Speedway Stout - Barrel Aged Monster's Park Chocolate Espresso Edition
AleSmith Brewing Company

16 oz can, dated is unreadable

Pours black in color, with dark brown head that fades. Big aroma of fudgey chocolate, boozy bourbon, and rich espresso. Similar flavor, pretty bold, with a roasty bitterness, a little hot. Full bodied, slick feel.

 

 

 

Glowering 16 oz. can. Reminds me of those ancient, rare-as-hen’s-teeth original 750ML bottles of BA Speedway they made 196 at a time (yeah, yeah old man).

Dense black; minimal head exits rapidly. The nose mimics the name, plenty of cocoa & coffee.

Speedway Stout – Barrel Aged Monster’s Park Chocolate Espresso (longest name ever?) tastes like cold hot chocolate before it starts to warm. Then the wood really starts to bark, more than the bourbon, & the espresso seems to express as moist spring earth. Pillar: malt sweetness. Bits of bourbon, molasses. A lot going on here. This can is enough. Hard to drink casually.

Very good beer. Would have liked the bourbon to shine more; tossing it into this complex mix would certainly have pumped it up a level.

On tap at the source. Edgy chocolate and expresso flavours. Fun stuff. Big beer, But adjunct supported. Who would travel 2500 miles and not try it on tap.

 

 

2025-12-12
16oz can served in a stemless rastal. 2025 vintage. Bought it a few months ago at Full Throttle Bottles. I think the stamp says it was canned on 03/18/25.

Pours black with a dark tan head, modest in size. Moderate carbonation, very fine and slow. Smell is screaming dark chocolate with coffee cowering in the corner. Sweetness is noticeable but hard to characterize in the smell -- maybe chocolate syrup.

Taste is really strong coffee and chocolate, maybe a bit more on the coffee side than I would have expected from the smell. Sweet, but not overwhelming. Anise isn't quite the right word, but there's some cola and horehound. Booze and vanilla is definitely noticeable. Sweet, but not syrupy.

Mouthfeel is big, but not oppressing. Quite good.

 

Appearance: Pours pitch black with a one finger tan head; leggy, with speckles dribbling down

Smell: Rich chocolate and espresso aromatics with caramel and vanilla notes; the Bourbon complements

Taste: Layers of rich dark chocolate and vanilla with the espresso emerging to provide a fruity, coffee aspect; through the middle. the chocolate elements continue to build, with the Bourbon arriving to complement; nicely balanced finish

Mouthfeel: Thick bodied and creamy with moderate carbonation; slight warmth in the gullet

Overall: Slightly too sweet for my palate but that is a minor quibble as there is much to like here for those that enjoy rich chocolate and coffee flavors

Canned 2025/03/18. This is one that rudzud would have loved.
Pours a dark almost black frothy 1/2 finger head with good retention, high water mark lacing, and decent legs even, pitch black beer

Nose is quite nice, layers of chocolate, cocoa, choc ganache, dark choc fudge, roasted malts and espresso coffee, rich sweet vanilla, bourbon barrel goodness, baking spices, nougat, some sweet candy bar notes, mild almond notes even

Taste again comes on super rich, big base beer, thick and chewy, some roasted malts, plenty of chocolate again, cocoa, dark chocolate, ganache, fluffy chocolate nougat candy bar, into fudgey notes, more rich vanilla, sweet vanilla ice cream, toasted oak and vanilla barrel with some bourbon and baking spices, caramel creams, smooth espresso and roasted coffee, a touch of coconut and nutty notes almost marzipan like, mild bitterness from mild spicy hops and roasted malts, smooth alcohol perfume, fairly sweet but not overly, sweet finish, a bit more warming booze as well

Mouth is thick chewy creamy rich, heavy, a bit of warming alcohol but quite smooth for 13.6%, med carb

Overall this was a beast that started with a delicious stout with great extra characters and started towards the path of pastry stout but never got there thankfully, so much of everything but still an Imp Stout at heart, as usual well done for AleSmith

The pour is used oil black with a dark brown head that appears only to disappear in moments. Not unusual for BA stouts.
The taste, at cellar temperature, begins almost sweet - the impression of chocolate is very strong. And I don’t mean the first part of the sip, it was the first quarter of the beer itself. Then the coffee comes out and the roast shines.
The feel is lightly viscous and very appropriate for this beer.
OA, not a huge fan of additives and adjuncts, but if they must be there then the flavors normally in stouts are okay.

