Speedway Stout - Hawaiian
AleSmith Brewing Company

Speedway Stout - HawaiianSpeedway Stout - Hawaiian
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From:
AleSmith Brewing Company
 
California, United States
Style:
American Imperial Stout
Ranked #374
ABV:
12%
Score:
96
Ranked #819
Avg:
4.35 | pDev: 6.44%
Reviews:
151
Ratings:
742
Status:
Active
Rated:
Dec 08, 2023
Added:
Oct 31, 2015
Wants:
  99
Gots:
  102
We often use Speedway Stout as a jet-black canvas for homages to things we hold dear, whether it's artisan coffee, a favorite edible or sumptuous flavor combination. The most recent variation of our celebrated imperial stout honors the culinary character of the Hawaiian Islands by combining the lush sweetness of coconut with vanilla and Ka'u coffee. Named after the region of Hawaii from which it hails, Ka'u is produced from some of the world's rarest coffee beans. Slow-grown beneficiaries of nutrient-rich volcanic soil and idyllic climate, Ka'u offers nuances of caramel and hazelnut plus a soft floral character, all of which marry seamlessly with natural sweetness from the vanilla and coconut as well as Speedway Stout's inherently rich, chocolaty character. Say aloha to something truly exceptional and evocative of its namesake isles.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by rfgetz:
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Rated by rfgetz from New Jersey

4.3/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

May 02, 2016
More User Ratings:
Photo of josanguapo
Reviewed by josanguapo from Spain

4.29/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
De Beerepulic.eu. En copa Teku. Viendo Tokyo Revengers y Daredevil 2x05. Las notas a coco toman el protagonismo, y aunque es una birra excelente, no la mejoran respecto a la birra base. lo que si da una sensación más refrescante que invita a trago más largo. También presenta cierto perfil metalico
Dec 08, 2023
Photo of MonDak_Joe1953
Reviewed by MonDak_Joe1953 from Minnesota

4.43/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
16oz can. Bottom stamp reads 'CANNED ON 11/01/22'.
Black colored body with a mahogany back lit edge. Pillowy, but short lasting, tan head results in islands and a ring. Leaves behind horizontal webs and layers of lacing.
Aroma of sweet vanilla and coconut, and the darker chocolate and coffee. Also a presence of caramel.
Taste really explodes. Dark roasted caramel malts, dark chocolate, dark coffee, and a density of coconut. Late in the profile, a flavor of raisin and cherry comes in. All continue into the aftertaste.
Thick mouth feel, with a creamy texture. Higher ABV% intrudes somewhat but certainly is not burning. Supportive carbonation.
Very well constituted to balance the chocolate, coffee, and coconut, and to have a natural expression for all.
Oct 03, 2023
Photo of TreyIsWilson
Reviewed by TreyIsWilson from Michigan

4.27/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
A - Pours pitch black with a one finger sturdy tan head. Heavy amount of clingy lacing.

S - Aroma is dark roasted malt, coffee, dark chocolate and coconut.

T - The taste is dark roasted coffee, dark chocolate, roasted malts, vanilla and coconut.

M - Full body with medium carbonation. Creamy mouthfeel with a crisp drying mouthfeel.

O - Solid stout.
Sep 15, 2023
Photo of Brutaltruth
Reviewed by Brutaltruth from Ohio

4.44/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
From the 16 oz can in a snifter. This legend pours a dark muddled
blackish brown with a fantastic head of brown foam that settles to a
fat ring, thin dusty layer, and sports some excellent lacing. Nose of
dark rich coffee, dark cocoa, vanilla, and sweet toasted coconut with
char, and brulee notes amidst dark berry hints. Flavors hit the mark
with dark cocoa, dark coffee, brulee, touch of smoke, deep roast, dark
berry notes of raspberry and blueberry, and a nicely toasted coconut
note. Mouth feel is full, smooth, rich, coating, moderately warming, and
finishing with a very nice bitter malt and sweet toasted coconut note
with light carbonation.

Overall---excellence!

