AleSmith Speedway Stout

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

Very nice. Worthy of its reputation. Pours jet black with a small amber head. Aroma hits you like a walk though a chocolate factory. The chocolate and coffee really come out in the taste and lingers with the thick mouthfeel.

Now this is truly a pleasure to pour. A very dark brown color with a light brown cocoa head. Which is fitting since the aroma is very reminiscent of cocoa and chocolate, and roasted coffee that has been sitting for hours and scraped off the bottom of the pot. I really cannot do it justice in words, how roasty the aroma comes across, but in a good way. So well balanced for being such a large ABV. Silky smooth on the palate all the way through to the finish. I wish I could drink this all the time.

Poured dark with small diminishing head. Light molasses aroma. Then the chocolate and coffee hit your tongue and end up licking your teeth when it’s finished. Update 3/08. Went to a tasting at Alesmith and purchase a growler of this tasty brew and did not regret it.

got this beer from a friend out of california, realy liked this one..... realy malty , flavorful. this is a beer i do not forget

750 mL bottle - had been holding on to this for a while and cracked open as soon as tom brady’s final pass fell harmlessly to the turf; probably a victim of sky-high expectations as i was very underwhelmed; shame on expectations!!! pours thin and jet black with thin tan head; almost an oily texture to it; aromas of bitter coffee, dark chocolate and roasted malts; slight alcohol burn on the nose; no carbonation and texture becomes more creamy as it warmed; a very big beer in its flavor punch and has slight burn leading to bitter finish; comparing to another recently tried IS, it doesn’t quite blow away my palate as say, southern tier’s oat does; overall rating = 3.9

Update 10/31/08: sat on a bottle from the same batch as my original rating; guessing about a year old; pours oily black with no head; thin and uninteresting; aromas and most of the coffee flavor has faded; not sure if it was this specific batch or what, but very unimpressive again; overall score = 3.6

meanwhile, i stopped at alesmith while in the SD area and i’d have to say i was simply blown away; it was with their new in-house coffee process and maybe i just dig speedway fresh; silky smooth with tons of rich coffee right in your nose and palate; in this situation, a world class impy for sure; loved it and grabbed a fresh bottle for home; overall rating = 4.3

Rating #100 for me -- been holding on to this one for six months. bought from Dilly Deli in cincinnati. pours dark black with just a hint of red. milky looking medium brown head that sticks. a nose of chocolate and coffee - and a pleasant roast/burnt smell also. wow. I’m sure it’s been said a bunch but -- amazing balance. you get a bit of warmth from the alcohol but it’s well hidden. sweet mix of fruit, chocolate, malt and molasses. thick sticky palate. just a little roasted bitterness on the finish. amazing beer. worth the wait. good thing I guess - because I can’t get them anywhere near florida. additional comment: really is meant to be had relatively cold. it definitely gets hot w/ alcohol after it gets warm.

Bottle from bockyhorsey, thanks! Pours black with a medium sized tan head. Strong coffee aroma. A bit of toasted malt. Flavor has loads of coffee, chocolate, and caramel. Body is medium, I figured it would be thicker, very nice and balanced. You can notice the alcohol. It’s almost like a one two punch. Flavor...then boozy goodness. This is very nice, I’m glad I have a few more. Who wants to send me the BA version?

Pitch black with a dark tan head, nice lacing. Nice milk chocolate/coffee burnt malt aroma. Medium body with an oily mouthfeel. awesome taste of dark chocolates, expresso, roasted malts with a nicely bitter alcohol tang to finish. "Brilliant in its simplicity" One of the best big stouts ever. 92205