AleSmith Speedway Stout

Brewed by AleSmith Brewing Company
Style: Imperial Stout
San Diego, California USA

Serve in Snifter

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Very black, think with a brown head. Intense, rich aroma with alcohol, coffee, etc. Velvety and oh so thick and wonderful. Good bitterness from the coffee and not too much in the way of hops. Great malt flavors in here!

UPDATED: AUG 2, 2006 2003 Bottle: (9,4,8,5,17), sampled on 2/15/04: Pours with very little head, but with a thick oily black body. Aroma is still a rich complex mix of coffee, chocolate, and dark fruits. Body is slightly more bitter and dry than the 2002 version, with more coffee presence. Still has a great robust syrupy mouthfeel and good amount of sweetness. Still a world class imperial stout.

My 500th rating: (9,5,9,5,19) 2002 bottle, sampled on 4/9/2003: Pours a deep brown molasses with full dark tan head. Smells like walking into a Starbucks. Rich chocolate coffee nose. First sip is velvety sweet with a light touch of brown sugar and dark chocolate. Great complexity is buried in its viscosity. Medium bitterness and a roasted coffee finish round out one of the best imperial stouts I’ve had. This rivals dark lord and worldwide 18%. Masks its alcohol masterfully. I cannot wait until this year’s batch!

UPDATED: APR 30, 2003 (2002 Edition) The beer poured out of the bottle with a steady glug, glug, sound that was almost comical. However, the end result was a beer that is jet black with a thick creamy russet head. The nose screams melting dark chocolate and caramel sprinkled with coffee. The palate while very full is a little lighter than I was expecting. The coffee and dark malts meld greatly and produce one very chocolaty brew. The hop profile, certainty plays a supporting role in this malt bomb. The coffee aspect of this beer comes on strong during the finish. To me this beer is a dessert beer all the way. I really enjoyed it, but it lacks the complexities of Victory, Stone, and Bells Imperial Stouts.

If you could compare Speedway with a life-experience, I would match it with love. Its just impossible not to get involved after catching a whiff of the incredibly complex roasted and spicy flavors. Just a sip of the mocha, caramel and dark citrusy flavor satiates, but the hunger is there for more. After I thought I knew everything there was to know about the brew, more was to be learned. As with love, age only refines and develops what we first thought perfection was. I'd love to grow old with a bottle of Speedway. Thanks to TAR for introducing me to this beauty.

UPDATED: JAN 21, 2004 I've had this on tap and in the 750ml bottle. Review is on the bottle... Wow! Very dark and looks great, but the aroma is out of this world. The coffee and chocolate flavors dominate. Pretty smooth for 12%. Hints of caramel with a snappy finish. The taste gets bigger on the last half of the glass. Probably my favorite Imperial Stout right now. Sometimes it can be a bit much though, it should be shared.

This had one of the best aromas I have ever experienced from a beer. Starts out sweet with touches of coffee and cocoa powder. After it warms up a bit the chocolate really starts to come out and this tart cherry like aroma begins to take form. The aroma finally takes the shape of this awsome chocolate/mocha covered cherry aroma.The flavor is sweet with a super roasty finish. Bitterness grabs the back of your tongue on its way down. Wish they sold this in Seattle.

UPDATED: JUL 15, 2003 Dense black, thick chocolate mousse foam. Creamy roasted coffee aroma, light graininess, winey fruits. Smooth easy drinking, slips down pretty easily. Dark chocolate and roasted coffee front. Second half shows considerable alcohol content and apple fruitiness. Aftertaste comes back chocolaty.

UPDATED: MAR 26, 2004 Kudos to Alesmith! What a beer. The bourbon cask version is simply amazing. Again, thanks to O’Brien’s for the excellent tap list. A sinful, opaque black that is so powerful it bends light in its direction and absorbs it. Fluffy, creamy, cocoa colored head. Velvety smooth. The 12% alcohol is only barely noticeable. Chocolate aroma that made my stomach growl. The strong coffee aroma present in the bottle version was greatly subdued. Beautiful, rich mouth feel. Delicious chocolate, coffee, and vanilla flavors. None of the coffee acidity present in the bottle version (when first released). The bottle version has a much more pronounced, intense, quality coffee flavor. Each has its pluses. I haven’t had any of the bottled version since it was first released, but I imagine it is aging well. I’d rate the bottled version only slightly lower. If you ever want to start your day off right, have a bottle for breakfast! It will leave you inebriated and buzzing with joy.

(Slight re-rate) Black with slight ruby edges and i mean slight, beautiful, think,rocky and creamy brown head and lace. Nose of malt, strong black coffee, chocolate pie with dark chocolate shavings. Alcohol nose has lessened with time. Oh man, silky smooth, INTENSE flavors of bittersweet chocolate caramel ,alcohol, coffee beans and cocoa powder. Full, rich, intense and sharp. Nice long bitter finish, a bit drying as well. I didnt notice many burnt fruit impressions, notably some raisons and plums. This is a HUGE beer and one not to be taken lightly. I feel it may need some time to age so it can mellow and meld a bit. Its awesome now but he is a beast. I cant imagine what he would be like in 3-4 years. I need a few more:) Alesmith can brew. Thank you Gusler, Herbjones, and Trap for samples of this.

UPDATED: JAN 25, 2006 Strong coffee nose (as expected) with touches of bakers cocoa. Thick oily mocha head and a black as hell color. First sips had a lot of coffee and more but it was kicked over by too much alcohol. So after it warmed a bit and the alcohol monster got out of my face it revealed dark chocolate, fresh roast coffee, a bit of soy sauce, burnt caramel, and toasted marshmallow. Finished a bit shorter than expected with assertive malts and a puff of (yes) more coffee. 4.2 2002 bottle 24JAN06 Alcohol has really mellowed out and has made foom or a lot more coffee and dark chocolate. Despite its hugeness it is still extremly balanced. <strike>rerate whiskey barrel cask Holy scheisse creamy beyonde belief. Butter Irish cream, wiskey, vanilla and wood all make special apearances in this wiskey barrel edition. Finishes burnt, bright, and sweet. .yet another rerate growler of whiskey barrel cask. Like DaSilky1 said, every time I have this, it gets better. Look out in the next few months for a new edition.</strike>