 hiddenvariable (181), pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Sep 30, 2007 Updated: Apr 6, 2008
bottle. pours an opaque black with a thin cinnamon colored head that goes away quickly but leaves a good lacing. smell is huge but of only a bit of chocolate and coffee and a lot of alcohol. taste is the same, with alcohol dominating a bit mightier of a coffee note than is in the smell. finishes with a dry, hoppy bitterness that lingers for a while with the warming of the alcohol. quite carbonated, with a creamy mouthfeel that seems to leave a thick oily film. as an IS lover, this isn’t nearly as good as i thought it would be.
rerate: let’s try again! opaque black pour, with a huge fluffy tan head that maintains a bubbly froth while i sip, and leaves generous heaps of lacing. great chocolaty/roasty malt smell, with cocoa, some woody notes, a bit of a coffee background, and a hint of alcohol that blends well with the scents. the coffee comes out a lot more in the taste. a decent amount of roasted malt. the chocolate in the nose is conspicuously absent in the taste. quite a bit of alcohol in the taste; i don’t see how people can say you can’t taste the alcohol. fairly bitter finish. there’s some sweetness in there, but it’s not quite enough to balance the bitterness of the coffee, alcohol, and hops. warming to the point of being hot. thin, airy mouthfeel considering the body, which, while not being as thick as some other stouts, isn’t exactly thin. nice lively carbonation. i still don’t dig it as much as everyone else. and i still think it’s a bit of a booze bomb. but i like it better this time than i did last time. personally, i prefer jahva.
MrChopin (157), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Aug 21, 2008 Black with a rich, bubbly tan head. Nose is strong, rich, high-quality coffee... actually, more like a high-quality coffee shop. Also has some minor milk chocolate and alcohol in there. Flavor has more coffee and chocolate, a little alcohol. Never too bitter, this has a rich body that’s ultra-smooth and ideal for such a coffee beast. Speedway is a little simple and straightforward, but out of a starting value of 4.3, it earns a 4.3: it’s about as good of a coffee-driven IS as I can imagine.
Praetorian (42), Los Angeles, California, USA
Aug 20, 2008 Has the color of used motor oil with a large, light brown head with decent lacing. has a strong aroma of chocolate with notes of coffee and molasses. The flavor is of espresso and chocolate with a sweet start and a bitter finish. The palate is very creamy. Hands down the best stout I’ve ever had and a frontrunner for the best beer I’ve ever had. This stuff is happiness in a bottle. Es la leche de la vida!
fidel (119), Livermore, California, USA
Aug 17, 2008 Thanks AgentSteve. Black, coffee, Dark chocolate, roasted malts, caramel, slight dark fruits. Thick & crisp, rich & smooth. A nice complex balanced stout.
enginaaron (58), San Diego, California, USA
Aug 12, 2008 On tap at AleSmith Brewery. This is the first batch of Speedway where AleSmith actually blended the coffee instead of Ryan Bros. As a result, this was one simply incredible beer. I couldn’t get enough of it!! It appeared pitch black, and very viscous with a thick fluffy dark tan head. Aroma was full of chocolate, lots of fantastic coffee, toffee, and roasted barley. It was a wonderful taste of coffee with chocolate and background roasted barley. Tremendous balance with a lean towards coffee. This is simply amazing... does it get any better?! Much better than the previous blend.
msante79 (218), Illinois, USA
Aug 8, 2008 200th rating! Big thanks to Kegbear for this one. Pours jet black with thin dark tan head that leaves thin ring around edges of my snifter. Aroma coffee, dark chocolate, molasses and roasted malt. Flavor is huge with roasted malt and coffee. Notes of caramel, molasses, and dark chocolate help mellow the coffee flavors. Mouthfeel is clean and crisp. Alcohol tingles on tonge. A fine imperial stout but just not as good as Dark Lord or Expidition Stout.
|
