Speedway Stout - Bourbon Barrel-Aged
AleSmith Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

 

Absolutely amazing!

 

 

 

L: Motor oil jet black pour from a 12oz bottled chilled into a sniffer - lite foam risen tot he surface. Looks really thick and oily from the appearance.
S: Big notes of chocolate, not so much coffee in the nose but I've been surprised in the past by this with chocolatey aromas and big coffee tastes. Smelling sweet dark cherries, bourbon, little bit of oak and vanilla. Very on point with the exception of the coffee.
T: Coffee big upfront followed by the chocolate and bourbon/ dark cherry taste. Getting the vanilla and oaky barrels here too. Well done!
F: Medium to heavy bodied, easy sipper for over 13%. Not to chewy and surprisingly not to oily.
O: This was a great stout to try! I'll be buying again soon but definitely worth checking out!

The beer pours a nice brown head that dissipates fairly quickly while the beer itself is a dark chocolate black with a nice glossy sheen to it.

The smell is absolutely delicious. The bourbon and coffee come out first and followed by a nice mild and soft vanilla alongside a bittersweet dark chocolate. There is a noticeable alcohol note that shines through but doesn't really hurt it that much.

The taste is phenomenal! It has the same notes as the smell with a few additions. The oak note is more present in the taste and lasts through the whole thing. The bitter coffee note comes out first and the bourbon doesn't show up until towards the finish alongside the chocolate. There is also no alcohol notes.

The feel is good. It has a very smooth body with a tingling feeling from the carbonation. It also packs quite a bit of heat for a barrel aged beer.

Overall, this is a delicious beer worth getting and holding for a bit because it definitely tastes like it can develop a bit more fully than it has right now.

Appearance: Black, small brown head that fades out after a minute. I can hear it fizzing like a coke.

Smell: Chocolate, wood, vanilla, coconut, nice aroma.

Taste: Big chocolate up front, nice mild wood and vanilla, then finishes with more chocolate. Very smooth, alcohol is well hidden. Soft feel.

Overall: I've been wanting some barrel-aged stouts as the weather is starting to turn colder. Picked up a single of BA Speedway Stout. It's been years since I had the non-BA version, so can't really compare them. The BA was very tasty, big chocolate flavor and well-integrated barrel. Very good!

2022 Edition

Pours jet black with no head. Huge bourbon notes on the nose, with dark chocolate and a hint of vanilla detectable.

The taste is massive, to borrow a term from the beer’s description. I’m hit with dark fruits, leather and tobacco right away, while it finishes with a bourbon-y flourish. If there’s coffee to be had here, it’s minimal to this palate.

This is a great beer nonetheless and really reminds me of BCBS.

 

 

Look - black thick slight tan head really great rimming and lacing
Smell - strong booze dark fruit woody roasted malt, rich and slight black licorice
Taste - boozy barrel and woody vanilla roasted malt
Feel - full body slight bite low carb
Overall - classic ba stout

 

 

 

 

12oz - 2022 version. Glugs out black with a rim of mocha head. Smell is the chocolate, coffee and bourbon, in that order, then the order reverses as it warms. The taste is lots of tasty bourbon barrel heat, coffee bitterness, and sweet milk chocolate. As it warms it takes on a french toast / maple scent and taste, some subtle dark fruit... But no any rasins or dry leaves. Surprisingly well carbonated, suitable for aging... Gonna go back and grab another

Roasty, boozy, malty. Warming up helps it round out into a pretty good beer. When it’s cold, it’s a bit thin and the flavors don’t come through. Feel is a bit thick and syrupy, but I enjoy it, I heard the latest version wasn’t very good compared to the past, but I like this. And then I see I actually rated it lower than it’s score, and I guess what I’ve heard is right.

Delicious 2022 bottle. Pours deep black/brown with no head. Aroma is mild rickhouse (woody, bourbon) and roasted malts. Taste follows with nice mild bourbon notes and solid roasted malts. Feel is stellar smooth, roasty, clean, wow. Overall, if you have the means, you should experience this.

