 BlackForestCO (549), Fort Collins and Black Forest, Colorado, USA
Jul 6, 2008
06 Vintage: 7-4-8-3-14=3.6
03 Vintage: 9-3-9-4-18= 4.3
03 Vintage: Poured a deep brown/black color with a very thin tan head that rapidly disappears. Aroma of oak, spicy bourbon, roasted coffee, and some moderate chocolate. Smooth, lightly spicy entry with some moderate roasted coffee and chocolate with some moderate bitterness on the finish with hints of dark, vinuous fruits and some light chalkiness. Smooth, thick and oily with a nice oak finish.
06 Vintage: Poured a thick deep brown/black color with a moderate tan head that faded to a ring. Aroma of faint roast and chocolate with moderate chalkiness and a light bourbon oak character. Sweet, chocolaty entry with some light roasted coffee and some spicy bourbon. Not nearly as complex as the 03. Pretty thick, a moderate chalkiness.
Overall, the 03 was a much better beer. The 06 tasted like an average BA stout that lacked the complexities and nuances that were present in the 03. Honestly, I think people are falling victim to the hype.
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 (204), 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 (590), (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 (1197), 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 (2525), 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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