AleSmith Barrel Aged Speedway Stout

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

on tap at toronado on the last night of my trip to san diego for rating #400! pours a gorgeous silky, jet black with a creamy, dark tan head and wonderful lacing. aroma is unbelievable with scents of dark chocolate cake, coconut, vanilla pudding, roasted walnuts, graham cracker, and subtle notes of fig, raisin, and oaked bourbon. flavor is simply perfect and amazingly complex with mildly sweet notes of german chocolate cake, heath bar toffee, brown sugar, and vanilla cream backed by notes of cold, mochachino coffee, hazelnut, and walnut with pefectly integrated woody, bourbon barrel notes. palate is thick and decadently rich with mild carbonation and a lingering, roasted, bittersweet dark chocolate and coffee finish. overall, a sublime beer experience. i still can’t believe i was lucky enough to have planned to be at toronado on the last night of my first trip to SD and they threw this one on tap.

On tap at Toronado San Diego. Pitch black; no head. Dark, cool, smooth, rich. Nothing in the way of hops. Sweet bourbon. As far as bourbon barrel aged imperial stouts go, this is about as good as it gets. Very technically well-made, balanced, full bodied, with roast and hop qualities suppressed. Really really high quality stuff.

On tap at the SD Strong Ale Fest 09. Pours a pitch black with thick, short tan head. Mix of bitter and sweet creamy chocolate, roasted coffee beans, vanilla, bourbon, plum, raisin, liquorice, and wood. Complex and balanced, with a nice smooth creamy mouthfeel.

Incredible big thanks to mashmaster for that bottle. Bottle from 2006 - 132/233. Looks wonderful. The beer in the glass the same. Very dark, small creamy head. Could smell that wonderful soft-malty aroma all day long. Starts very strong and malty, not dry, soft as velvet, very complex notes of chocolate, coffee and liquorice. A little bit prickly-scratchy without being too much. Goes down warming and wonderful balanced. Very soft for a barrel aged beer of this strength. I love it!

750 ml bottle shared with Crosling and rye726 poured a translucent dark brown nearly black with a lasting brown head. Aromas of coffee, dark chocolate, dark fruit, oak and light bourbon. Palate was medium bodied and smooth. Flavors of milk chocolate, carmel, vanilla, light oak and light bourbon with a smooth lingering chocolatey finish.

2006 Vintage, bottle 202/233 thanks to BigErn! Finally cracked this bad boy open at an Imperial Stout tasting tonight and it had to be my favorite of the evening next to some other big players. Pour was thick, black, oily with little carbonation and a smooth and boozy vanilla aroma. Flavor was perfect, silky vanilla, bourbon, chocolate, coffee and tiny bit of smoke and woody mellow booze on the finish. This one outshines the original version in every way. Well done, and I can only hope to acquire another bottle someday.

25.4 oz bottle, 2007. Rating #1400. Near black with a frothy tan head. Nose is molasses, coffee, vanilla and dark chocolate. Medium body with buzzy carb. Seems a bit thinned by the barrel. Taste is sweetened coffee, raisin and chocolate liqueur. Licorice drying with some green-ness.