AleSmith Speedway Stout - AleSmith Brewing Company

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BA SCORE
98
world-class
-
2,656 Ratings

THE BROS
90
exceptional
-
read more »

rAvg: 4.43
pDev: 9.03%
Reviews: 1259
Hads: 1397

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Brewed by:
AleSmith Brewing Company

California, United States

Style | ABV
American Double / Imperial Stout | 12.00% ABV

Availability: Year-round. bottle (1174), on-tap (69), growler (7), nitro-tap (5), cask (4).

Notes:
Jet Black, with an off-white head. Starts with a strong coffee and dark chocolate sensation, then fades to a multitude of toasty, roasty and caramel malt flavors. Clean and crisp, full- bodied. Warmth from the high alcohol content lightens up the feel. You won't fool your taste buds - this beer is HUGE!

View: Beers (52) | Reviews (17) | Events (0)

Reviews

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Reviews by kojevergas:

kojevergas

California

4.18/5 rDev -5.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Reviewed twice. The score posted reflects an average of both reviews.

#1

Brown glass bottle with standard pressure cap served into a trappist Westvleteren goblet in high altitude Castle Rock, Colorado. Reviewed live.

A: Pours a half finger head of nice tan colour, lovely cream, great thickness, and okay retention. Colour is a solid black.

Sm: Heavy caramel, cocoa nibs, cream, chocolate, and toffee. A layered moderately strong aroma.

T: Complex, with all the notes of the nose layered in a brilliant balance. Not too rich, and nicely subtle. The cream undertones on both the finish and open are fantastic. A bit too much caramel, but it does fit into the build nicely.

Mf: Incredibly delicate and smooth. Just wet enough. Near perfect for the flavours.

Dr: Incredibly drinkable for the ABV. A very high quality beer. The abv does come through, but not as much as I'd expect.

#2

750ml brown glass bottle with foiled over pressure cap served cold and allowed to warm over the course of consumption. Served into a Uinta pilsner glass in me gaff in Los Feliz. Acquired directly at the brewery for $10.99 5 days ago. Expectations are sky high; I loved this before and I'm a huge fan of the brewery.

Poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated.

A: Pours a five finger beautiful dark tan chocolate colour head of dazzling frothy cream, smooth rolling complexion, fantastic lacing, amazing thickness, and incredible retention considering the high ABV. It just sits there for three minutes, hardly reducing at all. Colour is a solid nontransparent jet black. Remarkable appearance. Near perfect for a stout. It could only be better with a bubble show. I can't wait to try it.

Sm: A refined aroma of chocolate, chocolate malts, rich java/coffee, roasted barley, dark malts, caramel, a bit of nut, and toasted malts. Subtle, evocative, and welcoming. Could use a bit more boldness, but its subtlety is quite alluring. A moderate strength aroma.

T: Delightfully subtle rich coffee and java roast, with hints of mocha and cream. Creamy throughout. The cream greets you on the open. Dark malt foundation, with chocolate malts as well. Chocolate is subtle throughout, and not particularly dominant. Less cacao nibby and more dark brick chocolatey. Caramel. Near perfectly balanced, with each note coalescing in an intentional, meaningful way. There's so much going on here, yet each flavour is so subtle. I suppose if anything, coffee dominates - but really nothing does. Rather, the beer balances all of its notes without losing focus. The whole experience is the emphasis, not one particular flavour. No yeast or alcohol comes through. The roast is wonderful.

Mf: Incredibly light and delicate for the style. Creamy throughout without feeling washed out. Fragile and supportive of the bold flavours. Masterfully tailored to the flavours. Excellent brewing here. Smooth and wet. Thin but not weak. Delightful. I don't know how they accomplished it. That said, I will say that I do personally prefer more coarseness and dryness in a stout. I'm nitpicking. Alcohol warmth is minimal but pleasant; very little booziness or heat.

Dr: Hides its ABV absurdly well. Drinks very easily for its high ABV. I could down this all night. The coffee should help keep you upright while you quaff it too. Very well priced; the quality is unmatched at this price point - only $10.99? I'd take this over a 4 pack of Old Raspy 6 days out of the week. This is a solid go-to imperial stout for us locals. Bravo, Alesmith. Probably their finest mainstay. Lives up to the hype. I'd definitely have this again, especially on nitro (if its offered). I can't wait to try the barrel aged variants.

Small criticisms. It could use more complexity. This style definitely has high expectations. I like that this is so widely available in SoCal, but it doesn't match the complexity of something like The Abyss or Black Tuesday.

An excellent candidate for aging. I've got a few in my cellar as we speak.

Would pair well with chocolate and unsalted plain nuts.

A-

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2012 02:53:04 | More by kojevergas