged beer I’ve ever had by a longshot! The aging only compliments the flavor of an already great stout--without dominating it. The best part is the cool bottle I get to stare at every day...

Rating #600. Thanks to Eyedrinkale for bringing and sharing this at the Yeha, even if you weren’t especially conscious at the time. 2002 vintage, bottle #15/115. Poured black with a small brown head. Aroma of roasted coffee and heavy whiskey. Flavor is predominantly whiskey, with coffee hanging around backstage, reemerging with greater intensity towards the finish. Slick oily body. I think the whiskey may overpower the coffee flavors a bit too much for my taste. Good, but I prefer regular Speedway.

Sampled at Bockyhorsey’s Bocky Bash on 7-5-08. Thank you for sharing this one Eric! Pours a deep black with a small creamy tan head that fades, but leaves some nice lacing. Aroma is dominated by by coffee and bourbon, with hints of dark chocolate and roasty malt. Lots of big coffee and bourbon flavor, along with roasted nutty malt, chocolate, and a touch of alcohol. Wonderful brew!

Bottle shared by mreusch. Pours an oily jet black with a small mocha head, thin iodine colored legs and spotty lace. The nose is of sweet, roasted malt, milk chocolate, molasses, oaked bourbon and straight alcohol. Full-bodied and creamy with a dry, bitter, warm finish. Dark bitter roasted malt, molasses, ashy charred oak and light bourbon. This is a tasty beer. But, other than a fuller mouthfeel, I can’t really say that I found this to be an improvement over the regular version of Speedway. I can, however, honestly say that I never thought I would get the chance to try this beer. So, again, thanks a ton for sharing this rare treat with me, Matt!

bottle number 187/233 from 2006 thanks to fordest. this beer had a sex party in my mouth that gave me sheer pleasure. poured black with a tan head and great lacing. bman111vr and myself enjoyed the greatness of this aroma before even taking a sip. the aroma was dark roasts, chocolate, vanilla, coffee, oak, and vanilla. flavor was even better than the nose with chocolate, coffee, vanilla, and alcohol. slick mouth feel with no carbonation. a huge thanks to fordest for bringing this gem to texas and sharing with the crew.

2006 Vintage, bottle #226 of 235. Pours black with just a few bubbles. No head, no lace, comewhat thick looking. Smells of vanilla, chocolate, coffee and wood. Tastes of roasty, dark malts up front and then the bourbon and coffee and wood kick in. I don’t taste the big coffee flavors like in un-BA Speedway but the barrel flavors are not overpowering. Thick body with a few fizzies but no real carbonation.

Bottle courtesy of Sparky27...Eric is a great guy and is unbelievably generous to offer up this!!! This brew can’t get any darker...like a black hole, light can’t escape it. A beautiful milk chocolate head sits stubbornly atop this one and leaves solid lacing on the inside of the glass. The barrel definitely left its mark, most impressively, in the nose. Oak, vanilla, and subtle bourbon are delightfully infused into the rich Godiva and roasted Starbucks aroma normally present. Unfortunately, the alcohol isn’t as well hidden and, in fact, fights violently with the other flavors in this beer. With other brews, specifically Angel’s Share, the barrel-aging added to the complexity and enjoyment. This wasn’t the case here. Hot, woodsy, and good...but I’ll still take the one I can get daily!!! THANKS ERIC, for giving me a chance to try this!!!

750ml bottle, #70/447 2007 version. Another dark black impy. Virtually no head to speak of. Subtle bourbon and vanilla notes, very nice. Oakey, with vanila and bourbon as well, very smooth with a little alcohol in the finish. This gave me a happy ending. Wow.