Speedway Stout
AleSmith Brewing Company

750ml bottle into a wine glass...and later drank straight from the bottle (it makes sense in context...)

A: Pours a pitch black color. The head is about a finger high, with a khaki shade. For 12%, the retention is pretty nice, and the texture is quite soft. No lacing is left on the glass, but there are some alcohol legs.

S: Wow, the nose is chocolaty, roasty, and even a bit leathery all at the same time. Many imperial stouts have this kind of nose, but this one has superior integration than most. It's actually mildly alcoholic - hey, it's 12%, who cares? It's not as if it's oppressively boozy on the nose. I forgot to mention the coffee! It's nice and subtle, but not overdone.

T: It opens up with a lot of coffee and chocolate, with the coffee becoming slightly bolder near the midtaste. The finish is insanely well attenuated - it's dry, yet fruity and faintly tart. There's just enough alcohol presence to help nuance the flavors without coming across too harshly. Otherwise, I'm having trouble telling this is 12%. Every flavor is well balanced without compromising the bigness of the brew - ergo, I'm enjoying the hell out of this.

M: It has the creaminess I like in an imperial stout...and yet, it's so dry. Dry, dry, dry - and even better, the alcohol is well concealed on the palate. It's not relying on the carbonation to cut through the full body and mild sweetness (it's a bit timid in terms of carbonation, actually...) This one is ridiculously dangerous.

O: Apart from giving family members a few sips (and almost all of them despised it :(), I basically drank this whole bottle solo. And I had little trouble doing such a thing. Not only is this beer big and extreme, it's also nuanced and even delicate all at the same time. It's a fantastic imperial stout - I really wish this beer was readily available in my distribution area, because I would buy the hell out of it, even at $10 a bottle!

16 oz. can poured into nonic
(canned 12/24/25 printed on bottom of can)

L: pours like motor oil out of the can and even off a relatively light pour pushes up a massive head of brown foam, at least an inch and a half thick; the foam is painting the inner walls of the glass off the head, huge amount of sticking; keeps a fairly thick collar of brown foam and most of a thin skin; 100% opaque ... light does not pass through this wall of black liquid, not even around the edges

S: milk chocolate and coffee, cafe mocha latte; molasses, maybe a hint of toffee or dark toffee (if such a thing exists); a hint of oak wood, charred wood

T: dark roasted coffee, bitter coffee bean ... formidably bitter up front with hints of sweetness coming mostly in the form of dark chocolate; over time some very nice wood notes show up, charred oak and pecan and hickory, and at the same time more sweetness appears ... never a ton, but instead of tasting like coffee or bitter espresso, you get a punch of a cafe mocha latte made with dark chocolate (something like 70% cocoa); the more it warms, the more the dark chocolate note grows

F: not as thick as you'd think after that motor oil pour but still a hefty brew, at least a midweight but lightened a little by the high level of carbonation

O: they may add coffee to this beer, but it certainly doesn't come off as an adjuncty gimmick of a stout tricked up with loads of extras — it's a simple but powerful tour de force of dark malt; to be honest, this can could've used a bit more age, probably 6-12 months in the fridge to help it tame down a little and sweeten, but it's still very good and one I would definitely buy again — in fact, I might snag another can of this 12/24/25 batch and stow it in the fridge until next winter ... my guess is this beer ages very well and probably for as long as you care to try, though I'd bet it hits its stride around the 12-18 month mark

16oz canned on 12-24-25, opened 5-3-26.
1-1/2 finger tan head with excellent retention and early lacing. Black body with no light or fading edges perceptible.
Aromas of rich, charred malt, molasses, licorice, faint coffee, and dark fruit esters.
Bitter coffee, roasted malts, tongue scraping char, dark bitter chocolate.
Full bodied with a velvety mouthfeel. Some heat in a roasty, powerful finish that lingers with a touch of sweetness and charred malt.
Powerhouse of a beer, love the mouthfeel.
Outstanding.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Big, dark, bitter, and boozy. Tastes like coffee, cream, chocolate, molasses, and subtle red and dark fruit with a lot of bitter hops and noticeable ethanol. It’s macho. It’s not that good. But it’s kinda good. It’s bombastic and kinda works.

Poured from 16-ounce can into a tulip glass. Glossy opaque deep brown, with a thin tan head of foam. This is sweet, with aromas and flavors of dark roasted malt, coffee, molasses, dark fruit, and char. It's also quite boozy. Syrupy mouthfeel, with bitterness and sweetness lingering on the finish. This classic is what every imperial stout aspires to be. Highly recommended,

 

 

Draft pour from 2021 keg. Poured 2025-10-09 with a nice dark head of foam above the 40cl of beer.

Smells banana, alcohol, licorice, coffe and chocolate.

Taste a bit thin with ethonal notes at a 12° serving temperature. Afterwards come coffe, rye, licorice, burnt notes and some dextrose.

Feels good in the mouth except for the ethanol which i would expect less from this beer.

All in all a solid 4 and worth it again.

 

Copenhagen 14/10-2015. 50 cl from draft at Søernes Ølbar.

Pours dark brown - almost black with small light beige head. Moderate lacing.

Aroma is of chocolate and coffee.

Soft carbonation and creamy palate.

Taste is very well balanced between sweetness which is not too sugary and rich coffee bitterness. You can sense the quite prominent intensity from the alcohol.

A very nice imperial stout you are forced to enjoy at a thoughtful pace.

RB transfer

 

Pours as dark as midnight oil with a chocolate colored head.

Chocolate, coffee, plum, raisin, dark roasted bread malt in the nose.

Taste follows nose chewey up front and thin in the back. Full flavored without being too heavy.