Cheers
Aug 22, 2023
Photo of puck1225
Reviewed by puck1225 from Texas

4.34/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Very nice after hockey beer. Great with cheese and crackers,

Poured from a can into a tulip glass. Oily dark brown color with brief effervescent brown head and light lacing. Smell andtaste od coconut, dark chocolate and rich coffee. A bit fruity, somewhat nutty and not too boozy. Reminds me of an Almond Joy.
Jul 20, 2023
 
Rated: 4 by Birdlegs from Washington

Jul 01, 2023
Photo of Captain69
Rated by Captain69 from Illinois

4.25/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
A STOUT FULL OF FLAVOR - I THINK THE BEST OF THE SPEEDWAY BEERS -vanilla coconut- coffee a great stout to enjoy
Jun 09, 2023
 
Rated: 4.19 by EMH73 from New York

May 19, 2023
Photo of perfumer
Reviewed by perfumer from Canada (BC)

4/5  rDev -8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Poured from pint can into snifter.

Looks: Pours thick, I got pretty much no head at all, besides a tiny patch of fine tan in the middle and a thin ring that quickly dissipated. Others reviewers got great heads, so this is puzzling and perhaps not a good sign for my can.

Smells: Heavy on the coffee. Rum, wood, vanilla, malt, a bit of raisin. Coconut is there only ephemerally, perhaps even just imagined because I was looking for it so hard.

Tastes: Black coffee and vanilla, as sweet as you'd expect but not too much. Raisin comes though, and a bit of malt character is there but overwhelmed by the adjuncts. A bit boozy for sure, but still pleasantly smooth. Lingers a bit, but doesn't overstay its welcome. Wait... after pausing between sips long enough to see how long it sticks in the mouth... is that... by the gods... COCONUT? IT IS. Just enough of it to suggest that this may have been brewed in the same room as an open box of coconut shavings, perhaps, but unmistakably present right at the very tail when all the other flavours have one foot out the door.

Feels: Medium-bodied, slightly oily, fizzy carbonation.

Overall: As reviewers, do we review based on what the beer is (a great coffee+vanilla stout) or whether it is what it says it is (a coffee+vanilla+coconut stout)? I did both and averaged the two. This is quite good, but like many, I found myself wanting more coconut. Maybe I'll revisit this later and see if this can was a dud.
May 15, 2023
Photo of teromous
Reviewed by teromous from Virginia

3.76/5  rDev -13.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
This is from a can, labeled "ONE PINT" for the size. From the bottom of the can: "CANNED ON 11/04/22 55 10"

Appearance: It is a black bodied beer which is completely opaque. The head sits between short and medium in size with tiny bubbles and it has a khaki color. The head has excellent retention. It leaves a small string of tight bubbles for lacing. The can states that this is "12.0% ALC. BY VOL." and for such a high ABV is has an extremely impressive head.

Aroma: There is an aroma of chocolate, cocoa, wet wood, and coffee. There is a noticeable alcohol scent but it comes through as a cross between a chocolate liqueur scent and bourbon.

Taste: Chocolate hits the tongue at first which tastes like a dark chocolate bar. A cocoa flavor comes through on the middle of the palate. Some alcohol flavor comes through in the middle. A bit of char and more dark chocolate towards the back of the mouth, and a dark chocolate aftertaste. It is a good tasting beer.

Mouthfeel: It has a full body that teeters a bit on the low side of full. It has a pleasantly mild roasted bitterness. The can states "12.0% ALC. BY VOL." which is evident while drinking the beer but it never hampers drinkability and it is actually quite smooth. It is very drinkable.

Overall: It's a really good beer but it won't give you everything it promises. The text on the can states that this is an "IMPERIAL STOUT BREWED WITH HAWAIIAN COFFEE, TOASTED COCONUT, AND VANILLA BEANS." Neither the vanilla or the coconut make an appearance in the beer which is a big disappointment. Probably the greatest disappointment is the lack of coconut because the can states that this is a "HAWAIIAN EDITION" and there is no coconut at all. The coffee is present in the aroma but it doesn't show up in the flavor. What's interesting here is that the beer has a lot of chocolate flavor and it has an almost bourbon barrel aroma even though this doesn't say anything about being aged on wood at all. This speaks volumes for the quality of the base beer but it means that there's very little reason to buy this version over the regular version.

