Speedway Stout

Beer Name: Speedway Stout
Brewery: AleSmith Brewing Company
ABV: 12%
Serving method: 750 mL bottle in a tumbler
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Unknown

I feel pretty badly about drinking this beer out of a tumbler instead of its proper serving container, but I don't really have much of a choice. If you're thinking about getting me a gift for any reason, proper beer glassware is right at the top of the list. Also, I did not drink this entire bottle. That would have probably knocked me right on my butt, so I shared with Kate. She thinks it tastes like dessert if you're wondering.

Speedway Stout is an extremely dark beer, with some light ruby highlights around the edges. There's a bit of head, but it faded away pretty quickly. I think I could have poured it a little bit differently if I had wanted to foam this bad boy up, but I wasn't being as careful as I should have been at the time. It still left some lacing behind. There is a great aroma of chocolate here, but there isn't as much coffee as I was expecting after the bottle made a point of talking about using coffee beans. The aroma also has some roasted notes to it. It's very nice.

Each sip of this beer comes through packing a huge amount of flavor. The chocolate from the aroma is immediately noticeable, but it's not alone. There's some roasted malt, a bit of coffee, a faintly alcoholic taste, and something sweet like vanilla. The beer has a very thick, creamy feel to it, making it a definite beer for sipping slowly. At 12%, there's no reason to rush. Besides, the flavor is so nice as it warms, you don't want to finish too quickly. You'll miss out on lots of nice things. A light carbonation and sweet lingering finish round this one out.

Final thought - This beer is very tasty, but it's also a bit pricey. If you're looking for a good beer to celebrate . . . well, really anything. Birthdays, anniversaries, Flag Day, Cinco de Ocho, the Hobo Oscars, etc., they can all benefit from a little Speedway Stout. Good luck finding a bottle though, as apparently they are tough to come by.

-Jon