2009 Alesmith Wee Heavy and Speedway

My opinion only (but after drinking a whole lot of aged beer and having personally ruined more "aged beer" than I'd like to admit....and which I'm still doing, of course....) 2009 is almost 5 years ago for these bottles - they are old. It doesn't mean that they are bad; it means that they are 4+ years old and have lost a great deal of flavor, character and nuance. But, let's face it...it's always fun to taste old and aged stuff since you may just like it and it is educational.

Also, and respectfully to those that may disagree with me.....please! Don't age anything that you've not tasted first. You may love the bottle fresh but will never know if you don't taste it. I personally sit on Cantillon and 3F and a lot of other lambics and gueuzes. However, I only sit on a bottle "to see what happens." I'm drinking even these styles fresh (or fresher) and love them new! (Of course, these styles are also in my opinion the very best to age and see the nuances)..

Anyway, one guy's opinion.....

 

I've had both of these aged & here's my thirteen cents.

Barrel Aged Speedway ages amazingly. I had the '03 vintage at 8 years & 9 years. At eight years (I reviewed it) the beer was excellent if a touch tired. The second bottle I had at 9 years was light-and-day...just amazing. I picked these up when they were already old, so I have to attribute the difference to how they were stored. I would be jazzed to pick up a well-stored, five year old BA Speedway. I actually preferred the older bottles to the fresh ones I've had. Don't hesitate a second.

Barrel Aged Wee Heavy is a different story. Had one at three plus years (I reviewed it as well) & was already beginning to decline. I could taste what the beer was supposed to be, but the flavors were muddled & the mouthfeel was dead flat. Still very good, I'll wager it was world-class when fresh. Personally, I wouldn't acquire one with any time on it again.

Good luck!

 

My experience w/ Wee Heavy is it's a malt bomb and I didn't really like it at all. Speedway on the other hand blew me away and my bottle was about 2 or 3 years old. If you can get Old Numbskull I would grab that from Alesmith as that was another beer of theirs that blew me away. They make solid beers!

 

The one I had was probably 2-3 years old too and it was amazing!