Not worth the money

Excellent complexity can be found in this BA stout. Pours as one would expect, with a frothy mocha shaded head. A myriad of flavors are available including: cocoa, chocolate, dark roast coffee, bourbon and vanilla hints, varying RIS notes such as dark fruits. Everything blends together nicely without one flavor dominating another. As it warms, the RIS character blooms a bit further. Booze is present but never detracts from the experience, but instead seems to increase this beer's greatness. Body is thinner than expected, but it's nothing below average. This beer is welcome in my fridge anytime as it is a fantastic and complex offering for the style

16oz can poured into a snifter

A- pours jet black in color with a one-finger creamy dark brown head that reduces to a ring

S- heavy charred malt mixes with earthy and herbal espresso beans up front. Heavy barrel notes under the coffee give barrel juice, wet oak, caramel and vanilla. Dark chocolate, anise, fig & raisin close it out

T- bold dark chocolate and woody/earthy espresso up front quickly give way to bold barrel notes that adds a wave of oaky bourbon, caramel and vanilla. Mid-palate gives notes of molasses, raisins and more caramel. The finish gives more earthy espresso and dark chocolate, with plenty of bourbon barrel sticking around on the linger

M- medium body with moderate carbonation leads to a foamy mouthfeel that turns slightly creamy into a warming finish

Copenhagen 15/9 2025. 47,3 cl can from The Beer Hive, Amagerbrogade, Kbh. S. Black can with a lot of golden writing describing the collaboration and the very extensive beer name.

Pours opaque dark brown with a small bege head. Bubbly. Disappears pretty quickly leaving a sombre dark fluid behind. No lacing at all.

Aroma is intense with a prominens and potent sweet, sugary odor almost brimming with dark alcohol. Brown sugar and toffee. Dark bitter chocolate. Earthy fumes of leather and coffee. Dark sweet bourbon. Hint of vanilla.

Low carbonation. Thick, oily, soft, a bit sticky, viscous, almost flat texture,

Flavor is intense with a strong sweetness followed by a medium strong bitterness. Aftertaste is sweet boozy and potent with a bitter undertone,

A potent version of the good old Speedway Stout with bourbon and dark chocolate.

Bought at Alesmith's San Diego brewery. Around $14 for a 16-oz can. Canned on 03/18/25, 13.62% ABV (are these proper sig figs?!?), consumed on 09/03/25. Left out for ~30 minutes before opening and poured into a Spiegelau stout glass. Drank before the Modest Mouse and Flaming Lips show tonight in San Diego.

A&S: Jet black beer. The chocolate fizzy head is gone instantly. Aroma contains hot bourbon, dark chocolate, dark fruits, and vanilla

T&M: Taste is almost the same and driven mostly by the boozy warmth that hits almost immediately. Carbonation is sharp and very tingly. Mouthfeel is medium.

Overall: Had a sample of this one at the brewery and ended up walking away with a can, not because I found it mindblowing, but because I wanted to give it another shot. Honestly, I got Monster Tones and Monster's Park mixed up....It's a good beer, don't get me wrong. I just prefer other speedway variants to this one.

16oz can poured into a snifter.

A: Jet black color with a ridiculously brown head. Dark brown- a good few shades darker than I've ever seen. Solid two and a half fingers in height, and retention is awesome. Small-ish patches of sticky and chunky lacing.

S: Fudge sauce up front. Double chocolate cake and brownie batter. Molasses and a bit of dark salted caramel. Bitter dark chocolate chips. Acidic and woody espresso. Bit of smoke. Bold estery profile brings booze soaked golden raisins and figs.

T: Follows the nose, with waves of chocolate up front. Fudge sauce, brownies with fudge, double chocolate cookies. Blackstrap molasses. Woody and roasty with a bit of an acrid edge. Espresso nestles within the roasted malt and brings its own bitter and woody acidity. Booze soaked golden raisin, sugar dates, bit of darkfruit. Alcohol is not shy- it strays toward the hot side, but stays bearable. Finished with trailing smoke and woody espresso roast, as well as some salted caramel.

M: Thick and heavy. Rife with dextrins in that slick and syrupy feel. Plenty of warming alcohol. Carbonation is moderately sharp with a bit of a seltzery carbonic prickle.

O: It's pretty crazy that this isn't barrel aged, because it sure drinks like it is. And a bold one at that. This one does not attempt to hide the ABV, and the brawn and heat are thrust upon the drinker unabashedly. It is not for the faint of heart. If you like a bold, challenging imperial stout, this will be up your alley. The nib and espresso additions work well enough and augment the underlying flavor profile another couple notches. A good dessert and/or cigar sipper with the right pairing, but better suited to the rare special occasion than the regular rotation, even if it were not a limited release.