AleSmith Speedway Stout

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

bottle. I’ve been waiting for this one. It pours black as pitch with a lasting dark tan head. Swirling the snifter reveals lacing like a motherfucker. The aroma is huge of espresso & cream, a little wood. It makes my mouth water. God, this is so damned delicious. It’s nothing truly unique for an imperial stout, just the perfect balance and level of all the expected notes. There’s strong coffee, dense chocoalte, oak, walnuts, and more which pummel the palate in a drying, coating fashion. This beer is HUGE!
[8.08.08]
750 ml. Pours absolutely black. I’m shining a flashlight directly into the goblet and getting no light penetration here. Really thick lacing, a small tan head, and dense cascades are all noticed from a firm swirl. The aroma is pretty sharp, almost vinegary at first, but minutes pass and everything becomes more rounded and even. Now, I get very assertive coffee beans on top of espresso, mocha, nut shells, brownies, and hickory. I thought I had overrated this one in my younger years. But a sip makes me a bit more sure of myself. Genuine coffee character is honestly not the stand out flavor on this one, it kind of pokes out in the finish amid a wash of dry suggestions of espresso. Earth, dark chocolate are noted and the finish is especially dry. Wow, 12%? I cannot detect that. Some hints of smoke, miscellaneous roast, and milk are found. The palate is heavy, sure, but not as chewy as Ten Fidy for instance. This is damned good.

An awesome brew from Alesmith. Tried on cask at the PP Real Ale Festival. Very smooth. Very flavorful. Not too dry or too sweet. Low carbonation. Very easy to drink. Very easy. Chocolae aroma and taste. No over the top coffee bitterness that I was expecting. Excellent.
Earlier Rating: 4/22/2007 Total Score: 4.3
Deep, deep, rich flavor, possibly too deep, and needs serious aging to mellow out the coffee and roasting. Tried at Alesmith brewery. Bought a bottle of the 2004, which i rerate later.

Rating 900. Bottle courtesy of markwise. Thanks for the share, my friend. Pours a pitch black murky color with a massive tan-yellow head that settles slowly. Aroma is roasted and malty with notes of coffee, toffee, chocolate, licorice, ripe dark fruit, caramel, figs, raisins. Flavor is roasted and malty as well with notes of coffee, chocolate, honey, caramel, coffee bean, smoke, some hints of wood and brandy. Generally full body with a pleasing roasted malt finish. I agree that this beer deserves all the hype -- really something special.

Pours black with little head that is gone quickly. Big chocolate aroma with hops barely detectable and just a faint coffe smell. Smooth body mostly chocolate with hints of coffee. I am not getting all the coffee mentioned everywhere which for me is a good thing. (I am not a fan of coffee) Overall very nice stout and I am not a really big fan of stouts.

2007 750ml bottle. Pours midnight black with minimal head that fades into a persistent oil slick. Oily lacing like the Exxon Valdez just spilled gallons of crude into the sea. Nose is Belgian chocolate, roasted coffee, plums, burnt malts and alcohol. Flavor is dark chocolate milk, cocoa, espresso and burnt caramel with bitter hops and alcohol in the finish. Super creamy palate coating mouth feel. Huge warming effect. Wow. All other impy stouts will be compared to this heavenly brew from this point forward. It’s the cock of the walk baby.

Bottle via trade with cbkschubert. Strong aroma. Very robust with dark coffee hints. Pours a thin head that stays. Darker than night. Flavor has much character too it that mellows out to a balanced drink as it warms. Very drinkable with the alcohol hiding till near the end. Very good imperial stout. My 200th rating. Thanks Craig.

shared this the only way it should be consumed, with good friends who care about good beer. Poured samples into small 6 oz wine glasses. So much flavor in this one. Lived up to hype. Right there with DFH WWS. Look forward to tasting my other bottle a couple of years down the road.

Dutch tasting session Bunnik. Opaque, big brown head. Malty, coffee and some chocolate in aroma. Malty flavour, bitter, chocolate again. Lasting bitter finish.