AleSmith Speedway Stout - AleSmith Brewing Company

Arbitrator

California

1.45/5  rDev -67.3%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 1 | feel: 3 | overall: 1

Chilled bottle into a glass. Purchased in early 2009 at K&L. I purposely aged it (admittedly at room temp) to tone down the coffee flavor, as I'm not a huge fan of coffee stouts.

A: Pours a pitch black body with a finger or so of mocha colored head. It retains poorly, retreating into a thin collar with no lacing in a matter of seconds.

S: Chocolate, prunes, cherries, some coffee. I expected more coffee since I'm told this is a coffee-brewed imperial stout, but aging apparently did the job. However, I'm not a fan of the dark fruit presence, which is too strong for my preference. I really can't get over the feeling that this is infected.

T: Definitely dark-fruit dominated here. Again, I'd put money on it being infected if I hadn't picked up similar flavors (though not as strong) in 07 BA Speedway, and if the head hadn't been so weak. Tart dark plums and cherries drive the taste, with a secondary chocolate component. The coffee is noticeable, but I'd argue it has mostly faded out -- which is fine. My complaint is that the beer tastes far fruitier and more tart than a coffee stout should be. Overall, an interesting flavor for the style, but nothing I'm thrilled to revisit.

M: Chewy, semi-dry for the style. A tart flavor and aftertaste that, again, suggests infection. However, the carbonation is low, which contradicts that. Who knows.

D: $12 for this thing? Really? This is a generally agreed-upon example of a good imperial stout? I don't get it. It's disappointing and sad, at best.

I contacted the brewery and sent them my tasting notes, asking if they thought I got an infected bottle. They ignored me. *shrug* The review stands.

EDIT: They got back to me after some pestering. They did have a bad batch around the time I bought it, but they told me no bottles made it to my area. I suspect K&L transported it internally between their stores, and that's how I came into this one. Since they are insistent that the beer is fine, I'm leaving my review.

Serving type: bottle

06-22-2010 08:20:07 | More by Arbitrator

zoolzoo

Connecticut

1.68/5  rDev -62.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 1 | feel: 3 | overall: 1

Received as a trade extra, thanks to the generous Adamdc. I am unsure of the vintage.

A: Pours "stout black", a weak mocha head develops and diminishes into a bubbly ring around the glass.

S: Strong dark fruit presence, soy sauce, burnt coffee, alcohol. Getting some chocolate, as well.

T: Wow, getting alot of strange tartness out of this one. Dark fruits yah, but also a weird semi-sour cherry thing. I wanna say this is infected, but I have no other sample to compare it to. Coffee presence is weak, chocolate presents itself as an under lying sweetness. Finish is again... a bit fruity!

M/D: Thick enough, carbonation is low which contradicts my infection theory. I don't understand how this beer is so well regarded. I may have a bad bottle, maybe not. As it stands I will never know, I wont be hunting this one down again.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2011 21:13:23 | More by zoolzoo

cope0021

Minnesota

1.95/5  rDev -56%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 1 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Pours a dark color, but not quite black. Decent carbonation with a full, persistant head.

Strong alcohol smell. Chocolate notes.

Taste is bitter. Verry bitter. Burnt coffee and bitter chocolate. This is too bitter of a stout for me.

Very thin on the tongue.

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2010 03:36:02 | More by cope0021

Thickfreakness

New York

2.08/5  rDev -53%
look: 5 | smell: 3 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2

A- I've never seen an RIS that poured like this! HUGE, fluffy, vibrant, kahki head that hangs on forever and leaves a ton of sticky, spiderweb lacing!!! Pitch black pour into my Bruery tulip! This RIS has legs!

S- Alcohol, bitter black coffee, subtle hints of chocolate and vanilla. Mostly just booze and bitter coffee. Not impressed!

T- Huge notes of alcohol, bitter black coffee, 90% cocoa and some subtle hints of dark cherry, raisins and bitter hops. This is... uhm... I can't believe I'm saying this... this sucks!!!

M- Rediculously thin and whimpy. Nothing but bitter coffee and alcohol!

O- What a waste of $14!!! Bitter, thin, rancid old coffee... no depth, no oily RIS goodness. How is this P.O.S. rated so highly?

Serving type: bottle

10-28-2012 22:39:48 | More by Thickfreakness

mrgnwlkr

Kansas

2.55/5  rDev -42.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I'm kind of conflicted about whether to post this review at all, especially seeing as it's only my second review. But I'll give my review, and let others decide whether its a valid reflection on the quality of Speedway Stout.

From a bottle purchased at the AleSmith brewery in San Diego.

