AleSmith Barrel Aged Speedway Stout

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

Dark dark brown, not quite black coloured beer with a surprisingly decent well retained tan head. Aroma has lots of malts in it, a bit of coffee, and wisps of whiskey. The flavour had a lot of alcohol in it but it’s controlled by the tons of other flavours; fruity, coffee, oaky, some roasted malts in there as well. Somewhat of a drying finish, but it’s still luxurious and full of flavour.

Draft at O’briens. Nice chocolate, coffee, and bourbon tastes. Very strong alcohol presence but not overwhelming. Fantastic brew. Rerate 9/27/2008 thanks to my brother for opening the 2007 while the Chargers stomped the Raiders for the 10th straight time. Fantastic brew. Lots or roasted malts. oak, chocolate, and coffee, some alcohol. But very tasty. Rerate 10/3/2008 thanks to stefanje for opening at fordest house. 2006 bottle.

Finally. Me and a bottle. Palates ready, I’m ready, lets do it. 2006 bottle. Acquired for a bottle of their BA 05 Decadence. Slightly regret getting rid of that bottle, but this beer is what I’ve been trading for. Aroma boozy bourbon tied in with a great licorice and chocolate sweetness. Smells tasty. Looks good too, a little less thick/syrupy as I thought it would be or remember the regular, but memories told tell a whole story too well. Flavor is truly remarkable, amazing coffee, chocolate, booze, dark burnt malts, some caramel, fruits, dark ones. Overall quite the experience. Glad to finally get that notch on my belt. Shoulda saved it for 1000 or something, but I wanted it tonite.

Darkbrown. Bourbon aroma with tones of gingersnaps, dill, and some chocolate. Acid on the right level with the alcohol content clearly visible in the aroma. Bourbon flavour with sweetness. Tones of black currant, chocolate, dill and spices. Alcoholic and round. This beer is my no 500. Tottaly wacky in the best way there is. LOVE IT !!!

Thank you so much to fordest for this vintage 2003 specimen- you’re the man Sean. Ink black pour- about as dark and forboding as a beer can be. No head to speak of- the barrel aging has got the best of the fizz. Aroma is ripe with bourbon, vanilla and dark roasted coffee. Fennel and caramel sneak through with an excellently creamy and roasty nose. Quite sweet and quite boozy. Flavor is simply profound. Like a river of succulent malt. Oaken character is quite noticeable but never overpowering. Vanilla comes through amazingly powerfully with espresso roast, cocoa nib, and the ever prevalent alcohol. Palate is thick rich and fulfilling. Carbonation is almost unnoticeable providing for a silky velvet like experience. Truly a masterpiece in liquid form- I’m speechless.

2006 vintage, from the brewery. Sampled along side a regular 2007 Speedway Stout. This made for an interesting tasting experience after trying it first with jarspag a few days earlier. It’s been a long time coming for this rarity. The pour is velvety black, and nearly still. Faint wisps of carbonation swirl on the surface, with some light reaching through the deep maroon edges. Awesome aroma of intense chocolate and bourbon oak, with a big molasses and licorice presence mixed in. The aroma is much more mature and mellowed compared to the regular Speedway (which is comprised more so of fresh coffee and oats), but I can’t say it’s that much better. The flavors here are less of the major coffee presence, and more of a cellared, charred wood tone from the bourbon barrel. While the barrel is not as prominent as BA Wee Heavy or Numbskull, it does add a unique and intriguing layer of complexity to that which is Speedway. Pretty outstanding mouth-feel, just a lot different than normal; oily and coating the palate, minus the carbonation. A tad of a sour, oxidized tang in the finish, but it didn’t downgrade the overall experience that much. Overall, yes I think that fresh (and aged) original Speedway does dominate the Imperial Stout style; this blew me away, but not as much as Alesmith’s other barrel-aged beers. Hats off on this creation however, I enjoyed it thoroughly.

Bottle shared by ajm at the 09er as the clear centerpiece. 2007 vintage, 86/447. Pours charcoal with a sugary brown head. Smells like BCS. Tastes almost like The Dark Knight Returns. The combination is as mellow as a qualude. Its like the barrel served as a cacoon and the beer went in as coffee and came out like bourbon spiked date juice. Truly amazing.

I’m really thinking that Alesmith’s barrell aging program just isn’t for me. Anyway, the aroma here was pretty subtle with nuts, pecans, wood and dark chocolate. Tastes of dark chocolate, coffee (not too much), wood, and is more acidic or astringent than I anticipated. Finishes all wood and astringency. Full bodied to be sure, but plenty easy to drink. Regular Speedway is the better beer.