Searched high and low utterly disappointed but not surprised this doesnt exist. Ill start off 2022 Alesmith BBA Speedway Imperial Stout I came in with low expectations compared to their 2020 Anvil and Stave BBA Speedway series. Reasons being : this was available for shipping ( 2020 was pickup only) , this saw very Wide distribution(2020 didn't) , this one cost 8 dollars for a 12oz ( 2020 was 15 for 11.2 oz), abv is 13% which is 1% over regular speedway (2020 was 14.4), They didn't disclose barrel source and not importal but the label sucks. Smell: single source well made espresso shot with shaved dark chocolate on top Look: looks like an Imperial Stout Feel: coats the toungue nicely and almost a bit chewy without feeling like youre drowning Taste: heres the downfall of this . It tastes lime bottom shelf milk chocolate and hardly has any vanilla,tobacco, leather or dark fruit flavors. It has a taste if cheap ass bourbon on the backend of this as well. Overall: glad i only bought two . This one is a letdown. 3.5/5
Ill be doing a side by side this weekend i believe. I have had 2020 on tap and bottled before ...its glorious This is nowhere near the 2020 version.
Just damn happy to see BA Speedway on shelves in MN. We've come a long way since the isolated days of 2009! And $6/bottle where I picked it up. Still a damn good beer to my unrefined palate.
Yea this shits everywhere and for good reason. they mass produced a mediocre ba stout and dumped it all over the place. Enjoy it !! And try to get the 2020 version if you can
What to do about a high rated barrel aged stout that had no barrel character? Simple. Pour 2 ounces of bourbon along side of it. Glad this is my last Modern Times disappointment. Another soy sauce, vinegar, Hershey bar. Cheers, Tomas. Thanks for facilitating another avenue for me to complain. Cheers.
Shout out to Goose Island. While a majority of their beer may be mediocre in 2022, Bourbon County typically delivers for the price point and availability. Recent standouts have been BBt 2021, Truth, Nascent Truth, Votive b3, Madness and Civilization blend 15, and Damon dandelion
Wow. Talk about some heavy hitters. Probably 3/4 of us or more will never be able to try those beers, so I suppose we live vicariously through you. Side note: If you were born in 2001, that’s a hell of a list of beer to try in your 21st year. Cheers.
Maybe just dial it back to regular Speedway? Last I checked was $7-8 per 16oz can, super solid value. Not to mention it travels really well.
Regular speedway is 13 for a 4pack. Have we met? I literally have an iv drip of Speedway and Rasputin on me
One great thing about living in Western Mass is the beer. The only one of those beers I didn’t personally buy was bbt, which I traded for Samuel. cheers!
Lolololol I’ve never heard of them either. BBT probably stands for; Butt, Balls, Taint. I can only assume. Probably tastes awful… Cheers.
The Abyss, and probably earlier, Courage Russian Imperial Stout. I still seek out various years of it.
2013 Abyss i drank last year...absolutely delicious considering all the shit they put in it. Purchased at Deschutes in Oregon by a friend early last year
If I lived across the coast, I probably wouldn’t know either. Seeing that HF is a day trip including an hour in the tasting room, it’s more in my wheelhouse. Also, ba stouts are my thing, so I’ll go out of my way to acquire regional ba stouts.
Another one from early last year Moonraker Original Oil BBA Imperial Stout aged in Heaven Hill Barrels for 1.5 years These guys arent the best and they for sure need some work but glad i was able to try this small batch BBA Stout.
I am a big fan of Imperial Stouts and particularly Russian Imperial Stouts. Tributary Brewing of Maine recently released their 2022 Mott the Lesser. I picked up two. One to have right away and it was awesome. One to have a year from now. This is partly why I like Impy Stouts because they can age fairly well. Something to have for a special occasion in the future. I have a some various 2018/2019/2020 Impy stouts in my cellar.
This could be my new fav hangout on BA! Thanks for starting @Resistance88 ! So as my first entry I will share a brew sent to me by the founder of this thread! Thanks for the opportunity! Also please note in the photo I didnt chew this waxed cap off! This is Fremont The Rusty Nail 2021 vintage. Says oatmeal stout here on BA, but anything over 9% and stout is an imperial in my book! Onto my review: Sampling this 2021 vintage 22 oz bottle poured into my trusty snifter. Beer is part of a swap with @Resistance88 thank you! The beer pours a thick , jet black coffee color with a dense brown head foaming up about 2 cm and gently cresting over the edge of my glass. No spillage out and no light passing through either. Looks the part of an imperial stout for sure. the dense creamy head fades slowly to a sturdy surface covering and leaves dense coating lattice on each sip or swirl of the glass. The aroma on this beer is complex and enticing, there is some dark chocolate and a bit of roasted malts and almost charred note. I also definitely get cinnamon, but its not artificial like Big Red, very earthy cinnamon note. Also some bourbon notes come through here. I dont get licorice that is on the label, which is okay as I dont tend to like anice/licorice aroma or flavor too much. I dont get any booze here which is impressive at 13.3%. Also not much if anything for a hop profile on the nose. First sip reveals a full, thick body with soft gentle and fine carbonation. Beer feels nice on my palate and does give a bit of a coating on my lips with each sip. Flavor follows the notes advertised on the nose. I get dark chocolate and some bourbon with hints of dark chocolate rolling through. Some warming and earthy cinnamon pops up, and this flavor lingers along with a bit of warmth, or is THAT the abv which was hidden on the nose?? Not really any char or heavy roast notes here. The bourbon does come back very dominant on the burps. Hops, we dont need no stinkin hops! I dont get any on the flavor profile. So the warmth could be booze or cinnamon, its not hot, just slightly warm. The beer does drink pretty easy for its heft and I do enjoy it a lot. I got a second bottle of another beer to open after this, but I may just sip this one all night. Very good brew! 4.56 in the BA DB
The 2020 was probably the last version I had of BA Speedway, and as the OP indicated, it was amazing. Other recent outstanding stouts I've had of late include the 2019 Fremont coconut bbomb and a new to me ba stout from 608 out of Wisconsin (the ba coconut nebulous void). I had it side by side with a glass of 2021 assassin and IMHO, it was vastly superior to the Assassin (which was a decent ba stout, but nothing to write home about).