Very small, light brown, diminishing head. Muddy, very dark brown with ruby on the edges.

Coffee scent with a strong aroma of alcohol/sherry. In addition there's a strong, almost overwhelming, scent of soy sauce/umami.

Very soft carbonation, almost entirely flat. The body is very light, especially for a stout. It has a oily mouthfeel, much like AleSmith's IPA (which I love). Finish is very long and bitter.

Overall, this is a completely different beer than the one I tasted at the brewery tasting room. That beer was extraordinarily well balanced, like everything good about coffee and everything good about beer in a single brew. This bottle was rather strange, with a distinctly different aroma. I'm new at the review thing, but from consulting some resources I wonder if this bottle was a bit autolysed?

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2010 05:06:49 | More by mrgnwlkr

Coji

California

2.58/5  rDev -41.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

It is quite possible that this beer was, dare i say it, overhyped? I was very excited to try this beer because of the very good things I had heard about it. The mouthfeel was very, very smooth. It was barely carbonated, which no doubt was the contributor to this category. Prior to the mouthfeel, the smell made me even more excited to be engulfed by euphoria. The smell of a legitimate stout, with a very strong coffee scent was very appeasing. The taste however, did not live up to my the olfactory and mouthfeel. It was too strong for my palate which is disheartening for me to say because I do enjoy very dark, flavorful beverages.

The tastes were good at best, but it was far too strong for my expectations. This is why the drinkability category took a hit. Mouthfeel combined with the strength of the drink resulted in a less-than-stellar drinkability. I must say that if I had enjoyed the drinkability, I think it would have been too filling to consume the entire bottle (in one sitting. I know not to waste beer!).

On a positive and commending note, the beer was very complex and well constructed. I am sad to give this review because I think it may have been due to my incorrect and presumptive expectations. I tried the beer a little later at a slightly warmer temperature, but I am afraid my initial thoughts and review still stands.

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2010 07:37:20 | More by Coji

Onenote81

North Carolina

2.68/5  rDev -39.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

Bottle received in a trade with fatboyjim1 in a trade long ago. Thanks, Jim!

Have had this one cellared for about a half a year. Poured into a snifter. Not sure the vintage of this as there is no stamp on the bottle.

Pours a jet black; allows no light to penetrate. Starts off with a huge creamy mocha head on top. Good retention; left some nice lace on the glass. Scents of roasted malts and chocolate. A bit of drying scent in there, not sure what that is specifically.

Decent body on this beer. A tad crisp, but it still retains some creamy smoothness that I like in this style. Alcohol is pretty well hidden in this beer. It's not noticeable in the flavor at all. Doesn't taste "hot." This is a really bland Imp. Stout. Flavors of some mild cocoa, and finishes really charred and burnt. There is no sweet balance in this beer at all. There's some hops there, but this is too roasted and grating. Unbalanced and unpleasant. Sorry, Jim, but this beer fell short for me.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2010 06:08:52 | More by Onenote81

jsh420

Illinois

2.73/5  rDev -38.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

bottle from jessethehutt - atleast 4months old

pours jet black with 2 finger tan head that has good retention and left plenty of lacing

smell is coffee chocolate milk and some roasted malts behind all that

taste - wow kind of a big let down - coffee then sour milk - has some roast and chocolate but that sour milk flavor is awful

mouthfeel is watery thin - thinner then nitro guinness!!

drinkability is ok - does not taste 12% abv but on the other hand the flavors are not good

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2010 02:08:20 | More by jsh420

HopJ

California

2.78/5  rDev -37.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

This was a real let down for me. I will look to taste again in case my taste buds were just crazy this night. The smell was heavily weighted towards chocolate. Leaning toward bitter chocolate. But for me it was distractingly so. The aromas were powerful but it would depend on how the flavors worked with it. Really no head on this. My first sip confirms that this is totally flat. With its heavy mouthfeel and dominating chocolate flavors, I needed some carbonation. With no carbonation, this got old fast for me.

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2010 15:54:46 | More by HopJ

dedrinker

Kansas

2.9/5  rDev -34.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

A very glassy, shiny black color with little head and the thinnest dark brown hue when held to the light. Quite attractive despite the lack of head. Faint aroma of coffee, vanilla, and roasted malts. Flavor and mouth feel are disappointingly thin with a sharp, acidic black coffee bitterness that carries through to the finish. A little oak and rum creep out at the end to try and redeem itself, but I can't sign on to this one. The trouble with some coffee stouts is that they taste like they could really use some cream and sugar. I'm glad I didn't pay money for this, but on the brighter side I think this would be a great beer to braise some skirt steak with.

