Barrel-Aged Speedway Stout: Coffee Cake Edition (2024)
AleSmith Brewing Company

 

 

16 ounce can, canned 10/16/2024, 2024 edition. Pretty sure Brutaltruth gave me this one, but I don't remember for sure. Served in a snifter, the beer pours dark brown/black with about an inch tan head that stuck around for a little while. Decent amount of lacing. I like the aroma, the brew smells like roasted malt, coffee, vanilla, cinnamon and some bourbon. Taste is similar to the aroma, but there's also some burnt/charred malt, dark chocolate and oaky flavors noticeable too. None of the flavors seemed to overpower the others here. Nice amount of barrel character. Mouthfeel/body is medium/full, it's slick and a bit rich with a good amount of carbonation. I thought this was pretty good, definitely worth trying if you get the chance!

 

 

Appearance: Pours pitch black with a thin khaki head that quickly fades to a collar; lacing dribbles down

Smell: Charred malt, chocolate, coffee, vanilla and Bourbon

Taste: Sweetened chocolate forward with vanilla and coffee cake flavors emerging; the Bourbon hits the palate, after the swallow, and the finish brings a lot of coffee

Mouthfeel: Full bodied with low to moderate carbonation; slight warmth in the gullet

Overall: The best of the three Speedway variants I have tried over the last few days but I still prefer the OG

 

2024 vintage: 12.67% ABV

Poured from a 16 ounce can dated 10-16-24 into a snifter at 57 degrees.

Look- Black, opaque, dark brown creamy head, above average head retention and lacing.

Smell- Coffee, bourbon, cacao, cinnamon, vanilla, oak, high strength of scent.

Taste- Coffee, bourbon, cacao, cinnamon, vanilla at finish, moderately spicy, high strength of flavor.

Feel- Between medium and full body, slightly below average carbonation, moderately spicy, highly bitter, mildly sweet, silky, highly mouth warming, mildly creamy, moderately mouth coating.

Overall- Black and opaque with above average head retention and lacing. Bouquet was a well balanced mix of coffee, bourbon, cacao, cinnamon, vanilla and oak. Flavor followed closely to nose with high strength. Feel was between medium and full body with slightly below average carbonation and high mouth warming properties. Overall this beer had vibrant aromatics and flavor. I didn’t like it quite as much as the base version, but the variant was extremely enjoyable. It provided an excellent drinking experience.

16oz can poured into a snifter.

A: Oily black with two solid finger of brown head. Great retention. Small chunks of foamy lacing.

S: Typical fudgey and roasty speedway nose, whisper of coffee, s'mores, bourbon and marshmallow, faint green hops, and a bit of steely cinnamon.

T: Follows the nose. Layered chocolate and fudge sauce up front, deep roastiness, a bit more coffee than the nose suggested. There is also a slightly augmented nougat/vanilla/marshmallow flavor that steps out from the normal barrel profile. Warming bourbon and oak. Brief interjection of balancing hops. Spicy cinnamon is well integrated, but bites a bit more on the back end. Trailing smoke, bourbon, and spicy cinnamon on the finish.

M: Very full in body and hefty in feel. Chewy and weighty. Creamy, round, pressing. Plenty of bourbon warmth- approaching hot but stopping just short. More carbonation than usual I'm the speedway series. It is stiff and almost seltzery/carbonic. This amplifies the cinnamon a bit.

O: To be critical, it comes across as a bit over-carbonated, and the bourbon is starting to get hot. It also doesn't really hit the coffee cake concept at all. Almost feels more horchata-like, but without the peppers. Regardless, it's still a solid beer of not a few steps short of the greatness of the OG and the better Speedway variants.

Canned October 16th 2024, bought from Good Times Oakland.

Pour is pitch black with a finger of tan foam. Head shrinks slowly leaving some lacing.

The smell is Bourbon, roasted malt, dark chocolate, vanilla, and yes, coffee. Inviting aromas.

Taste is dark chocolate, coffee, big vanilla notes, Bourbon is definitely there. The alcohol lets itself known. A slow but enjoyable sipper.

Feels full bodied to me.

Overall, I am a big fan of this big barrel aged Imperial Stout.

 

 

 

 

16oz can. Bottom date stamp is 'CANNED ON 10/16/24'.
Black colored body, with a back lit red mahogany edge. Brown colored head, about a finger when poured, and then interrupted islands and a solid ring. No lacing but good retention of surface storm islands and ring.
Aroma is toasted caramel sweetness, with added vanilla and cinnamon. Super sweet expression. Bourbon oak barrel is also sweet.
Taste is coffee forward, with additional flavors of chocolate, oak, vanilla, and cinnamon. The cinnamon reigns in the fade to the aftertaste. The bourbon barrel is the final bit.
More than medium mouthfeel. Syrup texture. Coffee bitter but ultimately a sweet curve ends with the bourbon barrel. Higher ABV% is as advertised. Carbonation maintains a scenic surface storm throughout.
Flavors of cake, spices, and sweetness are on point and well balanced. Coffee, sweet and herbal, bourbon.

 

Poured into a Fremont small snifter. Pours a very dark mahogany brown, appearing nearly opaque in the glass with a quarter finger milk chocolate head that dissipates slowly to patches with light lacing. Aroma of dark toasted malt, coffee, chocolate and vanilla Flavor is dark toasted malt, drip coffee, vanilla chocolate, licorice, mild bourbon and a hint of cinnamon. Medium bodied with light to moderate creaminess. I'm not getting much difference in this one from the base stout, more vanilla, a little bourbon, but coffee about the same and then a hint of cinnamon. Body is slightly thinner, otherwise the great Speedway flavor and good coffee character. Fine coffee stout, not that much variant excitement.

ONE PINT can
Served in a snifter

This beer pours black and is topped with a small dark mocha color that leaves zero lacing.

Heavy coffee aroma. I get some chocolate and vanilla. Boozy aroma takes over after it approaches room temperature.

Strong black coffee flavor. It begins and ends with coffee into the aftertaste with a lingering coffee bitterness. I get some chocolate and vanilla in the middle. I swear I get some cinnamon. Not sure if that is in there or not. The alcohol doesn't make its presence known as in the smell.

Fuller bodied with a smooth mouthfeel

This beer keeps changing as I drink it. Coffee bomb at first. Then some nice chocolate notes. Now cinnamon.

 

16oz can pours out dark and opaque and oily, with the lightest of red hues around the edges, and a very minor cap of dark khaki head. Rich, expressive, somewhat boozy nose full of dark roasted character, espresso, coconut, baking spices, vanilla, chocolate fudge, and bourbon barrel...more rich and decadent vanilla emerges on the palate with a present booze and underlying spice character that balances and adds to the complexity. Rich, viscous full body, reminiscent of a Fremont Rusty Nail, especially with the spice treatment. Good stuff.