AleSmith Brewing Company - Speedway Stout

The AleSmith Speedway Stout, their flagship imperial stout made with locally roasted coffee, is at long last featured in the Rare Beer Club. AleSmith Speedway Stout pours opaque black, with a black rim around the edges. Dark tan foam with tiny bubbles caps this black elixir, showing very good retention and lacing. The first aromas that waft from the glass are of deeply roasted malts and dark roast coffee. Rich, earthy, and inviting, the aromas of dark chocolate, cocoa powder, and molasses emerge to complement the initial aromatics. As we lean in to further investigate, our noses are treated to aromas of dark toasty toffee, rich caramel, and plump dark fruit. There’s a lightly charred vanilla bean note as well, with accompanying aromas of toasted marshmallow and bruleed brown sugar.

The AleSmith Speedway Stout is massively impactful from the first sip. The deeply roasted coffee notes make their presence known as do dark and toasty malt flavors. This is an immensely decadent imperial stout with layers of flavor in every sip. Touches of char, dark caramel, and dark chocolate abound, as do dried black fruits such as raisins and blackberries. Speedway Stout then rewards us with darker specialty malt flavors and toffee-like hints of sweetness. The more we taste, the more we discover, with notes of black pepper and toasted walnuts making a brief appearance. The deep roast of the coffee and malts, along with a generous amount of bittering hops, provides an ample 70 IBUs of lean bitterness to minimize the perceived sweetness of such a huge stout.

The AleSmith Speedway Stout is rich and full-bodied, with a creamy mousse made up of fine carbonation and tightly packed bubbles. It has a well balanced and round mouthfeel for an exquisite tasting experience, with a long, layered finish. The 12% abv never gets in the way of the flavors, but gives an uplifting feel to the liquid, keeping it from overwhelming our palates. We see why it is decorated with a silver and two gold medals, and is a winner in our glasses!

The AleSmith Speedway Stout is ready to drink now and ages very well. Its high-ABV and dense construction gives it longevity, and should remain smooth and engaging for years to come. With the Rare Beer Club’s limited allocation, we suggest stocking up your cellar as our supply will be depleted very quickly.

For food pairing we refer to AleSmith’s suggestions of rich char-grilled beef dishes, chocolate and vanilla desserts, salty Stilton blue cheeses, or hard nutty cheese such as Gouda and cloth-bound cheddars.

AleSmith Brewing Company is one of San Diego’s premier breweries and pioneers of Southern California’s craft brewing scene. Founded in 1995, AleSmith’s beginnings were humble. With a three-man team and a 15bbl brew system, they made the most of their single-unit space with enough room for an office and a tasting bar. After a few years of getting well established, AleSmith earned a Silver Medal for their Horny Devil Belgian Golden Strong Ale at the 1998 Great American Beer Festival.

In 2002, Peter Zien, a Grand Master Judge and decorated home brewer, took ownership of AleSmith and soon introduced their barrel-aging program with the firsrt release being the epic Barrel-Aged Speedway Stout. The hits kept coming as time went on and in 2008 AleSmith was awarded Small Brewing Company and Brewer of the Year at GABF. After almost 20 years of building the brewery into a world class brand, AleSmith was rated #1 Best Brewery in the World and rated #1 Brewery in California on RateBeer.com in 2014, and consistently ranks among the 10 best breweries in the world to this day.

Between 2015 and now AleSmith has grown in capacity, stature, and production, while still maintaining the highest quality standards and continuing to innovate. They’ve even added a creamery, ChesseSmith, that produces artisan cheeses to pair with their fine brews. AleSmith Brewing Company is also the home of the Tony Gwynn Museum, the San Diego Padres’ legend who played his entire 20 season career for them and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007. The museum raises funds to benefit the Tony and Alicia Gwynn Foundation, which is a philanthropic organization that enhances educational, athletic, and housing prospects for youth and families in underprivileged communities.

Anvil of Hope is another charitable organization associated with AleSmith and is headed up by AleSmith’s owners, Peter and Vicky Zien. Anvil of Hope is deeply committed to strengthening the surrounding community. Check out their mission at anvilofhope.org.

We are very honored to feature AleSmith Brewing Company in the Rare Beer Club and hope to do so again and again in the future. The AleSmith Speedway Stout featured this month has very limited distribution throughout the US, especially in 750ml bottles, being available mostly in major markets in Southern and Central California. The Rare Beer Club is proud to be able to offer this outstanding imperial stout to our nation-wide members.