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2008 23:22:29 | More by dedrinker

Kevin73

Washington

3.14/5  rDev -29.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3.5

I felt this stout was a little over rated. The beer pours jet black with a thick'ish tan head that leaves some nice lacing as it goes down. The smell is a little sharp, perhaps some hops character coming through. The body is thin for a stout like this, I expected something more chewy; I love a thick syrupy imperial but this isn't even close. The flavor was not very well balanced, dominated by the unmasked alcohol. Granted 12% is hard to mask, but there is very little sweetness, it's like they didn't even try. Notes of coffee and chocolate are apparent, but not as dominating as I'd like. The vanilla notes are hidden behind what seems to be a bit of unsavory tinny hops on the finish. I only began to notice the vanilla about half way through. While there is a lot going on in this stout, it just didn't seem to come together. Perhaps this would be a good one for the cellar to let it mellow out and come together.

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2013 02:17:02 | More by Kevin73

tayner

Arizona

3.15/5  rDev -28.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I have shipped alot of these around so figure it is about time review one.

It looks good, black with a small tan head, nice lacing

Smells of roasted malts, coffee, burnt toast

Taste was of coffee, burnt toast, ash, roasted malts, alcohol and a slight earthy hop flavor.

Was decent mouth feel, not as coating as i would have liked.

I didnt care for this one, the 12% was a little too hot for me, perhaps some cellar time would make this one better.. or maybe because i drank it on the heals of an abyss.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2008 23:28:23 | More by tayner

capra12

New York

3.15/5  rDev -28.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

This was served in a Snifter glass during dessert.
Reviewed with the help of wheatman106, Jimmy and Chrissy

Appearance- The deep dark brown was no surprise with 1 1/2 fingers of head. The head was frothy and the lacing left on the glass was slightly spotty.

Smell- The initial scents that came to mind were dark roast malts, with coffee, and roasted hops. As this brew warmed to room temperature the coffee really cut through the malts and hop.

Taste- The opening of this brew gave me a nice roasted coffee and very very subtle dark malts, but from the middle to end of this brew an extreme hop profile was apparent along with a burnt coffee taste lingered as I passed off my glass to the other tasters. When paired with the dessert and at a warmer temperature, the sweetness mellowed out the dark malts in the opening and helped mellow out the burnt taste of coffee from middle to end and made it quite enjoyable.

Mouth Feel- The full bodiedness of this brew coated my palate initially with coffee and hops but the flavors developed and the strength of the roasted hops and coffee created a lingering coffee hop well after my last sip.

Drinkability- For this style of beer I can see why is is on the top 100 but as far as having another I'll save this bottle for a nice cold winter night.

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2009 05:18:31 | More by capra12

PhxHorn

Arizona

3.18/5  rDev -28.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Pours almost black, with very little head. Smells of intensely of coffee and dark chocolate. Tastes the same, except very sweet. Actually, too sweet and too much coffee for me; quite lopsided. Needs more bitter flavor to balance out the sweetness. Took me quite awhile to finish the glass. This is a very rich, sweet and coffee-tasting beer, more than I care for. I'm sure it's just the beer for someone who love coffee, but it's just not the right one for me.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2007 05:27:13 | More by PhxHorn

merryjoulton

Arkansas

3.18/5  rDev -28.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Poured a deep thick black with a nice dark tan head that dissipated quickly. Smells of chocolate, coffee, roasted malts and caramel. The smell got me really excited to taste because it smelled very complex and thick. Taste was a letdown, very bogged down by the coffee beans. Tastes like an over extracted coffee. Very sour and acidic. Mouthfeel is not as thick as I expect from a stout this big. Drinkability is low because of the acidity.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2009 04:39:47 | More by merryjoulton

B33R501

Pennsylvania

3.23/5  rDev -27.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Edit 7/30 I fucking hate inconsistency and if I remember correctly this brewer is the definition of inconsistency, last year I had a Yulesmith summer that was incredible, then I purchased 2 more that were flat, and terrible. Got an $8 32 oz bomber tonite, couldn't wait. Yet somehow the bottle was so much better, how is that possible? This draught stunk, no chocolate, no coffee, all vinous character, very boring. Maybe that's why the keg (according to the beer guy at whole foods) was so cheap? Whatever, what a disappointment. Brewers, here's a clue GET SOME F'ING CONSISTENCY.

Another great beer in a year filled with great beers I really don't know how to rate them anymore I guess I'll have to compare. I bought this on someone's comment, this crushes stone imperial stout. Well, we wouldnt go that far. I'd rate it just a bit below that.

