AleSmith Barrel Aged Speedway Stout

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

Bottle at BCTC 2009: Botte version 2006 #118. Black pour with a deep brown head. Nice aroma with notes of vanilla, oak, dark bitter chocolate, and espresso. Slick warming body- a bit hot. The flavor gives off notes of dark chocolate, bourbon, toasted oak, and burnt plum. There’s some bitter tannic notes into the finish. Not as good as the original Speedway, which I love.

Bottle (96/228): Courtesy of Styles. Outstanding aroma of chocolate, caramel, vanilla, mild roasted coffee, a hint of black licorice, subtle bourbon, and light wood. Pours a dark brown, virtually black, with a small tan head that leaves great lacing behind. Starts with chocolate, caramel, and vanilla. Very mild and subtle bourbon flavors really mesh well with the base beer. Finishes with mild roasted coffee that lingers on the palate. This is a very well done BA beer. This beer forced me to adjust a few ratings of some of my higher ranked beers.

2007 Vintage, Bottle #295. Good call on this one, UncleJedi. You have chosen... wisely. Appearance: Pours a turbid, dark brown, near black body with a thin, short-lived, tan head. Smell: A very full, all-encompassing bourbon barrel presence on the nose -- large notes of oak wood and full-on bourbon with lighter notes of vanilla and coconut shavings. Pair this up with a malt aroma replete with plenty of chocolate and roast and you have something worth smelling. Taste: Cup of Sumatra Dark Roast ’Black Satin’ Coffee stirred up with aged oak and light touches of vanilla and coconut and garnished with a few chocolate-covered coffee beans. Fleeting plum fruitiness. Some fire-roasted marshmallows. A pinch of Black Cavendish Tobacco. Medium roast bitterness. Plenty of alcohol to be found, but, thankfully, it’s not glaring. Warming, roasty finish. Mouthfeel: Medium-full body. Medium carbonation. Drinkability: Yes! This is going to be a pleasure to finish off, I can tell. It’s so darned yummy, I just had to tell the world!

I acquired this bottle in San Diego via Peter BEFORE it was released. Bottle #13/240. We decided to compare this side-by-side with a regular Speedway that MAY be from the same batch of beer. I thought the aroma of the BA version was much bigger and better. Whiskey and coffee. A ton of coffee. A ton of chocolate. Whiskey. Perfect coffee and whiskey, dark chocolate, and other sub-components in the flavor. MUCH more balanced than the regular. Creamy and perfect mouthfeel. This is great. I’d say that this, PP Le Woody, and artusory’s brett-pale were easily the best beers of the night.

2002 vintage, bottle 113/115. Even more luscious aroma than Speedway, with huge amounts of maple and vanilla, pear, phenols. Truly phenomenal. Dark black with thin tan head. Medium oily body with light carbonation. Bourbon, vanilla, maple, phenolics, sweet and waring, comfortable. Fruit esters, coffee, toffee, chocolate. This is one awesome beer. The best beer I’ve had to date. Light bitter, sweet silky after.

Sampled at Bocky Bash on 7-5-08. Good bourbon and chcolate aroms somewhat mellow. Black body with tan head and good lacing. Good mix of bourbon, chocolate and coffee flavors without the alcohol presence I experienced with my first reg Speedway. That was good news for me. Thanks Eric.

2004 Bottle #5 of 228!
Pitch black coloured body with a very nie brown head that lasts for such a while. Aroma of vanillla, oak, coffee, sugar and perfectly roasted malt. Heavy-bodied; Super strong sweet flavour with plentiful amounts of coffee, chocolate and roasted malt. Aftertaste very sweet and potent - an amazing finish! So great to try, such an unexpected tread for the day! I sampled this 75 cL bottle at O’Brien’s in San Diego, California on 23-September-2006 with ’haddon90’!

Bottle shared with HogTownHarry, blankboy, tupalev, jerc & garthicus - courtesy of garthicus. 2006 vintage, bottle 57 of 235. Deep ruby-black with a wispy tan head. Aroma of charred malt, burnt wood, bourbon, vanilla-soaked raisins, and some boozy warmth. Medium bodied, a bit creamy. Very well integrated flavours of malted milk, coffee, whiskey/bourbon and chocolate. Long, luscious finish with a mild herbal character. Excellent!