I forgot i sent you that! Glad that you've enjoyed most of the beers we traded and you know you are more than welcome to lounge here with the rest of us. I got a few big boys I'll be posting about here soon,but im done for today I've got training in the morning
It's one of my favorite glasses for stouts. Simple, no nonsense and i get to drink normal beers with a whale on the glass
I believe you when you say there's a TG mob. That's the only way assassin gets the kind of reviews posted routinely in the BA data base.
Oh there is. They constantly war with SP. If you like Imperial stouts with Vanilla( can't believe i am saying this) i HIGHLY suggest Oddside Ales XII Anniversary. @BigIronH sent me one and i asked for another. One of the greatest, smoothest , perfectly balanced BBA Stouts with Vanilla and Cocoa i have ever had.
This seems less like the Imperial Stouts appreciation thread and more like the “Biggest Imperial stouts letdown” thread. Geeze guys. You’re doing it wrong.
Beer:Barrel:Time 2021 I've been fortunate enough to try the 2020 and this 2021 vintage. Whilst both are world class beers my preference leans more toward the 2021 vintage. Deep impressions of chocolate, leather and tobacco. Some oak and a very nice barrel presence throughout. So many layers and the nose is absolutely massive. Sticky, chewy and coating with some really fantastic legs. Cheers!
I had this one courtesy of @colts9016 which was sent to me via BIF 15. It was delicious and exactly what I hope each imp stout is like. Black Raven - Grandfather Raven A perfect pouring beer, poured slow and shows just a hint of viscosity. Beautiful slowly forming but dense and thick light/medium brown head with some beautiful lacing. A looker if a beer. Nose is licorice, wood, some smokiness, rich rich chocolate and some watered down coffee. The taste is a rich combo of chocolate with licorice and some noticeable hops. Big body, drinks very smooth due to a lower creamy carbonation; it has just the perfect touch of thickness to it. Bitter roasty hoppy finish. There is really not hint of 9.5%, you know it’s a big beer but there is no warning sign
Flying Dog Operation Breakfast. For some reason this one just hits the spot tonight. It's smooth, thick, cocoa, vanilla....
Sampled a 16 oz can tonight straight from my cellar. This is Notorious RBG a tasty 10% Imperial stout from Barreled Souls. Pretty classic beer naming and label too. Brewed with coffee, maple syrup and aged in rye barrels for quite some time. I already emptied my first can of this beer several months ago, enjoyed it then so hopeful for this one now. Onto my review: the beer pours a jet black color with creamy tan head of about 1 cm. Aroma is caramel, sweet rye whisky and vanilla and a bit of caramel. Definitely on the sweeter side of things. First sip reveals a smooth texture and medium body with gentle rolling carbonation. Flavor is sweeter rye and vanilla notes mixing with some caramel and dark chocolate. Hints of coffee poke through as well. No hop hits on this beer and the ABV is hidden well for sure. Still quite the nice imperial stout that drinks easy and is pleasant and enjoyable. Another winner from Barreled Souls
Cycle Rare Dos aged over 2 years in Makers Barrels. Part of a trade. I've have the one year version but this is a new one for me Pours black and leaves a light brown 1/4 inch of head or so that dissipates to 1/8 and remains Nose is all bourbon sweetness, roasted malts, and german chocolate ganache Taste follows the nose which is always nice but also has vanilla and dark fruit flavor on top of the rest. Also has a fairamount of peat, not off-putting , it's what should be expected in a two year barrel beer.( i think) At 11% this is easy to drink but has more depth than most beers in that abv range. It's usually the Barrel Aged beers that clock in over 14% that have this much character thanks for this one @micada
This is the appreciation thread, right? Well, somebody appreciates Term Oil S'mores. In fact, at $83 a four-pack, I'd say Toppling Goliath is downright proud of it. As for me, I'll reserve judgment until I see it on draught here.
Thats not beer thats artificial alcohol beverage. Not welcome here. Edit: whose stupid idea was this. I've only had 2 tg beers and they were a pseudo someshit and anither dinosaur ddh. They're stouts are something i want nothing to do with no matter what . Being in the area im in you gotta be really dedicated to try to land one A store here sells term oil smores singles for 23 bucks
Could you imagine the look on Ken Grossman's face if someone went up to him in the 1980s and said "You know this is all gonna lead to $80 four packs of stout with artificial flavoring right?"
My local (8 minutes away) usually does imperial stouts well, as is the case with this recent new one. Loads of chocolate, some char, and a nice measure of resiny hops to keep you on your toes. All in a 10.5% ABV package that doesn’t drink like that - at all - but reminds you when you stand up after draining the pint that it was very much indeed 10.5% ABV. Very well done, IMHO.