Black, big chocolate head, no carbonation issues at all. Actually, the carbonation and mouthfeel are just about perfect. Reviewers note, I had 2 Yulesmith Summer bottles last year that were completely flat.

Chocolate coffee aroma, big coffee chocolate vanilla cream and sugar tastes. Notes of dark fruits, really sweet at times with a big dry bitter finish. This beer just sizzles on the tongue, no hint of alcohol at all, very drinkable I went thru this bomber like nobody's business. And then I stood up, wow this was fantastic.

Serving type: bottle

07-31-2012 11:56:34 | More by B33R501

hopsaplenty

Virginia

3.25/5  rDev -26.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

750ml green (why?) bottle. No date info, but it is silkscreened and came topped with silver foil. Picked-up via trade in November 2005, and has sat in the cellar ever since.

Deep black with mud brown edges. Towering, crackling head of jumbled espresso colored bubbles topped with a fine layer of crema. Pock marks slowly develop as the head drifts down to a pillowy cover. Slow rising carbonation. The aroma is noticeable at a distance, sweetened coffee, chocolate milkshake, smoked caramel, roasted pine cone, and a bit of alcohol. The taste is hot with alcohol and a coffee roastiness is set firmly in the background. Dry pine carries into the finish along with a bit of smokiness. A dry, baker’s chocolate flavor becomes apparent, but is covered by the alcohol. The body feels thin, and the mouthfeel light with fine carbonation. This has a dry, dusty feeling. The alcohol starts to dominate and detract from the overall flavor. I am left wondering where the body went and what happened to the complexity. The bottle indicates that it can be cellared for 6-24 months, and this was only down there for 15 months, so it should have held up better.

Meh. I was expecting more.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2007 15:32:26 | More by hopsaplenty

JDV

Texas

3.25/5  rDev -26.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Bottle from Liquid Solutions.
Pours a deep, opaque, black with a short lived tan head. Smell is not what I expected at all. No coffee aromas for me, coming out of the snifter. Rich, sweet dark fig like fruitiness, some ripe banana, alcohol in nose. Mouthfeel is creamy, a bit rich, and still not a hint of coffee... Alcohol however, is very noticeable, and detracts from it for me. After opening up for a while, I get the faintest hint of coffee in the aftertaste, but not like I'd expect from something that mentions coffee in the Description 4 times. Definitely not a bad Imperial Stout, but too alcoholic, not enough coffee or roasty malt flavor, and overall a let down.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2008 19:05:20 | More by JDV

jasonjlewis

Texas

3.28/5  rDev -26%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

pours a mediocre head with some decent retnetion and a very full dark brown color.

Smell is of chocolate, raisin, grape, and toffee with some coffee notes.

Taste starts off sweet and chocolatey with a little bit of raisin undertone. It finishes with a coffee bitterness and a dry assertiveness from the alcohol, which is not too bad, but a little aggressive. Seems to be a little vanilla on the swallow as well. A nicely complex beer that could use some thicker malts and sweetness over the astringency of the alcohol.

The mouthfeel is slightly astringent on the finish and the malts don't cling to the mouth like I would like them to.

Overall this beer is too boozy even when cold. I could drink it as a nice night cap, but only a glassfull at that.

I think age would make this a much better beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2008 04:34:25 | More by jasonjlewis

tut2528

Illinois

3.28/5  rDev -26%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Finally! I get the chance of trying this one out. Purchased off the shelf on 12-29-12

A: pour is completely black, and it pours a massive 2-3 fingers worth of frothy dark mocha head formation. the lacing is very nice and the nice bubbly film layer remains once the head dies down

S: alcohol soaked dark fruits, bitter dark chocolate, robust coffee grounds, alcohol burn, slight touch of tobacco. very nicely balanced brew.

T: alcohol, bold coffee, chocolate and more alcohol are pretty much the main players. leather, slight tobacco, and a burnt/smokiness is also present. in all honesty, I get only a slight sweetness....mostly during the burps!

M: for as dark as this beer is. i find it much too light. i find much too light and the alcohol destroys any nice flavors that could be left on the palate, its felt all over the upper gums, cheeks and palate.. i suppose there is a slight bitter dark chocolate but, i really have to pull for it.

O: im utterly shocked. for receiving such high reviews, this brew is extremely underwhelming. its an alcohol bomb....flat.... for being such highly ranked, i expect more out of a beer of this caliber.... its an average AD/IS. nothing special or great about it. I strongly feel this needs to be paired with food, or seriously aged.

