AleSmith Barrel Aged Speedway Stout

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

Bottle (2006, #165) from brewery. Slick black upon pouring. Low carbonation. Very oily appearance. Dark fruity aroma. Bourbon and vanilla, along with some oak. Big bourbon flavor up front. Somewhat boozy. Huge flavors. Some sweetness. Warming going down. Some bitterness in the finish. Seems like it could age a longer. Good impy with a lot of character. Nice coffee finish.

This may be surprising, but this imperial poured jet black w/ a small tan head. The taste of the bourbon barrel aging was quite evident. between the bourbon overtones and the coffee flavors, it made for a very nice stout.

2004 vintage sampled on 8/2/06: Pours a rich opaque black with a thin-lacing wispy covering of dark brown head. Aroma of sweet chocolatey bourbon and some aged caramel malt. Body starts fairly full and sweet but doesn’t have much coffee character compared to the fresher non-barrel aged version. Smooth milk chocolatey palate has decent bourbon character, but doesn’t quite have the freshness and complexity but hides the alcohol well and is very drinkable. A nice beer, but not a top 10.

2002 vintage bottle 13/115, courtesy of Rodolito sampled on 1/5/04: Pours a thick oily black with some dark brown around the edges. Head is almost non-existant with a thin ring of light tan foam. Rich, robust, complex dark chocolate and bourbon aroma, with hints of caramel and dark fruits. Starts thick and caramely sweet going through some plum and bittersweet dark chocolate before arriving at a strong whiskey-like, roasted coffee alcoholic finish. A very nice imperial stout, but I think the barrel aging, although adding a touch of complexity, has greatly increased the feel of alcohol in the finish. I honestly prefer the normal version, and fear this is a touch over-rated due to its availability. Don’t get me wrong, this is still a great brew. Thanks again to Rodolito for hooking me up with this gem!

Draft@O’Brien’s Pub: Dark black color with not much head on this pour. Aroma was strong with quite a bit of vanilla and bourbon right behind it. Some roast and coffee could be picked out underneath. Flavor again is big on the barrel. Almost covers up too much of the base. Full bodied. Nice mouthfeel. I want my own full bottle. Please.

str8 outta the barrel in Dec 02: this was probably the best sample as it had whispers of vanilla and oak to add to the complexities../ 2002 Bottle/ sampled 03: darker than tupac on a dark alaskan night...tan swirling galactic lather designs gathering thicker at the edges...coffee aromas with subtle hints of vanilla and chocolate bars...rich and thick but a tad bitter at the back of the tongue..extremely heating..smooth..vanilla & chocolate covered fruit flavors..im not getting as much bourbon flavor as others..and i dont get enough bourbon chewiness to it..

Pours black. Little to no head, a small brown cap was roused easily. There is a small bit of stringy lace. Nose of whiskey(though light) chocolate, roast, light fruits and mellow wood. Body is full, palate is oily, coating and slick. Full flavored, chocolate, roast, bourbon. Coffee notes are burnt with black patent flavors and a touch of soy. A surprising note of pineyness also. Finish is medium sweet, chocolatey, roasty and lightly bourbony. A very nice brew that should of been enjoyed a bit sooner. The aging IMHO was a bit long as the flavors were a bit muted. I, like many others enjoyed the stock Speedway a bit more though this is no slouch by any means. Many thanks to Cliff (SDbruboy) for supplying this rare brew for my enjoyment.Thanks Cliff!! I,m also glad to have enjoyed it with my little tasting buddy Brian, eaglefan538. A great expierence indeed!

Everything about this was planned to be marvelously decadent and did not disappoint. The perfect amount of bourbon. Texture was a velvet wash of creamy dark chocolate with a top-notch (think Jamaica Blue Mountain) espresso thickness. Hint of licorice and toasted coconut. Molasses-like mouthfeel. The liquid version of drinking a Girardelli flourless torte. I imagine some ripe raspberries and pound cake alongside this delight.

Bottle 101/115 graciously provided by DrunkAsaSkunk. Tasted at Larry Pitonka’s September Tasting in Seattle
Dark brown color, black edges. Tan lacing with light head. The nose is lightly coffeeish with some astringent roast and woody antique guitar notes (no pun) with a bit of cobbwebb. Very rich and creamy, lots of caramel and a touch of soy sauce. Nice, very nice. I think this aged nicely and it really is quite a different animal than the original.