AleSmith Speedway Stout - Barrel Aged - AleSmith Brewing Company

tectactoe

Michigan

4.38/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Enjoyed at a tasting, alongside the regular Speedway and the Kopi Luwak variant. This one pours with a similar body to the regular Speedway - silky, black, and only showing some dark brown highlights at its very extremities. The tan head on this one was a bit darker than that of the original Speedway, but it dissipates much quicker also, leaving basically no lacing along the glass as it sinks down.

The aroma is as powerful as they come; it hits quickly with huge barrel qualities - soft oak and vanilla melding with a bourbon character that is slightly grainy and raw, but not quite enough to be abrasive. Some nice dark fudge rounds out the rough edges, alongside just a hint of coffee. Despite the unique coffee aroma being so strong and "out front" in the original Speedway, it's actually one of the most tame aromas in the barrel-aged version. Weird. Just from the nose, you can tell this one is gonna be a doozy. Robust bourbon, oak, and fudge stings and warms my nostrils one last time before I dive in and take my first sip...

The first thing I notice is that the body on this one is much creamier than the original Speedway - chalk that up to the barrel aging, of course. A nice mixture of bourbon and vanilla are the first things to attack the palate, with a slight bias in the bourbon direction. Again, the bourbon characteristic is more grainy and "pure" than in many other BA beers - very powerful. A strong oak presence backs the beer from nearly start to finish, with some light coconut flavors coming in at the tail end.

There is a reasonable heat to this one, feels maybe even a bit hotter than 12% ABV, not too sure how I feel about that yet. The fudge flavors are a bit more suppressed than I anticipated, but they come out much more during the latter half of the beer, along with some very light dark fruity and anise-like sweetness, helping to cut through the bourbon heat and the bitterness from the roasted malts. The strongest flavor in the finish is the grainy bourbon and a mild fudge sweetness. Low carbonation, smooth, chewy, creamy body.

Overall, the coffee was very unnoticeable on the palate, something that I loved so much about the original Speedway. The bourbon barrel flavors were huge, but perhaps a little "too huge" for my liking, as they seemed to overshadow some of Speedways excellent qualities. Still a very delicious beer, but I'd have to take the original over this one, without question.

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2013 13:19:19 | More by tectactoe

eyeenjoybeer

Indiana

4.5/5  rDev -0.2%

05-18-2013 16:51:16 | More by eyeenjoybeer

blindpiggie

Colorado

4.25/5  rDev -5.8%

05-18-2013 06:43:47 | More by blindpiggie

yamar68

Minnesota

4.35/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Big old thanks to bstyle for hooking me up with this one - 2009 vintage shared with mnphish:

Dark coffee brown with an edge of ruby clarity... a thin pale khaki head shows minimal retention, leaving behind more legging than lacing.

Understated coffee presence, mushy dark fruits, a touch of sweet oxidation.

Bitter coffee is still prominent on the palate. Charred oak, vanilla and molasses, licorice and macchiato... espresso, oily coffee bean and alcohol exist in harmony. The flavors are a little muddy but the end result is something delicious.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2013 16:16:47 | More by yamar68

drbenzo

California

5/5  rDev +10.9%

05-17-2013 14:53:39 | More by drbenzo

mnphish

Minnesota

4.5/5  rDev -0.2%

05-17-2013 05:16:26 | More by mnphish

InspectorBob

New Jersey

4.75/5  rDev +5.3%

05-16-2013 21:16:10 | More by InspectorBob

deekyn

California

4.25/5  rDev -5.8%

05-16-2013 04:02:34 | More by deekyn

Zbeetleman

California

5/5  rDev +10.9%

05-15-2013 05:02:17 | More by Zbeetleman

bennetj17

Arizona

4.25/5  rDev -5.8%

05-15-2013 00:38:58 | More by bennetj17

baybassboy

California

4.5/5  rDev -0.2%

05-14-2013 05:23:29 | More by baybassboy

akukucka

New York

4.75/5  rDev +5.3%

05-12-2013 18:31:22 | More by akukucka

Hopbully

Virginia

4.5/5  rDev -0.2%

05-12-2013 05:54:27 | More by Hopbully

joehd

Illinois

5/5  rDev +10.9%

05-10-2013 08:49:17 | More by joehd

woodchopper

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev -5.8%

05-09-2013 19:58:32 | More by woodchopper

HinghamRick

Massachusetts

4.75/5  rDev +5.3%

05-08-2013 14:56:24 | More by HinghamRick

Yabev15

Massachusetts

4.75/5  rDev +5.3%

05-08-2013 00:28:35 | More by Yabev15

C2H5

Illinois

5/5  rDev +10.9%

05-07-2013 00:28:19 | More by C2H5

caguiar

New Hampshire

4.75/5  rDev +5.3%

05-06-2013 21:40:15 | More by caguiar

Brabander

Netherlands

4.46/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I got this beer at the Zeebra Extreme Beerfestival in Holland on may 4th 2013. Zeebra was held for the first time with lots of very very very great beers like this one. As a matter of fact the normal version of this beer was also there....

This one was poured in a Zeebra glass, a small tasting glass. I did not really know what to expect from this beer but the expectation were higher than the taste i got.

No head and no carbonation. Just a normal Imperial stout where i made the remark that this is good one for the beginners in this BA style. Not bad but i have had way better ones....

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2013 17:50:20 | More by Brabander

jplopez21

Illinois

4.75/5  rDev +5.3%

05-06-2013 02:36:57 | More by jplopez21

nycwinter

California

5/5  rDev +10.9%

05-04-2013 01:47:00 | More by nycwinter

HuskyinPDX

Washington

4.5/5  rDev -0.2%

05-03-2013 15:37:38 | More by HuskyinPDX

phishphorce

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev -0.2%

05-02-2013 03:44:28 | More by phishphorce

ChanChan

California

4.75/5  rDev +5.3%

05-01-2013 20:56:47 | More by ChanChan