.... is this a bad bottle/batch?.... glad i'm at least getting drunk

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2012 03:26:00 | More by tut2528

HiAIPA

Maine

3.3/5  rDev -25.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured from b/w/grey silkscreened 750ml bottle. This black stout had a medium body and poured with minimal head. Robust aromas of bread, coffee, tar and roasted caramel malts were prominent. The coffee and roasted flavors were good, but there was this acidic high note kinda like a lactose or sweet stout thing that detracted from this. This should be a heavy thick brooding stout, and the sweet thing wasn't ideal.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2009 01:13:55 | More by HiAIPA

bruachan

Rhode Island

3.33/5  rDev -24.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

from hudson acme

i bought myself some new beerware to accomodate 750s, and frankly, this thing's too big. it's a 160 oz brandy snifter. that's right...it can accomodate FIVE 750s. anyway, i figured this was an appropriate brew to christen my BIG glass (i call it...the grrrail)

big chocolate aroma out of the bottle (which, now that it is empty, i see is green and not black). pours a reddish brown, but black in the glass. chocolatemilkshake head that sticks to the glass when it sloshes around (looks almost like changing tides in this glass). when i stick my face in the snifter's port (literally; when i sip my hairline is in the cavernous glass. i should wear a hairnet) i get alot of ethanol in my nose, along with the expected black malt aromas and some deep dark fruitiness

a fair amount of bitterness from the highly kilned malts, but it could be a much smoother drink. vanilla, rum, raisin. the hop bitterness seems to mesh with the ethanol flavor, so the alcohol appears more prevalent than it really is. in any case, i should be expecting some alcohol to come through (though it's a little strong in the aroma)

coffee doesn't seem to have as much of an impact compared to peché mortel, but i don't drink the stuff so i might be missing some of the nuances that i might pick up otherwise

in conclusion, i'm disappointed. i don't like the bitterness at all, i get too much ethanol aroma and, though complex, the flavors just aren't enjoyable. their wee heavy is much better

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2006 05:02:03 | More by bruachan

GregSVT

Texas

3.33/5  rDev -24.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

750ml bottle into a snifter - 2009 Vintage

A: Pours a deep black with ruby tinges on the side and a small dark tan head that fades quickly and leaves some lacing on the glass. I poured this pretty vigorously and it barely produced a small head...I'd like to see more than that otherwise great.

S: The nose is amazing. Roasted malt leads to a coffee aroma with vanilla and cocoa in the background. I literally said "oh my god" when I took my first whiff.

T: The taste is much different from the nose. It starts slightly sour with a lot of dark fruit and that leads to a vanilla and coffee flavor. Not as impressive as the nose led on but not bad either.

M: The feel is pretty thick and oily. Not a whole lot of carbonation which isn't a bad thing for an Impy Stout.

D: I'd like to try this again before I give my final verdict. Perhaps I'll get the new 2010 vintage and have it fresh.

I can't even imagine what the smell and taste would be on the barrel aged version...must be out of this world.

Serving type: bottle

07-24-2010 01:34:55 | More by GregSVT

nas5755

Massachusetts

3.33/5  rDev -24.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A black beer with a massive tan head some lacing is left on the glass, with a little retention. The nose has coffee, light chocolate notes and deeply roasted dark coffee bitterness. The taste follows the nose, heavy with dark roasted coffee and the astringent bitterness that comes from too much roasting, chocolate and roasted malt flavors. Too much roast when fresh. A very smooth and creamy stout with a great mouth-feel, but it was hard to appreciate because of the bitterness. A very good stout that should be aged, even with all the coffee notes. The astringent bitterness is just to harsh to truly enjoy. I have this beer with a little over a year and the astringency had faded considerably.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2011 23:53:22 | More by nas5755

BZero007

Virginia

3.33/5  rDev -24.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Picked up a bottle from Vendomere in CA

Poured a extreme black color void of any light. no head formation at all. The aroma nice with a sweet coffee background twirled around. The smell was not very strong but was nice and plesent. The taste was of a well balanced coffee, roasty, dark fruit flavor. Honestly they all seemed to match very well, but the biggest problem was no carbonation. The carbonation in this brew was way to low and hard to find honestly. I felt for this flavor profile it needed just a dash more to tie everything together. I am hoping I had a bad bottle but this was my second bottle both of which were different years. So I am just chacking this up to not my style. Don't get me wrong this a good Stout just not something I will seek out again. If it was sold in m area I would probably pick it up from time to time. The body was great as a medium/thick style but again the lack of carbonation hit this brew hard for me.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2011 18:58:45 | More by BZero007