12oz bottle of the 2022 vintage. Has a strong barrel character of bourbon, wood, and vanilla. Moderately boozy with plenty of alcohol heat. Coffee is a bit hidden but noticeable. Mild bitter roast in an otherwise sweet stout. Too sweet and too hot for my tastes but I do enjoy the barrel flavors.

 

Barrel forward bourbon oak and cherry.

2022 vintage poured from a 12oz bottle into a TG MD snifter. pours an onyx black with a dark khaki head that recedes into a thin collar around the edge of the glass. bourbon, oak, coffee, chocolate and vanilla on the nose. oak and whiskey on the taste with a bit of coffee and chocolate. medium-full mouthfeel with a slick finish. not a bad barrel-aged imperial stout but also quite boozy and bitter. heavy on the oak, bourbon and the coffee adds a bitter component. there’s definitely some roasted malts as well as chocolate and vanilla hiding in there too but they get covered up by the oak bourbon barrel presence and bitter coffee.

 

12oz bottle
2022 release
L: black stout with zero head
S: dark cocoa, bourbon, coffee, oak, caramel, vanilla, roast/char
T: dark chocolate, coffee, roasted barley, caramel, boozy bourbon, oak, vanilla, spice, molasses, dark fruit, earthy hops, white pepper
F: full body, lower carbonation, boozy & rich, peppery finish with spicy bourbon and dark cocoa lingering
O: so complex and so good!

2022 vintage. drank 8/12/22
Pour is jet black with a thin fizzy cinnamon colored head. poor retention. no lacing. does leave legs running down the glass.
nose is oaky, bourbon, bourbon-y vanilla, rich dark chocolate, hint of coffee and vanilla
Taste follows. rich dark chocolate, fudge, bourbon, oak, oaky/bourbony vanilla, coffee, excellent. A bit of warming alcohol.

12oz bottle. Label identifies this as '2022' product.
Black colored body, with an extremely thin dark mahogany back lit edge. 1-1/2 mocha brown head, which settles back to an interrupted cap with an active surface. Leaves a couple of thin strings of lacing.
Aroma of roasted barley malt, dark coffee, and dark chocolate. Has vanilla and sweet bourbon.
Taste has bourbon drenching all the flavors of dark chocolate, roasted malt, and dark coffee. Has some expression of dark cherry. Chocolate first and then coffee. The bourbon, with its vanilla, cover everything and extend far into the aftertaste.
Seems like a thin mouth feel at first, but thickens as the body is held in the mouth. Slight coating after each sip. Noticeable alcohol burn on the tongue. Supportive carbonation.
This is a great sipping brew, similar to a slow sipping whiskey. Savor each sip to get the full expression.

Alesmith has one of the longest chain of variants in their Speedway Stout. You got the base, Barrel Aged, and everything in between. Here we have the 2022 BA variant; no frills and full of tangy yeast. The barrel plays lead actor and gets straight to the point. A great offering for the BA purist.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bought from bottle craft in the North Park neighborhood of San Diego. $8.5 for a 12 oz bottle

A&S: Appearance looks pretty bland. No real head or lacing. The speaks of the head that are there, are brown. The aroma is pretty amazing. Powerful bourbon, sweet dark chocolate, toasted malts, and some coffee.

T&M: Taste is pretty tasty. Slightly bitter, sweet syrup, caramel tones in the finish. Unfortunately, there are some downsides to the taste in my opinion. I have been getting this with stouts for a while now, and I definitely, get it with this beer, but soy sauce is a part of the taste. Fantastic feel. Super rich texture, almost creamy. Carbonation adds a tiny kick, but not enough to take away from the milky tones.

Overall: I liked this beer. It was worth a try, but it falls into the category of, worth a try, but won't buy again.