 Odeed (1491), Bakersfield, California, USA
Aug 28, 2006 Updated: Jun 14, 2008
(2004 BOTTLE 54/228 OPENED SIDE BY SIDE WITH A REGULAR SPEEDWAY)after years of waiting,i finally get to try this brew.i opened it with a few other rate beer friends.(and im glad i did.i hope they enjoyed it as much as i did)i poured it into my stone imperial glass and noticed the appearance was a bit (but not much) lighter than the orginal speedway.although the b.a. version had no head what so ever.(this may be due to the barrel aging).i picked up the glass and put it to my nose and recieved a wonderful mix of oak,vanilla,coffee,roasted malts,and chocolate.as far as the aroma goes,id say i prefer the ba version to the original.now for the flavor/taste.the first thing i was hit with was a bit of a bitter flavor that i was not familiar with from the regular speedway.but after that,it was oak,vanilla,coffee,chocolate,and an alcohol finish.although as the beer warmed the bitter taste vanished and i just picked up the flavors.now as far as mouthfeel the b.a. version wins hands down.it was smooth as silk.all the flavors mold together really well,except for the alcohol.it was a little more upfront in the b.a. version compared to the original.its really hard to say which version i really like better at the moment cuz i have hadmultiple versions/years of the original speedway,but only one of the b.a. speedway.i know one thing,i gotta dock the ba version on appearance becuase it didnt have any head.(no pun intended)but as far as mouthfeel and overall smoothness.this beer tops any other that i have ever had.(RE-RATE:JUNE 6TH 2007 FOR MY ANNIVERSARY WITH MY GIRLFRIEND.)brown body with light brown and red highlights.this time i received a nice dark brown head.as i gave the glass a swirl i picked up some webbing and legs on the side of the glass.(this will up my rating in appearance.)the aroma was awsome once again.everything has melted together even more.the flavor is once again outstanding.and alot of the sharp bitterness i got last year has faded away.although the alcohol is still pretty upfront,which is something i thought might calm down as well.some oxidation has set in,but not enough to give it an off flavor.honestly i cant see it getting any better than this right now.(2006 BATCH 2.NUMBER 52/333)nice dark brown head on this once that leaves some webbing on the glass.the aroma is bourbon,vanilla,coffee,chocolate,molasses,roasted malts,and some alcohol.the flavor is much of the same with some smoke,and the alcohol shines a bit more in the flavor.i think a year would do this some justice,although its head and shoulders above the first 2006 batch they put out a few months ago.
sauceyhops (20), carlsbad, California, USA
Oct 7, 2008 2003 750 ml bottle. Pours absolutely black and smooth with no head. Unmistakable aroma of Alesmith barrel aging with a heavy touch of speedway. Perfectly smooth mouthfeel that makes it a little too drinkable. Chocolate and bitter coffee blend beautifully with the bourbon tones and sweet touches in the aftertaste. My favorite stout to date...
toncatcher (205), Santee - SAN DIEGO, California, USA
Oct 5, 2008 Bottle shared by Stefanje at Fordest house, thanks Stefen. Pours an oily black with almost no carbonation. Aroma of bourbon, wood, coffee. Flavor was coffee, bourbon, and molasses and were remarkablly mellow and smooth. Alcohol was well hidden.
stefanje (594), (Santee) San Diego, California, USA
Oct 5, 2008 2006 bottle shared at fordest’s tasting. Poured a viscous black with a tan head that had good retention. The aroma was of molasses, coffee, oak and whiskey. The flavor was similar to the nose with some smooth vanilla tossed in. This beer is remarkable due to the mellowness of the flavors; regular speedway is a ferocious tiger, but this is more of a laid back fat cat. As such, the first sip was a bit anti-climatic, but as I sipped it grew in complexity and character. Molasses, dates, mocha and bourbon. The mouthfeel was similar to he Westy 12. The finish was long with mellow whiskey. Overall: A great brew.
Doppelganger (1199), Oxford, Oxfordshire, England
Sep 29, 2008 Bottle with Craig, Stella, Fin, Loz and Traci, at the "What’s This Label Supposed To Be Anyway?" tasting. Huge thanks to Craig for sharing this, and for holding on to this very special bottle until this tasting. (And a thanks to WeeHeavySD for parting with it.) Is was a privilege to be able to taste this, and even cooler to be able to try it side-by-side with the regular Speedway!
Deep black with just little shiny brown edges, modest layer of burnt tan fine bubbles. Bright fumey vanilla aroma, brown sugar, a fresh green oakiness. A little briney touch. Dark intense chocolate flavor with a nice pinch of salt. Rich mineral flavor on the back of the tongue, like oyster liqueur sans fishy flavor. Coconut sweetness. Very soft, the edges all seeming smoothed and polished by the cask time. A complete, unified experience of Imperial Stout. Compared to the regular Speedway: this has a nicer nose, but I miss the dramatic roasty bite.
cgarvieuk (2536), Edinburgh, Scotland
Sep 29, 2008 bottle At Fins BIG thanks to WeeHeavySD for this one Had along side Caseys normal Bottle and for me the Normal was the better though neither blew me away ...Deep Deep black ... meaty roast malts light oak ... slightly sweet slightly salty ... lots of bourbon ... some vanilla ... bitterness in linger ... just didnt work for me... sweeter than the normal but vanilla tones are a bit high for me... REALLY glad to have shared this with two guys who enjoyed it more than me. I even think most of the Girls took to it better than me as well but since they dont rate they dont coun t:-)
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