AleSmith Barrel Aged Speedway Stout

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

Bottle thanks to Chuck, 2004 #11 of 240. Poured a lovely shade of black with just a dusting of beige head.. loose ring of head and a mahogany glimmer in the light. Aroma was somewhat sour with rich chocolate and espresso.. warmth brings out some very wonderful stuff.. drier oak and some sort of liqueur that I can’t place, but love emerge.. lots of oak comes out, and this was some great stuff!

Flavor kicked it up a notch for me.. the roasted coffee is very well-accented by a wonderful barrel presence (bourbon, oak, and vanilla rock it well!).. drier oak and some almost smoked darker fruits ride through the long finish.. just a magnificent treatment from the barrel!! Warm and full-bodied on the palate.. integration of the barrel-aging was rock-solid.. just a touch sour, but great all-around!

Bottle (750ml). Shared with blankboy, garthicus, GregClow and jerc - garthicus’ bottle via MASSIVE trade with Irishboy. Bottle #57/235 - 2006 Vintage. Hoo boy, I’m shaking - been wanting this for years. Aroma - soooo smooth; light bourbon, dry wood, mild softened herbal hops, a bit like a low-acid iced coffee - simple, sophisticated, amazing. A little more bourbon/vanilla sweetness in the flavour, but deeply roasted, muted alcohol, muted herbal bitterness, even a hint of mint. Silky body, nice acidity, long somewhat alcoholic vanilla/roast finish. Stunning - friggin loved it.

Cask at O’Breins. Dark black color. Small head Aroma is chocolate, coffee. Wood. Bourbon and sweet. Full bodied Imperial Stout. Malts are coffee and chocolate, vanilla, dark fruit. Lots of bourbon and coffee flavors. This beer is everything the bottle version is and smoother if it is possible. Lots of coffee, vanilla and bourbon flavors. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is clean and smooth. Aftertaste is slightly bitter. --------&# brown color. Medium head. Aroma is malts, dark sugar and fruits. Full bodied Imperial Stout. Malts are roasty, chocolate and coffee, with touches of vanilla and dark fruit. The brandy/bourbon flavor is evident. Nice blend of chocolate, wood and smoke. Very smooth. Bourbon and chocolate flavors blend well together. Touch of alcohol bite. Nice beer. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is clean and smooth. Aftertaste is slightly bitter. 8-4-9-5-17

2008-08-15. Pitch black body with a nice creamy chocolate mild coloured head that does not last long. Aroma is pretty boozy, dusty roast malt, bourbon barrel. (7+) Flavour is also fairly alcoholic, dry lightly acidic roast, sweet malt undertones. Average to medium palate is lightly carbonated, and is lighter on the tongue than expected. I like that it has a lot less coffee than the regular Speedway, but there doesn’t seem to be enough malt to stand up to the booze and barrel character for my liking. Pretty good. 2006 vintage bottle #57/235, shared by Garthicus

"Protestant guilt is kind of like gingivitis..."

Bottle. [#6 Blind tasting session @ Sk8viking] Small light brown fizzy head that mostly diminished. Fair display of lacework. Pitch black color. Aroma of molasses, coffee, chocolate, roasted malt, licorice, vanilla, oak, brown sugar, almost port wine like. Very complex aroma and none of the alcoholic notes that I thought was apparent in the AleSmith Speedway Stout. Very full bodied with an almost oily thick texture and a flat carbonation. Moderated sweet malty flavor with light bitterness. Sweet thick warming bourbon like finish. 07-09-2007

Sampled at the RBESP 2004 - alongside the non-barreled version.
In addition to the non-barreled flavors I got: More wooden and bourbon vanilla aroma, more salt and more smoke overtones. A little alcohol burn. Vanilla, slight smoke and salt licorice flavors. It is a vey nice brew but I must admit that I thought the barrel-aging was a tad too unharmonic compared with the Smørpundet Porter I had the same weekend...

Bottle 231/235, 2006 BA speedway. Last bottle i had of the night, opened at midnight to ward off the traditional champagne toast. What i really liked about this one is the massive cloying coffee in the regular speedway is consumed by a light bourbon malty vanilla flavor. Much better then its predecessor, my favorite of the BA alesmiths.

Poured pitch black with a nice tan head and beautiful lacing. Aroma of chocolate, roasted malt, coffee, tobacco, bourbon and oak. Chocolate and coffee taste followed by a warming bourbon flavor and a full mouthfeel. My all time favorite stout!

An experience I won’t soon forget:
Wake up at 7:30 am, on the grounds of the beautiful Ommegang brewery. As the rain begins to fall, I see some good friends, looking like they need a good beer. So I open up my 2004 bottle # 14. The rain begins to come down harder, so I put the bottle under the shade of my open trunk. Our glasses our filled with care, and we enjoy, as the rain droplets fell into the open glassware, and onto our heads. The right beer at the right time, I love this shit!