AleSmith Barrel Aged Speedway Stout

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

A fountain found in Hades was spewing this dark musty liquid in forlorn dungeon-like caves…Terrifying bourbon aromas were said to be emanating from the source which was evidently filtering some sort of bitter roasted cereal somewhere in its growling intestines…When the Great Master of the Underground heard of this blackest of discoveries, He ordered that the strong, dry potion be aged in the wood of his favorite sunken ships in order to impart one of his most precious flavors: living death…Oh, such an evil, all-purpose ceremonial brew…I don’t know how hopsrus got a bottle of this to share (I don’t want to insinuate anything ;P), but I am devilishly grateful that he got hold of this one for our symposium!!!…

Bottle #127 2004 vintage, from CQuiroga, shared with SuIIy on 4/10/07. Also had it at BCTC ’06, courtesy of Egajdzis
DaSilky1 traded me the first bottle of this I had, but it was opened at the PP 12 hour fest, so Chris gave me this in replacement, what a guy!
Perfect appearance, as you’ve come to expect from AleSmith. Bottle conditioned carbonation produces a large tan head that is very well-retained and laces quite well. Dark, dark brown-black body has a medium clarity.
STRONG stuff, just like Speedway, of course, with coffee and vanilla beans in the nose, plentiful vinousness (very important) and dry roastiness on the finish. No tacky caramel and chocolate sweetness and nicely attenuated, as is the regular beer. Bourbon is very, very reserved in the nose, and only moderate wood dryness reaches the nose, on the finish, adding continued dryness. Alcohol is lightly perceptible after warming, and adds more intimidating strength.
Spanish coffee and dry chocolate open up the flavor, with soft vanilla and light, dry toffee notes through the middle. Lots of wood, but it’s not overly harsh and is offset by a very unfiltered, well-malted texture. Coffee is dry and extremely tastefully added, lending a beany-like hardness that combines with some vinousness to provide that wonderful complexity in the base beer. Very low bourbon character, one of the few Imperial Stouts to actually remain balanced in the bourbon department. Dry wood, cocoa and some light fusels on the finish. Love the attenuation level on this stuff. Tightly carbonated as well, giving a very strong, nearly creamy texture.
I love regular Speedway, and the bourbon being correctly done is just the icing on the cake. Not quite as good as the best bottles of Speedway I’ve had, but right up there.
Thanks Chris and Todd.

[2002 vintage sampled July 25th 2004 - bottle 113/115] A black beer with a fine though disappearing head with hue close to chocolate brown. The aroma is powerful; sweet malty with notes of chocolate, coffee, and alcohol (no wonder with an ABV of 12%). The flavor has loads of alcohol burning the tongue, but it is still very well rounded because it contains strong notes of roasted bread, coffee, and chocolate. It has a magnificent body. A great beer - I was positively surprised of this one. I have to pay my tribute to Oakes for getting his hands on this beer (out of the brewmasters cellar) for the European Summer Party and hauling it all the way to Stockholm - thanks Josh!

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

Thanks to eyedrinkale for bringing this and sharing this at richlikebeers 2005 YEHA! Unfortunately, Mike was sleeping when his possession was cracked open and shared with the masses. Thin dense head that recedes quickly to a thin dark brown foam. Rich and complex aroma with bourbon, vanilla, coffee, roasted grains and alcohol. Essentially black in color. Big whisky flavor which subdues the strong coffee notes that are normally there. Dark chocolate and a decent bitterness are present also. Thick and chewy and coats the glass. Velvety smooth. Warms as it goes down. Creamy and slightly bitter finish. Heavy sweet and awesome. Thanks for sharing Mike!

2002 batch, bottle #2, poured by Peter Zien at the GABF. Definite bourbon in the nose, though not overpowering like many attempts at this style have become. Still has some big charred chocolate malts, rich smoky bourbon and wood flavors, without too much of a biting "fresh" wood flavor, but rather a slightly aged quality which is certainly preferred when it comes to tasting big stouts. Peppy on the tongue, just slightly hot for 12% ABV, frothy as it’s being swallowed. Finally it’s soothing as it coats the throat, warming it’s way down. Rich and dry finish, with some butter rum, a slightly burning caramel flavor, with some light hops but not too strong given the power of this stout. Within the fad of bourbon barrel aged imperial stouts, this one stands out as one of the best, although I really do prefer a stout to be non-bourbon barrel aged, and I still prefer the standard Speedway Stout over the BA version.

Bottle 101/155: Pours a viscous black, dark brown edges, brownish head, spotty lacing.   Hot coffee and bourbon on the nose.   The coffee aspect is strong, but doesn’t appear to be as strong as the regular version.   Quite coffeeish on the tongue, but again its much less than the standard.   The barrel aging adds a wonderful touch to this beer, adding even more complexity over the original.   White hot, its not alcoholic.   I spoze I should say its very warming.   Big body and mouthfeel, viscous as well.   This is truely a dessert beer that I am very fortunate to have tried thanks to Seattles new resident, Sean (DrunkAsASkunk).   It just occured to me, the beer I had is the same one pictured (on the right) in the photograph.   Wow, never had I thought I would get a chance at this beer.   Pitonka is a very happy man.   Thanks again Sean!

2004 BA vintage. Dark brown; thin brown soapy head. Medium-dry-sweet coffee. Complex stouty coffee, chocolate, vanilla. Taste is great. Great coffee sweet stout with a subtle blended hint of bourbon vanilla, miniscule fruit hints. I defintely prefer the way the barrel has toned down the huge rush of coffee.