AleSmith Barrel Aged Speedway Stout

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

’06 Version. Pours a very dark brown in color. There’s a short lived frothy ring of head around the perimeter of the glass. Very subdued bourbon in the nose. Good to see that the bourbon is not dominating. Still some good roasty coffee notes coming through. There’s much more coffee coming through in the taste. So much in fact that it’s dominating the bourbon barrel aging effects. I expected just the opposite. Also was a bit thinner in the mouthfeel than I was expecting. Ends up being a bit more balanced than I was expecting. Not earth moving, but then again, don’t know if this had a chance to live up to the hype.

Huge props to 1FastSTi for opening bottle 13. Sampled this side-by-side a bottle of regular Speedway I’ve been saving from 2004. Aroma is loaded with major bourbon and wood. The wood really stands out. Chocolate and dark roasted coffee. The coffee aroma takes a while to kick in, once it had been in my glass for 10 minutes it was more noticeable. There is also a strong whiff of alcohol in the vanilla-like wood. Flavors smack the lips with wood and buttery bourbon then it changes to an over-roasted coffee flavor mid palate and then to a chocolate, vanilla in the fairly astringant wood and bourbon finish. Slightly harsher than a well aged Speedway. Color is dark black with a nice brown head. Medium-full body with a fairly dry mouthfeel.

Two different 2006 vintages sampled on 4/12/08 & 4/15/08. Props to Justin to cracking this during 4/12 tasting. Sampled side by side normal Speedway. Been waiting a long, long time to try this....

Rich, robust and intriguing aromas of dark fruits, sweet sticky bourbon, dark chocolate, warmth, oak. Flavor becomes increasingly bourbon/caramel SWEET. I mean really sticky sweet...there is a big presence of dark fruits and licorice behind the sweet malts and dark chocolate. The roasty, long bitter coffee presense is completely consumed. In comparison to the full bodied, amazing palate on the normal Speed - this mouthfeel just doesn’t stand up. As much as I wanted to love this beer, I can’t help but give all the praise back to the original masterpiece. This didn’t seem to take on the same barrel presence as their other BA’s - it was missing that elegant, velvety, "WOW" characteristic in the palate that I found in a beers like BA numbskull/decadence. I’m afraid this might be a touch hyped. Hopefully some age will put the cloying characteristics in check. Don’t get me wrong, this is still an amazing beer - but for now, I like Speedway minus the barrel, who would have thought!!!

2003 bottle Much thanks to oteyj. The real standout of an all-star tasting night. Dark Obsidian pour with only a few bubbles of head. Aroma is intense sweet bourbon, wood, Robust chocolate and smooth vanilla ripple through as well. Mouthfeel is Thick and viscous with very little carbonation. Superbly Oak Aging here, A lot of bourbon and Wood notes in the Flavor but the Original Speedway Chocolate and Coffee explosion is still recognizable. The first sip is Sweet and woody, with high amount of vanilla and booze, this softens in the middle with a shot of expresso and some nice roast. The finish is boozy with notes of chocolate and mocha. Even after the swallow the warming chocolate lingers. Words Cannot do this beer justice.

Had at DLD.BA Speedway it was great,chocolate and coffee with a tan head.,rich and roasty.CHEERS

Metro Tasting. Huge thanks to Matt for sharing this. I have been waiting to try this for a very long time. Poured pitch black with only dark tan bubbles for head. Aroma was bourbon and chocolate. Taste was bourbon again, chocolate, some roast, and some oxidation notes on the finish. Hmmm... not sure what to say here. I was pretty stoked for this. A bit dissapointing overall. I liked the ba numbskull much better.

2003 bottle, thanks to oteyj for trading for this one. Pours totally black with minimal head in the form of a few bubbles around the edge of the glass. Aroma is monstrous; tons of bourbon, wood, vanilla, coffee, chocolate, caramel and roasted malt. Flavor is somewhat reminiscent of a barrel aged barley wine, but obviously with tons of imperial stout notes as well. Taste is absolutely scary; excellent sweetness, with lots of caramel, notes of vanilla bean ice cream, and cocoa. The woodiness from the aroma is perfectly balanced with the palpable bourbon booziness. The palate is luxuriously rich, but insanely smooth; glides across the tongue effortlessly. Absolutely exquisite beer, one of my favorites ever.

Brewed in 2002:#7 of 115: Jet black pour. Small,dark brown,almost grey head.Smallest,creamy bubbles form a nice full ring,with sticky lace. Potent bourbon,wood, aroma. Maybe some chocolate. Elegant mouthfeel. Extremely soft,silky,and full. Chewy,chocolate,bourbon/wood,coffee flavors. Lots of dark fruit. Finish is soft,chewy caramel,coffee,and slightest burnt wood flavor. Lingering coffee and chocolate. Dessert and coffee in one. So soft and creamy it is extremely drinkable. Much more smooth and refined than the 2003 I had the other day.