AleSmith Speedway Stout - Barrel Aged
Chilled bottle into a glass. 2007 vintage. Received in a trade from Jw347. Thanks John! A: Pours a nearly pitch black body with a billowy dark mocha head; it retains well and leaves a substantial collar on the brew. Quite nice for a beer of this style and gravity. S: Great aroma. Lots of chocolate, toasted marshmallow, vanilla, bourbon, caramel. I pick up hints of sherry-like oxidation, coffee, oak, and earth. T: I let it warm to have the full flavor come out. It's incredibly complex, but the oxidation dominates this beer, too much for my tastes. It introduces a light tartness, sherry / wine, and salty soy. Those aren't deal-breakers in barrel-aged beers anymore, but they have an optimal concentration, and this beer exceeds that. Still, the rest of the flavor isn't irredeemable: it's chocolatey, coffee-driven, and earthy. It has a nice caramelly bourbon to it, and I pick up toasted oak in the finish. M: Full in flavor, medium in viscosity. Good carbonation. No heat. D: It comes together a lot better as it warms, but I am never in love with it. I'm glad I had it, as I was very curious about this one, but I'm not breaking the cellar for it in the future. The fresher one out of a growler was more to my liking.