AleSmith Speedway Stout

Brewed By: AleSmith Brewing Company in San Diego, California

Purchased: 750ml bottle bought at Friar Tuck Beverage in Urbana, IL; 2013

Style/ABV: Imperial Stout, 12.0%

Reported IBUs: ?

I have no idea when AleSmith started distributing to Illinois, but I'm not complaining about it! About AleSmith: 

AleSmith Brewing Company is a brewery based out of San Diego, California. Founded in 1995 by Skip Virgilio and Ted Newcomb, the brewery was purchased in 2002 by brew master Peter Zien. The brewery is famous for their Speedway Stout, and reknown as one of the top breweries in the United State. For more information, check out their website.

The Speedway Stout is a big ass beer. Punching in at 12.0% ABV, this beer is brewed with "pounds of coffee" for added kick. The back of the bottle is a little more informative. According to the bottle, the coffee comes from Ryan Bros. Coffee, Inc. With that said...let's get this in a glass.

AleSmith Speedway Stout

This beer is easy on the appearance...that is to say, it pours into a pitch black, opaque body, and kicks up three fingers of dark, coffee-brown head. The head is sustaining very nicely for a 12.0% ABV beer, and as it falls off there is some epic lacing forming on the side of the glass. Bright light confirms the same damn thing.

The aroma here is super earthy...the coffee they opted to go with for this beer is earthy, earthy stuff. I'm getting earthy coffee, dirt, earthy roast, espresso, spent coffee, bitter black chocolate, baker's chocolate, a nutty/toasted almond aspect, and some boozy dark fruits (berries, hints of boozy raisins and plums, complex shit). It's a huge aroma.

It's not like I needed to review this beer, because it's critically acclaimed and has already received heaps of praise, but this beer does not disappoint. The mouthfeel is thick and expansive like chocolate milk, and the duration is insane. There's also a welcomed, boozy warming in my belly...so good for these cold, snowy, winter nights.  The taste is a wash of earthy coffee, coffee in a filter, dirty espresso, dirt, and huge baker's chocolate/dark chocolate. There's still a nutty/toasted almond thing going on, and there's big layers of roast/toast/dark sugars. I'm getting some burnt sugars and s'mores, and some of that "campfire" flavor I used to note in RISes back in the day. There's also some hints of chocolate-dipped raisins and other dark fruits in the mix, with some seductive booze playing in the back. This is a fancy beer.

Quality stuff here...and to think, this is just the base beer for other sick, barrel-aged creations. I am jelly, but I am also encouraged that I may find those beer in my distro. This is some full-bodied stuff, and yet it is drinkable thanks to ample carbonation and a silky smooth body. Palate depth is off the charts, with a huge duration, and complexity is pretty high. At 12.0% you can crush this, but you should probably slow down. Earthy roast, earthy coffee, and earthy chocolate explode up front; that rolls into some bitter coffee, espresso, nondescript hop noise/bitterness, and more baker's chocolate; the back end trails with some nuttiness, complex roast and dark sugars, and some dark fruits, chocolate, and boozy complexity. The finish ends with lingering coffee/roast/booze and oh my.

Rating: Divine Brew (5.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Decent Divine Brew on this...this is just a fantastic Stout, and I know this beer has potential for improvement when you barrel age it and all that stuff, but let's not do apples and oranges comparisons. Considering that a 750ml bottle of this cost me like...I dunno, 10 dollars or something absurd, you can do no wrong here. Pair this beer with char-grilled meats, ribs, steaks, chocolate or vanilla desserts, and strong cheeses. Really good stuff, the mouthfeel makes this beer.

Random Thought: Fak u 2-day work weeks. Srsly.