I really enjoyed the beer but I can't see a reason to recommend it over regular Speedway Stout given that it lacks nearly all of the advertised flavors. I could probably buy this again as a replacement if I couldn't find Speedway Stout but I wouldn't buy it otherwise. I don't recommend it to those looking for the advertised coconut, vanilla, and coffee. I would recommend it to those looking for an excellent "normal" Imperial Stout.
May 13, 2023
 
Rated: 3.82 by sentrytec from Pennsylvania

May 12, 2023
Photo of turfy
Reviewed by turfy from Texas

4.34/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Poured a near black, with a thick body and a fast diminishing dark tan head. You can definitely smell the coconut, along with some vanilla and cocoa. I couldn’t detect any coffee notes on the nose . Nice punch of sweet coconut , with lesser presence of the vanilla and chocolate. The coffee became apparent on the aftertaste. All of the brewed elements are there. Based on the appearance, I thought the body would produce a heavier mouthfeel, but it was more medium, with medium carbonation. A well made stout from AleSmith.
May 11, 2023
 
Rated: 4.5 by MonkeyPilates from Minnesota

Apr 25, 2023
Photo of SpaceCamp
Reviewed by SpaceCamp from Virginia

4.04/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
L: Pours a rich dark brown that forms a thick pecan-colored head. Plenty of cloudy lacing on the edges of the snifter, and a nice layer of bubbly pecan retention on top. Held to the light, this beer is an impenetrable chocolate color.

S: Pretty faint, but I can detect baker's chocolate, earthy coffee beans, hazelnut, vanilla, and roasted malts. Traces of sugar and coconut.

T: Sweet and dessert-like. Plenty of chocolate, caramel, and vanilla at the start. Coconut and roasted malts in the middle. Hazelnut, coffee, and hints of smoke and char in the finish. Very smooth and drinkable, concealing the big ABV quite well. A late-night treat.

F: Medium-bodied. Some light-to-moderate carbonation. Silky and creamy.

O: A very strong imperial stout, as expected in the Speedway series. More sweet than bitter on the spectrum, but it's not overly cloying and it balances out the flavors nicely. Strong purchase.
Apr 14, 2023
Photo of Christianriveraaa
Reviewed by Christianriveraaa

4.27/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Poured from a can into a snifter - dark black pour with two and a half fingers length risen to the surface. Lacing left behind as this dissipates into liquid form.
As soon as I poured this from the can I got hit with aromas of coconut, vanilla, caramel, hazelnut, dark malts, chocolate, coffee. Jeez this smells like a treat!
The coffee is the predominant part of this. Big coffee aromas upfront and a nice coffee aftertaste. Getting notes of chocolate, slight coconut, vanilla.
The feel is medium to heavy bodied. Sips very well for a 12%. Would believe it if they said it was a 10%.
Overall This was good! I thought the aroma was incredible but didn't really get much of the coconut as I was hoping for. Still is a solid B+ for me.
Apr 08, 2023
 
Rated: 4.25 by RMW66 from Australia

Apr 05, 2023
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Rated by gooddaydiablo from Texas

4.6/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
toffee, vanilla, coffee, chocolate, wow this one is superb!
Mar 16, 2023
Photo of colts9016
Reviewed by colts9016 from Idaho

4.27/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
1848
Name: Speedway Stout, Hawaiian
Brewery: Alesmith
Location: San Diego, CA
Style: Imperial Stout
ABV 12%
Date: 2022
Using my Black Tuesday glass, I served it at 52 degrees. The pour created a frothy and creamy medium-dark tan head with average retention. The slow dissipation left no lacing on the glass. Charting the color somewhere near SRM 32, dark brown, almost black. The overall appearance is above average for this style.
Nosing the glass, I smell dark chocolate, fruity coffee, nuttiness, earthiness, molasses, bready, coconuts, vanilla, dark roasted malts, char, a touch of smokiness, a hint, and caramel.
The flavors in the beer are dark roasted malts, earthiness, a hint of floral, light roasted coffee, chocolate, molasses, caramel, vanilla, a touch of char, molasses, coconut, and a touch of smoke.
The mouthfeel is slightly dry and warm. The body is full, has low carbonation, and a lasting finish.
A great beer with lots of coffee, nutty, and coconut flavors for any fan of those flavors. A wonderful tropical imperial stout flavor. I enjoyed this speedway stout version.
Feb 17, 2023
Photo of ilikebeer03
Reviewed by ilikebeer03 from Texas

4.48/5  rDev +3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Drank 2/10/23
Pour is black with a dense, creamy finger of lightly cinnamon head. good retention. good lacing and legs
Nose is a heavy dose of coconut, coffee, vanilla, subtle dark chocolate
Taste follows. vanilla with a subtle coconut hiding behind it, all wrapped up in fresh roasted coffee, roasted and toasted malts, caramel surprises on the finish. doesn't get too sweet. additions all play nicely together; nothing dominates and the base beer still shines through.
smooth creamy body
Feb 11, 2023
Speedway Stout - Hawaiian from AleSmith Brewing Company
Beer rating: 96 out of 100 with 742 ratings