Speedway Stout - Vietnamese Coffee - Bourbon-Barrel Aged
AleSmith Brewing Company

4.43/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Pours black. Brown head. Slightly roasty mocha aroma. Woody and bourbon scents as well. Taste falls right in line with aroma. Silky smooth feel with just the right amount of carbonation.

 186 characters

4.42/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

2014 vintage; drank 2/4/17 @ Golgi Apparatus.

Black/brown appearance.

Minimal dark khaki head; no lace.

Coconut, fudge, marshmallow & faint bourbon notes in the nose.

Thick, smooth mouthfeel.

Marshmallow, dark chocolate, coconut & burnt caramel flavors up front; faint bourbon heat notes on the finish.

Rich, delicious dessert heaven.

 346 characters

4.75/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Had a cellared bottle. Been hunting this one for awhile, and it did not disappoint! Smell has rich bourbon barrel character that compliments all flavors. The booze, wood, coffee, chocolate, slight vanilla, licorice, leather and charcoal in the smell. Taste is much the same, woven together in rich creamy layers. Add some earthiness, dark fruit, and molasses, and notice the depth of the coffee flavors, and the taste is complete. Feel is creamy, super rich, the right amount of booziness, and chewy.

 503 characters

4.83/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Tasted from bottle. Pours black with tan head. Huge coffee aroma with some bourbon. Taste is thick and chewy. No booziness to it. Flavors of caramel, molasses, coffee, cocoa, bourbon. Dangerously drinkable.

 206 characters

4.75/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

2014 bottle poured into a KBBS teku on 3-16-19. I'm thankful that this aged so well. I'm sure the coffee flavor has subsided a little from its original flavor, but to me that is a positive. This beer is excellent.

 216 characters

4.33/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

2016 bottle - wish I would have drank it fresh. It’s not bad, but there’s very little on the seeet side to balance out a pretty intense coffee flavor.

Checks all the boxes, but sadly there are comparable beers I can grab on the shelf.

 240 characters

4.69/5  rDev +0.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.75

Pours black with a finger and a half of khaki foam. Head retention is good. Aroma is sweet bourbon over medium-roast, medium-bodied coffee. Toffee and molasses each add a little sweetness, with hearty roasty and toasty malts forming the base. It's all led by sweet bourbon. Flavor profile is bourbon, chocolate, molasses, toffee and medium-roast coffee, with roasty and toasty malts. There is a kiss of char at the back, but otherwise, the heat from the alcohol and bourbon are low. Mouth feel is thick with a velvety texture that is broken up by a hot, grainy texture. Overall, a huge and superb stout wedded with notable bourbon and flavorful coffee.

Served in a 15.5oz Spiegalau tulip from a 750mL bottle.

 710 characters

4.75/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Traded in NC for a bottle. No visible date

Look- Poured into a tulip. A thin brownish-tan head which faded quickly. The little lacing and some stickiness in places.

Smell- Lots of caramel, chocolate, and vanilla. I was expecting more coffee and the barrel, but it just was not there. The smell was fantastic either way.

Taste- The caramel, chocolate, and vanilla blend was phenomenal. The bourbon was a little more prevalent as it warmed and the coffee showed up more toward the end of the pour.

Mouthfeel- Nice and smooth with just enough carbonation. No idea this one clocked in at 12%.

Overall- A fantastic stout with a rich blend. Highly recommend.

 659 characters

4.35/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

03/2017 - dig the vanilla, fruity aromas that dominate up front, plus some coffee; the palate is chock full of nice barrel, plus some more vanilla, coffee, and dark chocolate; the body is quite enjoyable, but the finish is a bit tannic amidst all those other great qualities.

 275 characters

4.73/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Extremely amazing beer.
Smell of caramel
Taste of chocolate and coffee
Overall very drinkable for a 12% ABV. Coffee everpresent, but not overpowering.

 151 characters

4.64/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Received in a trade and shared with JLindros. 2016 vintage.

A - Poured into a Kate the Great tulip a nice dark black hue with a fat mocha head that fades to leave a creamy blanket and and light lacing.

S - Big aromas of fudgy chocolate brownies, caramel, bourbon juice, nutty notes. The coffee is really faint but all other notes are super pleasant.

T - Taste is similar to the nose with excellent fudge brownies. Nice nutty notes. Great chocolate. The coffee is super faint but the bourbon is phenomenal. Really rich fudgy bourbon juice. Delicious.

M - Mouthfeel is nicely carbonated, smooth, creamy, silky, alcohol hidden very very well.

O - Overall this was a very very good stout. Excellent chocolate and bourbon notes, unfortunately the coffee is super faint due to the age. Still, delicious!

Serving Type: bottle

 825 characters

4.66/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Another big thanks to rudzud, 2016

Again pours a giant frothy creamy thick heavy 3 finger dark colored heavy thick head, fades slowly, nice thick soapy dark lacing, pitch black beer and looooong legs, couldn't be better than this

Nose loads of dark chocolate and coffee, earthy caramel like coffee, a bit sweet caramel toffee, with nice nougat chocolate fudge, nice mild earthy coffee and chocolate coffee notes, but loads of the base beer, dark chocolate, some roast, loads of vanilla and vanilla ice cream, baker's chocolate cocoa with a little generic back end fresh coffee, little caramel and vanilla toasted oak barrel, flashes of coconut barrel too, and a bit of sweet bourbon, great beer but coffee is lighter than it should be, probably age

Taste is awesome, loads and loads of dark chocolate cocoa fudge, oreo cookie dough and lush cocoa, a touch of charred coffee and fresh coffee, mild earthy roasty coffee with a touch of nutty, cookie dough, wafer, loads of vanilla and barrel notes, a little barrel spice, some nice bourbon mixed with that smooth sweet bourbon, candy bourbon and caramel toffee candy like, juicy and delicious, just a hint of booze

Mouth is fuller bod, fluffy creamy juicy lush with a nice carbonation, just a hint of alcohol

Overall again awesome but missing a bit of the base Vietnamese coffee, great barrel, great base beer, great everything just missing some of the base coffee

 1,417 characters

4.65/5  rDev -0.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Black color with brownish head. Aroma is a bit spicy with chocolate notes, bourbon and some booze. Taste has roasted malt, chocolate, coffee, bourbon in the background. Medium plus body with soft carbonation. Overall it's a really nice, well rounded imperial coffee stout.

 272 characters

4.2/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Had a pour at Dark Lord day and it was pretty good. Not long before I had BA abraxis and BA darkness, both were better. To me this beer should not be ranked this high

 168 characters

5/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Had at a bottleshare. Wish I knew who brought it, so I could thank them. It was a standout among greats. Thick, rich, black blood of the Earth. Thanks whoever!

 159 characters

4.98/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5

Rich, smooth texture. Slight but not overpowering bourbon scent and taste. Not so boozy as to take away from the stout richness. Great chocolate left on the back.

 162 characters

4.51/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Probably my favorite the Speedway coffee variants.

The beer pours a blackish brown color with pretty good head retention and lacing. The beer looks rich and viscous, which it ain't no bad thing. On the nose, there is considerable coffee and vanilla, along with underlying dark chocolate and perhaps a hint of cinnamon. The flavor profile replicates the nose pretty closely, and while this stout is pretty sweet, the coffee flavor seems to balance and counter that sweetness somewhat. There's a mocha quality on the palate of this beer that I just love. Mouthfeel is full, soft and fairly creamy, with a very long finish. Alcohol is incredibly well integrated into the flavor profile, and so drinkability is terrific (almost too terrific, as it's hard to show restraint where this beer is concerned).

Just outstanding, and a beer I order and even make a special trip to obtain, whenever I see it on tap around Portland.

 928 characters

4.71/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Pitch black pour, smaller tan head. Gobs of lace. Aroma of rich coffee, roasted malt, whiskey, fudge. Taste is nearly indescribable.... Fudge brownie, light bourbon, rich, freshly roasted and ground coffee, wood, light chestnut. Thick full body, oily mouthfeel, and not boozy in the least bit. Incredible!

 305 characters

4.5/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This was my unicorn beer for a long time, I probably had unrealistic expectations going into this, but for me, while a very good beer, it did not live up to the hype or the price

 178 characters

4.83/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5

I have no idea why but this tastes like a lightly toasted Marshmallow. So good and so not what I expected it to taste like. A must have beer for any stout lover and worthy of its acclaim.

 189 characters

4.48/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Viscous black under a mocha blanket that settles to a thick collar.

The distinct aroma of roasted, waxy walnuts hits me first, which is quickly enveloped by decadence: chocolate, peanut butter fudge, and pie crust. Then wet, dark wood and a touch of wafer mix in.

The first sip starts sticky with flavors of vanilla rum on the lips, transitioning to nutty chocolate fudge and syrup on the palate. Brittle toffee and deep luscious mocha are spiked with measured bourbon that provides sophisticated notes of smoke and char.

The heat is smooth and round through a slick body and a semi-dry finish.

 597 characters

4/5  rDev -14.3%
look: 5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Black with off white foam.

Sharp, sweet bourbon.

Coffee curbs the heat from the alcohol but not quite enough. Mix of earthy and sweet, the later from vanilla and booze as I can't pick out chocolate. Apparent alcohol's not always a turn off but this doesn't strike the right balance for me.

Not marshmallow thick.

 316 characters

4.86/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

Look is black
Smell is figgy with coco and coffee coming through
Taste is amazing! Nuttiness, slight tart, and tons of coco and coffee. The bourbon comes through with the perfect balance
Overall, amazing beer

 208 characters

4.71/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Just like cold brew with lots of chocolate and vanilla. Mouth feel is silky and substantial. Excellent barrel character with toffee and butterscotch without the alcohol burn. No bitterness from the coffee. Easy drinking and we'll worth seeking out.

 248 characters

4.72/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

A sexy beast. Poured pitch black; not much different then their other stouts. The aroma is outstanding. All coffee - it contributes strong notes of hazelnuts. There is trace notes of bourbon which adds the complexity to the coffee. Smells sweet and dessert-like, like Tirimisu. Upon sipping, the coffee is exactly like the aroma. Full-blown hazelnuts with trace bourbon. I admit I never tasted coffee like this in any other stouts. The coffee adds so much flavor yet I appreciate its simplicity as the hazelnuts are so easy to pick up. Mouthfeel is full-bodied and rich. Outstanding beer, well crafted!

 603 characters